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Assignment In Mapeh II
Article: The Cultures, Traditions and Events in South Asia.
Submitted By: Markhill V. Tiosan Year and Section: II-Jasmine
Table of Contents
Title:
The Cultures,Traditions and Events Of South Asian
Tradition in South Asia. Islamic Traditions in South Asia South AsianTraditions and Cultures: Hybridity or Modernization?
Events 2010 South Asia. 31 December, 2010, Kathmandu, Nepal 9th December, 2010, Kathmandu, Nepal 29th November 2010, New Delhi
broken sky! The South Asian culture is also home to a number of magical animals and plants, like the extolled nekomatas or felines with two tails and magical powers, the Balinese child-eating rangdas, the pishachas or haunters of the cremation grounds etc. Story-telling and folklores are common to the cultures of the region and South Asia has given the world a collection of fables. South Asia displays great linguistic diversity, the components being a number of language families and isolates and regional dialects. Most of the South Asian countries have more than one language natively spoken. South Asian philosophical traditions cover a large spectrum of thoughts and writings. They include antithesis like on one hand propagating non-material pursuits, whereas on the other preach the enjoyment of material world. The region is home to the universally accepted and applied Gandhian principles of non-violence and peaceful resistance. Interestingly, majority of people in the world who practice a religious faith, practice one originally from South Asia. The region celebrates a variety of festivals, which are also traditional holidays in many regions. In South Asia, rice is the staple food. The region is not only a major consumer but the worlds granary of rice. The use of exotic spices that grow on the land and extensive consumption of fish along the coastlines is another common feature. Years of colonization and interactions with other cultures and nations, the cuisine has also inherited flavors that are distinctly Latin and American. These are incorporated within the people's local blends.
deities. The three mostpopulardeities of present-day Hinduism, which draws directly on later texts known as the Puranas (composed early in the present era), are the god Shiva, the god Vishnu, and the goddess Shakti (literally, "Power"). Hindus generally address their worship to one or another of the three and are accordingly known as Shaivas, Vaishnavas, or Shaktas. Temples were built to enshrine the image of the chosen deity, and the exterior walls of these temples were covered with numerous sculpted images and masses of decorative carvings. Relief carvings from the myths of the enshrined deity played an important role in glorifying the god whose various manifestations found a place in the niches on the temple walls. In addition, sculptors carved a variety of auspicious motifs that included overflowing foliage, figures of women, and images of embracing couples, all of which suggested growth, abundance, and prosperity. Side by side with the flowering of the plastic arts, philosophy and literature, as well as music and dance, flourished in the Hindu context. India's best-known philosophical system, Vedanta, associated with the philosopher Shankara, proposed a monistic belief in the identity of the human soul with the divine principle. A rich body of secular literature, including poems and dramas, fables and epics, was written first in Sanskrit and later in a number of regional languages, from southern Tamil to northern Kashmiri, from western Gujarati to eastern Bengali. Music and dance played an important part in the religious and secular life of the subcontinent. Hindu religion, culture, and art spread overseas into several parts of Southeast Asia, where the two great epics of India, theRamayanaand theMahabharata, continue to play an important theatrical role. India is the birthplace of two other major religions that arose during the sixth and fifth centuriesB.C.One wasBuddhism, a faith propounded by Prince Siddhartha, who achieved enlightenment and became known as theBuddha(literally, "Enlightened One"). The Buddha's path to nirvana (Buddhist salvation) was a path of moderation that was open to all. It denied the caste system of the Hindus and emphasized an upright, moral life. Buddhism gained rapid popularity within India and, at an early date, spread along the Silk Road into China, Korea, and Japan, where it became a major force. The countries of Southeast Asia, too, imbibed the Buddha's teachings. Buddhists especially revere the founder of their faith, who was deified and adored as a god. In early times, his mortal remains (in the form of ashes following cremation) were interred within relic mounds known as stupas. Relief sculptures narrating the life of the Buddha were used to decorate such stupa mounds. The range of auspicious motifs used in a Hindu context-foliage, women, couples-also formed part of the decorative scheme of the stupa. Buddhas later built richly decorated temples to enshrine an image of the Buddha. The other major religion that arose in the sixth centuryB.C.is traditionally accepted as having been founded by Mahavira, an elder contemporary of the Buddha. Once he had attained enlightenment, he was known as Jina, or "Victor," and the path he propounded is known as Jainism. Although similar in many ways to the path of the Buddha, Jainism places greater emphasis on austerity and asceticism, which are upheld as ideals. The faith did not spread beyond India, but it holds an important place within the subcontinent. Jain temples, which enshrine an image of one of the twenty-fourjinas, are similar in many ways to those built to honor Hindu gods; only the narrative themes and the identity of the sacred images are different. India is home to other religions as well, includingIslam, a monotheistic faith. Northwestern India was first penetrated by Muslim armies in the early eighth centuryA.D., although Islam did not establish a firm foothold there until the eleventh century. The last of the world religions to arise in the subcontinent is Sikhism, which, in certain respects, attempted to bridge the gulf between Hinduism and Islam. The greater proportion of the art in stone that has survived was used to decorate sacred structures. Secular monuments certainly existed, and monarchs and nobles built themselves imposing palaces and mansions. It would appear, however, that such structures were made in the perishable medium of brick and wood and decorated with terracotta and wood sculptures. In the hot and humid climate of much of India, these ancient secular monuments have perished. It is only after Islam came to India that secular monuments began to be constructed of stone. Thus it is that the majority of the works of art seen in the South Asian galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, most of them of stone, come from a religious context. The artistic remains, consisting of sacred image as well as sensuous, often flamboyant figures of women, emphasize the intermingling of the sacred and the secular in the art of India.
A significant aspect of Islam in India is the importance of shrines attached to the memory of great Sufi saints. Sufism is a mystical path (tariqat ) as distinct from the path of the sharia. A Sufi attains a direct vision of oneness with God, often on the edges of orthodox behavior, and can thus become a pir (living saint) who may take on disciples (murids ) and set up a spiritual lineage that can last for generations. Orders of Sufis became important in India during the thirteenth century following the ministry of Muinuddin Chishti (1142-1236), who settled in Ajmer, Rajasthan, and attracted large numbers of converts to Islam because of his holiness. His Chishtiyya order went on to become the most influential Sufi lineage in India, although other orders from Central Asia and Southwest Asia also reached to India and played a large role in the spread of Islam. Many Sufis were well known for weaving music, dance, intoxicants, and local folktales into their songs and lectures. In this way, they created a large literature in regional languages that embedded Islamic culture deeply into older South Asian traditions. In the case of many great teachers, the memory of their holiness has been so intense that they are still viewed as active intercessors with God, and their tombs have become the site of rites and prayers by disciples and lay people alike. Tales of miraculous deeds associated with the tombs of great saints have attracted large numbers of pilgrims attempting to gain cures for physical maladies or solutions to personal problems. The tomb of the pir thus becomes adargah (gateway) to God and the focus for a wide range of rituals, such as daily washing and decoration by professional attendants, touching or kissing the tomb or contact with the water that has washed it, hanging petitions on the walls of the shrine surrounding the tomb, lighting incense, and giving money. The descendants of the original pir are sometimes seen as inheritors of his spiritual energy, and, as pirs in their own right, they might dispense amulets sanctified by contact with them or with the tomb. The annual celebration of the pir 's death is a major event at important shrines, attracting hundreds of thousands of devotees for celebrations that may last for days. Free communal kitchens and distribution of sweets are also big attractions of these festivals, at which Muslim fakirs, or wandering ascetics, sometimes appear and where public demonstrations of self-mortification, such as miraculous piercing of the body and spiritual possession of devotees, sometimes occur. Every region of India can boast of at least one major Sufi shrine that attracts expressive devotion, which remains important, especially for Muslim women. The leadership of the Muslim community has pursued various directions in the evolution of Indian Islam during the twentieth century. The most conservative wing has typically rested on the education system provided by the hundreds of religious training institutes (madrasa ) throughout the country, which have tended to stress the study of the Quran and Islamic texts in Arabic and Persian, and have focused little on modern managerial and technical skills (see Education and Society, ch). Several national movements have emerged from this sector of the Muslim community. The Jamaati Islami (Islamic Party), founded in 1941, advocates the establishment of an overtly Islamic government through peaceful, democratic, and nonmissionary activities. It had about 3,000 active members and 40,000 sympathizers in the mid-1980s. The Tablighi Jamaat (Outreach Society) became active after the 1940s as a movement, primarily among the ulama, stressing personal renewal, prayer, a missionary and cooperative spirit, and attention to orthodoxy. It has been highly critical of the kind of activities that occur in and around Sufi shrines and remains a minor if respected force in the training of the ulama. Other ulama have upheld the legitimacy of mass religion, including exaltation of pirs and the memory of the Prophet. A powerful secularizing drive led to the founding of Aligarh Muslim University (founded in 1875 as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College)--with its modern curriculum--and other major Muslim universities. This educational drive has remained the most dominant force in guiding the Muslim community.
different people. As far as economic modernity and the communication of business and lifestyle cultures, South Asian cultures have displayed a greater degree of adaptability because they adapt as well as emit cultural models and have credited importance in the global economy. India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan have experienced greater cultural diversity in recent history; having undergone McDonaldization and MTV-pop culture according to different degrees of adaptability. This degree becomes limited when religious cultures are concerned, because these traditions require the subjects complete conformity, and henceforth rule out any variation or hybridity. In these circumstances, it is questionable whether conformity to indigenous belief and culture must precede the application of a modernized and hybrid culture, or vice versa. For instance, the regular week in Pakistan is arranged to allow for the Friday congregational prayer, which is compulsory as per Islamic tradition, and all formal and informal businesses are directed to either close down at noon, or halt operations till 2P.M and then recommence. Similarly, South Asias contributions to the global economy are halted for those days when regional culture requires respect; as on Ashura or Bikarami Samvat, or celebration; Eid or Holi. This highlights the moral imperative in South Asian cultures to follow a certain tradition (in this circumstance, religious and associative culture of Pakistan) in a specific and exact format. The issue of whether South Asia is prone to cultural adaptability is very subjective. One can always relate to the after-effects of colonization. The elite adopted the British grandeur style and it continued to trickle down the multiplicity of classes. In South Asia cultural change or hybridity has always surged through the elite class and cultural penetration of such kind is significantly dependant upon the influencing powers. Further on, as already mentioned that the penetration of this cultural hybridity is more in the urban zone than in the rural sphere, shows that globalization despite its manipulative ability is still limited to an extent. There are certain repellent factors such as conservatism that exist in South Asian society which tend to limit the effect of globalization. Even though fundamentalist factions continue to retard advances, it remains an irrefutable fact that South Asia has come of age and has begun its cultural renaissance, but hybridity perhaps remains a complex subject of separation and synthesis.
9th December, 2010, Kathmandu, Nepal: UN Women in collaboration with the Nepalese Army, organized and celebrated International Human Rights Day on 9th December 2010, on their premises Sahba Griha. The Nepalese Army pledged to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. Brigadier General Nirendra Prasad Aryal, Director of the Human Rights Directorate, stated that the celebration of International Human Rights Day focused on womens rights as human rights. He said that this was the first time that the Nepalese Army had participated to support the campaign to end violence against women. They symbolized this by putting on the white ribbon. UN Women expressed its gratitude and appreciation to the Nepalese Army for their commitment to ending violence against women and for coming forward through a historic partnership for the implementation of the SCRs 1325 and 1820. Dr. Chandra Bhadra, the resource person for the day, made a presentation on womens rights, making linkages with CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, UNSCR 1325 and 1820 and the White Ribbon Campaign. This was a significant formal beginning of UN Womens partnership with the Nepal Army. 29th November 2010, New Delhi: The Report, Dimensions of Deprivation focusing on the poverty levels of the Widows of Vrindavan by the Guild of Service, supported by UN Women was launched on 29th November 2010 by Mr. D.K Sikri, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. Present on dais with him were Dr. Mohini Giri, Chairperson of the Guild of Service, Ms. Anne F. Stenhammer, Regional Programme Director, UN Women South Asia, Ms. Madhubala Nath, Regional Policy Advisor, UN Women South Asia, Ms. Meera Khanna of the Guild of Service and Ms. Usha Rai, Principal Investigator of the Report. To be successful, governmental policies and NGO interventions need to be supported by solid evidence. In order to successfully lobby for governmental re-thinking on policies, to review present pension schemes, to broaden the deprivation indices, very firm factual information is necessary. Keeping this in mind, the Guild of Service, supported by UN Women, did a deprivation Study of the widows of Vrindavan. Why widowhood matters as a social problem in the developing world:
Many more women than men face the likelihood of being widowed for a significant portion of their lives Many women are widowed when they are young and remain widowed the rest of their lives Most widows face customary rules, which restrict their options regarding residence, inheritance, employment and social interactions Many widows cannot depend on support from their in-laws, parents, brothers, or even daughters Given that adult sons are the most reliable source of family support, young widows are economically and socially more vulnerable on average than older widows Every fourth household in India has a widow The numbers are only increasing due to armed conflicts, natural disasters, communal riots and the traditional marriage patterns 50% of the widows are over 50 years of age In the age group of over 60+, 54% are widows In the age group of over 70, 23% of men are widowers, while the corresponding figure for women was 92%