Why are engineers not getting jobs in India? Let's discuss the unemployment conditions

  Mohit rajput                                                        update 27 sep. 2k18
Every year India produces around 1.5 million engineers from its 6000+ engineering and technology institutions, which is more engineers than the USA and China combined. It seems like a wonderful thing, right? But not after when we see the reports that over 80% of Indian engineering graduates are “Unemployable”. Out of the graduating engineers, 97% want to work either in software or core engineering sectors, however, only 3% possess the suitable skills to be employed in software or product market & only 7% are fit for core engineering tasks. So what are the reasons behind this dismal state of engineers in our country?.

• Quality of the engineering education:

Outdated learning curriculum, old teaching techniques, and the exams culture force students to memorize by rote learning with no comprehension of the basic concepts. All that the professor cares is completing the syllabus, class notes and CGPA. There is no focus towards research, projects, entrepreneurship, etc.
Also, except the tier I institutes, i.e. engineering colleges suffer from poor infrastructure, low-quality labs, lack of quality professors etc.

• Theory vs. Practical applications:

Most Indian engineering graduates, especially from the core engineering branches, fail miserably when they are tasked to solve real-world problems by applying basic principles. So they need a 'specific' training which now their employer should provide. And now, that is an expense which not every company wants to incur.

• Lack of English and soft skills:

These skills have become very important in the present job situation in our country, but again they are ignored in the curriculum of the engineering institutes. Students come to know their importance only weeks before the placement season. As a result, students lack the confidence and ability to deliver his/her views effectively at the interview, sometimes resulting in rejection of even the most brilliant candidate of the batch.


 
Mohit rajput .
A topic worth of our forum. This needs to be discussed more openly and much more often than it is currently. I'm hoping that aspiring engineering students and graduates looking for jobs do come across this and learn from it to improve themselves.
Anyway, that was my rant after being in business with engineers in India for about half a decade now.
Coming to the topic -
Why are engineers unemployable in India?
Why are thousands of engineers jobless?
Why are engineers not fit for employment?
Why do Indian engineers lack job skills?
I've had these discussions in real life with so many of my friends and even though we have the education system to blame for it all as much as our parents & other mentors in life, I think it's the mind-set of engineering students that needs to change.
No longer are engineering students cut-off from the practical, industrial life. Internet access is at their finger tips. A flip of a finger can give them access to the world's knowledge, yet they stay unemployable and worthless It can only surprise you.


First things first - Lack of Practical Application | Over importance to Theory aka Rote Learning!
When are we going to chuck the lengthy written papers for engineering semester exams? Most Indian engineering graduates look clueless when asked to apply the basic concepts/principles (that they have learnt so well) to solve real-world problems.
Mechanical engineers looking cluelessly when washing machines break down, Electrical engineers not knowing how to change the bulb, computer engineers not knowing how to send attachments in email - This happens ONLY in India. Is that not something to think about?

Coming back to the points of Indian engineers not being employable - these days all that most plush job offices inhabit is engineering degree holders (who have zero technical knowledge) but above average English speaking skills (& confidence stemming from I-dont-know-what - It's borderline delusional).

That's exactly where Indian engineers lack. Right until their final semester, they have no idea that they need to have English speaking skills. Suddenly, there are campus placements and 100s of them get rejected only on the basis of low confidence in speaking English. It's the truth.

The industry is well aware by now that they won't get more than a handful of technically sound engineers who can take up important jobs. Therefore, they go on recruiting engineering degree holder (because they look good on their portfolio) and get them to do simple, menial tasks that any school child can do with some proper English.
It's a shame that engineers remain unemployable even in such low criteria.

       Mohit rajput
From a personal experience I can put the following points :

1. No application : The practical experience an Engineering grad gets is India is very less. For eg. Electrical Engineers rarely get to see a real electric grid until they do some job. And these jobs have very high demand.

2. Demand-supply : Since Engg is 4 yr course, supply must be assured of demand after 4 yrs. Given the value of Engineering too many people joined for excitement, money and fame in society which is showing real effect now. Also Engineer's skills go very much unchecked during their 4 yr time period and they forgot all the subjects once they come out.

3. No Labs: One of the most fundamental basis for Research is Material science Engineering. This field is very under-developed in India. Current Engineers rarely know how materials feel and how to create 'things'. I went to makers clubs in USA where people bring their 5-10 yr olds to create electronic projects while connecting to arduinos and raspberry pis, make things on 3D printers, lathe machines etc. They conduct workshops to teach how to create everything from scratch.

4. Brain-drain: Majority of outflow of Engineers to other countries is happening because their urge to gain a first hand experience of hardware and applications, but they don't come back.

5. Courses : India should catch up and rapidly change the degrees and courses that cater to upcoming generation. Technology is being implemented in movie fields like graphic design, sound engineering etc. BTech should also provide coureses or electives on Renewable energy, IOT, AI and focus on India specific problems like using technology for Language integration, Internet Security etc.

first,  India's main problem is that the education system aims at developing the west rather than solving India's own problems. We need Engineers to address traffic problems, poor construction of roads and buildings, corrupt agricultural supply chain, no accountability in finance and government offices etc. These problems have been solved in other countries with Engineering skills with the help of computers, cameras, good storage facilities, embedded automation, database etc. Such things should be addressed ASAP.

the engineering students towards education and looking 'beyond' the syllabus.
I see people super busy joining tuition classes and spending the rest of their time either on social media; losing super precious time that could have been used to upgrade their skills and awareness.
I blame the social media a bit. It's too addicting and it's getting impossible to stay away from it.

India annually churns out 1.5 million (15  lakh) Engineers, out of which only 7-8% are employable. The curriculum is at the fault for a larger part agreed, but what also lacks is the student's own urge or motivation to truly learn things hands-on. Often the practical or experimental classes are bunked and students resort to the comfortably scoring rote-leanings. They do almost next to nothing to sharpen their skills outside of the boxed syllabi studies.

Secondly, I wonder how many students opt for the course out of their own interest in the field. It is mostly selected for the job placements or because one couldn't get admission in the medical field. Such mindset kills the enterprise of up-gradation of skills by student and s/he barely manages to survive. Not much in the way of research activities hence get promoted or encouraged. Casual attitude with narrow focus perpetuates the cycle.

A strong skill-set in spite of all the institutional lacking, has to be a must. It can definitely be worked on with consistent efforts, technology access and determination. The other things like poor English and communication skills, inadequate experience, soft skills etc, can all be taken care of with time IF the foundations of learning are strong.

Mohit rajput
“ wonder how many students opt for the course out of their own interest in the field.”

Completely agree with this. If you are a not so good student and have secured an  rank in the engineering entrance exams, then a computer software will decide your branch of engineering. I remember, when I was in the first year, seniors used to ask me, why did I choose Electronics and Instrumentation? I had to reply, not me, it is the software that allotted me this thing because I couldn't get my other preferred choices on the list. .

Next cause for engineers not getting jobs in India is pay scale. I have seen many engineers ditch their jobs because the initial salary was not up to their mark. In smaller cities software engineers are given monthly salary of less than Rs. 10K per month which makes it harder for them for live in that city. They quit their jobs and often unemployed looking for something better to come.

Agree with all of the parts mentioned above, Still i have something to add. First of all majority of students are Opt-in for Engineering without considering or thinking about what they really want to do. Either they think about Pay Scale or What their friends are going after or What parents are suggesting them to do. In all of this the "Passion or Interest" kind of thing is completely missiing. We all know that Engineering is not the only option which can offfer you a good Job in the end.




What i believe during your degree courses you should focus on skills and more practical things.

For example. In case of Computer Engineering student, Pick a subject or Skill or Programming Language and get start with it. Internet is great tool with us so use it, utilize it for the good. Learn it Code in it, Know all it's in and out. Untill you get the feeling that you are good in it, don't focus on any other skills. Becasue these skill are going to pay you off later after your degree.
Time management is key here in all this process.

Now after completing the degree for first 1-2 Years I suggest to take whichever job you get according to your skills even if it pays low. It's not necessary to go after MNC or Big Companies. First 1-2 years are kind of test of your skills and It's all about getting used to this new after engineering eco-system. Sooner or Later you will get your dream job but moreover focus on skills and happiness you get while working

yes i agree with u but also one more reason is number of Engineering Collages They cant provide good facilities also practical knowledge current updates or other many facilities.

Interesting facts from these studies:

• 91.82% of the students lacked programming and algorithm related skills
• 71.23% of the students lacked soft and cognitive skills
• 60% of the students lack domain skills (example civil engineering, mechanical engineering etc)
• 97% of the students cannot speak English which is required for getting a job
• 57.96% of students lacked analytical and quantitative skills
• 61% of students possess grammar skills which is almost equal to a class 7^th student
• Only 7.1% of students can speak English which is considered as meaningful, and presentable during an interview
• The major problem was witnessed with pronunciation, followed by fluency skills, grammar and sentence construction. Understanding spoken English and vocabulary showcased less problems
• Girls had better command over written English, while men were more proficient with spoken English (comparably)

 Starting a New Business on startup india

Start-up means giving finance to the youth of the country through Bank, so that they start well with better strength so that they can create more jobs in India

ARE WE LOSING OUR INDIAN CULTURE

  Indian Heritage - Are We Losing Our Ancient Culture??

Are we Indians losing our culture and values due to westernization? It seems as if we value everything from the west more than our own. Is modernization ruining India? Has western ideology highly influenced our lifestyle?

     Consider these facts.......

1. Indians dress like Westerners , talk like Westerners portray like Westerners.
2. They even speak Hindi as if they are speaking English.
3. Indians look towards London in awe and inspiration, a city built completely out of money looted from India.
4. They do not feel peeved by the fact that the British looted them mercilessly.
5. Indians are able to imitate westerners no end.
6. Indians always enjoy taking pride from any Westerner association.
7. The most important institutions are copied from British and which the Indians have not been able to Indianise.
8. We still follow the British education, what the Britishers made for colonizing India.
9. Westerners are successful in making Indians think in the manner they want.
10. The first speech in "free India" by Jawahar Lal Nehru was read in English, not in any INDIAN language.
11. The toddlers still learn ‘baba black sheep’, despite the fact that there are no sheep in tropical regions of India and they don't have black colour.
12. On every birthday occasion people wish by saying "Happy birthday to You" and cutting cake. If you are not cutting cake, you are not civilised and the best part is no one can defend why they cut cakes, and not eat INDIAN dishes that day.
13. Our concept of beauty has changed from Indian to western typified by thin skiny models who take pride in starving themselves.

The beach culture that has evolved in West is in response to many factors.

Don’t Indian imitate the same culture

Isn’t it that we value everything from the west more than our own

1. Has any one seen so much influence of the Tamils, of Andhraites, of Kannadigas of Bengalis, of Assamese or any others on the Indians?
2. Has anyone got any logic as to why even among their family members and to young toddlers they talk in English, and even to their to their pets and that too in wrong English.
3. Has any one got any answer to the fact as to why we enjoy wearing a neck tie in the peak of summers and even the newsreaders wear a western style suit while reading news.
4. Has anyone got an answer to the fact that the people lose their complete personality when they go to Britain, and become half British or half American.
5. Has any one got an answer that the Indians are not comfortable In their own skin colour their own looks and their own lifestyle. Was this degree of comfort even before the British came?
6. Has any one got an answer as to why the elite residential locations have English names, why all the elite schools shy away from any Indian name and take pride in naming their educational institutions beginning with St.....?
7. Western effect is not only in economy, colonization of mind is even a bigger malaise than economic colonialism.

We do not respect our language, our dress, we dance to western tunes, we sing in their manner, we eulogise them to no end...when we change our agriculture from one based on bio agriculture to chemical agriculture, when instead of our traditional crops we grow designed crops and that too all without any logic, then all of these are signs, symbols that we are still living under the influence of the Westerners, and that although the British left the country, we are every inch product of the nefarious design of the west, in form, language, deed, functioning, psyche, aspirations, identity, …..

Modernisation is a historical inescapable process of social change. Modernisation first occurred in the West through the twin processes of commercialization and industrialisation.

The social consequences of these processes were the application of technologies in competitive market situation, the growth of lending and fiscal devices and the need to support the modern armies etc. The modernity in West attacked religion, superstitions, family and church.

The process of modernisation as it has obtained, is global in character. But the response to this process has been different in different countries of the world depending upon their historical, socio-cultural patterns and political systems.

Modernisation is not imitation. Modernisation is a gradual process of wearing an identity, by way of which we change, we have changed, or we are open to new concepts, new ideas new innovations, new intellects, and all such changes that we can can defend, and that we have a reason for it.

Modernisation is not merely change. It is change along with progress, change that brings about change, a change that is imbibed in acceptance. The changes that have taken place in India are not logical, not that anyone who has changed can defend. In India, these changes are all about wearing a new identity, separating them away from a mass by making them realize their superiority by virtue of having carried a tradition of imitation that even the people who carry can’t defend. Modernity represents such noveau rich people who pose themselves as descendants from the West.

Modernity doesn’t allow any culture to be spoiled, to become extinct, to be changed. Modernization allows both of them to co exist, traditional and or changed one. Imitation is done by people who do not understand the essence of any cultural norm or and cultural facet. Wearing a mini skirt is not that has evolved logically, it has not been evinced by any process. Same has been the case with living relationships. Western Ideology has influenced the lifestyle of people who have lost their identity or don’t have any identity. For the rest of them, their knowledge, their lifestyle and their thinking is all about being Indian-comprising of tolerance, logic, learning, and identity.

We are screaming and trying to attract the attention of the West towards that look-

1. We also wear the same dress as you do,
2. just like you speak, read, sing. Like you, the morning starts with "good morning" and the end of the day with "good night".
3. Like you mother or mother, we also Mom, Mummy, Mama and father dad or daddy.
4. Our children and our birthday are also celebrating candles like you and cutting the cake. Our identity is from you.

Having regarded the elderly of the household as unwanted, we have also thrown them into the "Old House." Those who are unable to do this due to locals, they are feeling the hell in hell and scorching hell. The childhood of you is growing up in the cradle of crutch like you. Now the neck of your waist and children can not be broken, but we have made a peg to put them in English school.Whether they understand it or not, doesn’t matter.

The children of ours are now seeing violence on the small screen and watching hours for obscenity. In schools, they are being taught (not praying) "Oh my God" and we are honored to hear them singing like this.

---

1. Culture demolished - Today the storm of change is bent on destroying our culture and rituals. The long hair of Speech and Kumkuma ,  decorated with hair, on the head, are now gradually becoming the object of history. Women of ours also now play cards in cocktail parties and kitty parties, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes.Not surprisingly, the mother singing Lori, the story telling grandson, the Guru ji sticking in the hand while standing in the mountain, the painting of Tai and grandmother in the courtyard, the "Paintings" decorating the walls of the Archaeological Museum.

If this is Women Empowerment,then may Lord Rama save us.If you want to know what is real Empowerment then go and check this links before bashing me as an Anti-Women,Anti-Feminism,old-fashioned etc.

2. Canned Culture- Western countries are also being captured on our food and kitchen. "Canned culture" has made us a part of our life. The traditions of pure vegetarian diet are now going down. The greens of mustard, maize and , Bhakri, etc. are gradually disappearing. The nutrition and purity of Indian food is getting tarnished.

3. Non-Veg "is becoming the fashion of Indian families, fast food is increasing in the form of burgers, pizzas, noodels etc. In the paranoia of English names and styles, we are forgetting quality and nutrition.

After the arrival of the British, the so self proclaimed sons of Birtishers, on one side, staged the roots of Britishism in India and on the other side pretended to expel English and Britishism, that is, they kept sorting out the English tree's tree and putting water in the roots, Holding the possession also. The same cycle continues today.

The satellite and information revolution is also nurturing the same mentality. Today, the visual media has come to zero in the entire Indian environment due to which the mischief of blurring our lifestyles and values, which can also be called decay of moral values.

4. Ideal and life-saving scattered - In these tragic and irresponsible situations, our ideal and life values ​​are scattering. The most impact is happening on the younger generation. The ideal of the drunken young generation is Michael Jackson and Maradona.

 Our young generation is ashamed to treat great men like

• Rama
• Krishna
• Shivaji
• Maharana Pratap
• Chanakya
• Swami Vivekananda , as their ideal. Traditions of leaning, worshiping or getting the guidance of the elders are getting tarnished at the feet of elders.

Now being pure vegetarian, being the exclusive devotee of Hindu Lords, reading Hindi writers, trying to join your culture etc. has become a symbol of backwardness in modern India.

 This effect of Western culture, cruising on the values ​​of culture and life, is tragic. Goodness can be found from anywhere, it can not be evil in eclipse. But going away after crushing one's goodness and accepting the evil of someone else is foolish and ironic.

Our young generation of metropolitan people suffering from western culture and horoscope today spend thousands of rupees in modern day modes of drugs, hotels, cabaret in one day. He will not even imagine that there are millions of young people in the country, who are ready to do anything for a job of two to three thousand rupees. From the degree of PhD to a doctor and engineering degree, a long army of unemployed people is standing.

In such a scenario, the people who run on borrowed culture from the western countries are walking on the futuristic theories of "Khao, Pio and Mauj Udao", which will be thrown into the trunk of destruction.

According to Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati , “this culture is similar to that of Paras which transforms iron into gold”.

But today not only the youth, but the whole environment has turned away from Paras and has adopted "the culture of begging." They are laughing at the looting culture of their country and laughing, but their roles will not take too much time.

Just as the aquifers can survive in water and on the surface, the Indian people can be aware of the ways of permanent and meaningful life by staying in India. Whatever we get by cutting our roots and forgetting our culture, it is only transient mirage, which makes us hollow and shabby for a long time. The glorious image of India and its ideals in our harshness and hollowiness can not be wiped out.

---

We live in a closed society. Often we can hear someone doing the evil of Western culture, as if it is very open, modern or attractive, and is spoiling today's generation. Most of us think that Western culture is weakening our values ​​and over time our culture will end.

1. But do you think it is right to blame others for your mistakes?
2. Whatever is happening in our society is happening due to some reasons, not because of any other person or society.
3. Are we wearing modern clothes, using mobile phones, fast food is Westernization for us?

The truth is that we are in a dilemma. We want to stay where we are and also want to fly high in the sky. But with deep roots in the ground, you do not fall under any conditions.

What can we adopt from Western culture?

1. Cleanliness habit:

Most of us have a habit of throwing the garbage in the trash rather than throwing it here. If you look in a western country, you will find a big difference in the case of cleanliness. They keep a clean look around themselves and do not throw a piece of paper on the street, park or public place.

2. Everything is kept orderly:

Nearly in every western countries, various types of garbage like plastic, kitchen waste etc. are put in different garbage bags. Then they are kept out of the house, so the concerned collectors can pick him up. But throwing garbage on empty ground in India is common. Therefore, we should learn from him the cleanliness.

3. Traffic rules:

How many of you have seen someone breaking the rules of traffic in India? I have seen this many times. But Westerners strictly adhere to the rules of traffic in the absence of traffic police personnel.

4. Accountability:

There is a lot of accountability in western culture, we must learn from them. We should be responsive to what we are doing. Although important person in India is less responsible than ordinary people.

5. Professionalism:

Be professional as Western people, who do not let their personal feelings, troubles and behavior interfere in their professional life. Along with that, they are very punctual in time and respect others' time also.Therefore, saving of your values ​​and culture is not wrong. We should also change for better times over, because everything in the world is changing. We must adopt the good values ​​of Western culture with our values ​​for betterment, progress and development.

Old Age Homes - A Rising Trend In India

Modernization is ruining something that we cannot see today but we will in future when we grow older. The spread of modernization has penetrated even more into our traditions off late. I wouldn’t call it “ruining” but we are losing the values of respect and unity that were there earlier but we are becoming more selfish. In some ways modernization is good but in many ways it is harmful. In my opinion, this is just another case of the grass is greener on the other side. It’s the temptation that Indians find hard to resist because the western culture is open and somewhat overwhelming, little realizing that the immense courtesy or the sweet talks are superficial to a great extent. With the every pinch of “sorry”, “please” and “kindly” they are showing respect but I doubt if they are profoundly respectful. Also, the matter of “my own space” is a sign of extreme self-obsession, insecurity, secrecy and selfishness which is a huge part of the western world and is being largely acquired by Indians now. Indians are close-knit families but we have become nuclear with the last generation. I am not saying that Indian values/lifestyles are perfect but I somehow think that we are inculcating the wrong values from the west. For example, majority of Indian students do not have to earn their money for their studies but in the west they work part-time, earn their livelihood and it is not a big deal, instead truly respectful. Now this is something that would do great for our country but if we start working as waiters and sales assistants India then we are looked down upon. That’s the kind of thing that should change - open not only in “behavior” and lifestyle but also in the “mind”. I know many Indians would cringe in the name of LGBT and transgenders, but they have a so -called modern approach in lifestyle - that’s not being modern, that’s just show-off with a narrow mind.

To answer your main question (cause the subtext deserves a response by itself) you've assumed the fact before determining whether we are losing our cultural values or not. 

Cultural values, as opposed to moral values, are passed down from generation to generation to a point where no one questions them. Cultural values are never proven to be right or wrong, usefull or useless, tradition or truth. There always comes a time when cultural values experience a shift or transition, again a good shift or bad is up for debate.

A change from traditional clothes to a western style of clothing is not considered modernization but seen more as a shift in cultural styles. And whether this shift is good or bad for society is up for discussion.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with changes in cultural styles and/or values. As society progresses cultures go through paradign shifts and thats ok. I also think its wrong to have a personal attachment to a cultural value just for the sake of it being a cultural value, the basis for the attachment should be stronger and deeper.

FINALLY, "Chaltha hai" is not a western culture, heck its not anyones culture. Its just another word for being lazy, apathetic and indifferent. And im not gonna even talk about the culture of "JAPAN" (imagining you raising your voice everytime you say JAPAN or JAPANESE) cuase that a whole other topic.

The straight forward answer to this is partially yes. Every culture is great in its own way, but no culture is flawless. We should take the best things from every culture.

If we take example of Indian culture, it is also not flawless but its amazing to follow Indian culture and values. We all value relationship, family, friends . We cherish life , prosperity. For us everything is valuable and precious and should be preserved. Here we worship Goddess Shakti (power) , Goddess Lakshmi (wealth), Goddess Saraswati (knowledge). These three are very important pillars of life. Power, Wealth and Knowledge are being worshiped by the society for thousands of years and that too with the face of women. So the Indian culture teaches us to respect women and talks about women empowerment. But does it really happen in today’s scenario. Every now and then we hear and read news about women getting teased and molested . Is this really what our culture taught us.

We have adopted western culture , we buy famous brands , we drive luxurious cars, we eat exotic food but we never follow the best part of western culture. The culture in which everyone is being treated equally. No discrimination based on caste, creed, gender, etc. The women are safe and where people are not being judged because of their unconventional choices.

There is no harm in moving towards westernization, its actually a part of change but we should never forget our Indian culture, tradition and values. Also, if there is something good in other culture we should not refrain ourselves from adopting that. Its always good to learn and improve.

I know it is a big big .....yes.......! 99% will say yes but what is that culture we are referring to, is this the true culture of the Akand Bharat or is it the suppressed rotten defensive overprotective culture that was formed by the judgemental society post the mohmadian invasion and later rotten British raaj.

What is Western culture all about, freedom to do what ever one want to do. This is a great concept is this something they evolved in to recently no.... we had this as part of our culture since ages refer to stories from purans

1. Women had every choice in choosing her husband(no honor killing for that)
2. Women can get as much education as they want in the choice of their field may it be warfare or life saving (they were allowed to learn vedic knowledge but not allowed to be priest due to biological reasons)
3. Men had choice to expand their areas of interest and career choice etc... a farmer son can become a great poet, or a great warrior
4. Multiple domain: we are always the best take any character in Mahabharata they are expert in altleast 2 domain for Bheema :- wrestling, cooking, warfare and construction
5. Gay culture acceptance, we have many mention in purans abt their strengths and acceptance.

This list can go on any little thing you say they Western culture practices are the best, good we have practiced them way beyond they even dreamt of. But lost them in the great struggle protecting our culture we created walls within ourselves that we cannot understand our culture it is we who thought the world freedom and equality which we lost today

But one actually big difference is in our culture we gain freedom after gaining the knowledge, so that we can use the freedom in more constructive way.But

But in our so called Western culture import we fight for freedom first and after few debacles we thirst for knowledge

End of the day we Indians great descendent of great Bharat we have only one culture that is human culture we accept every human by heart as a part of our society and learn from everyone

It is the mistake of our elders who failed to impart the teachings to the future generations in the holy rat race of producing corporate slaves

Every parent dream in India is to make their child the best slave ever and then talk about the freedom, equality and racism

I am not Indian, but I have Indian friends.

I believe the question is far too simplistic - to say that over a Billion people are losing their morality due to exposure to other ideas and information… good grief, the naivety of that statement! And especially regarding a culture that had been first developed while most of the rest of the world still crawled on the mud…

India “exported” the Buddha, who predated both Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad. If anything, India has been shaping others’ morality longer than others have been shaping it. And of course Hinduism is accepted to be the oldest major religion… Indians have had plenty of time to come to grips with morals and righteous path, no?

Morality is an evolving thing. The values that shape our society are in constant motion. And while some of the older values are deemed to be the best imaginable, some other of the older values are less so - agreed?

From the point of view of an outsider, Indian culture - like any other culture - has fabulous pillars of goodness and some that need rework and attention. Does exposure to foreign values inject questions into the system? Surely. Is that a bad thing? I imagine if it assailed the “good values”, but not so if it helped evolve those needing evolving (I have strong opinions on which belong to which group… but that’s not relevant here).

You may as well blame Indian problems on TV, cricket, cell phones, Bollywood… would you? But not on safe heart bypass surgery? Do we pick and choose?

When I first visited Bangalore, I made some interesting observationswow the beauty of the women especially wearing non western outfits

• how helpful and polite, hospitable were the men (I was invited to weddings by total strangers!)
• clearly the only cuisine in the world that knows how to cook vegetables and make them enjoyable
• what great attitude people have even when facing hard times
• the industriousness and resilience of the children
• what open pride in their culture and birth state (seemed most everyone is not from Bangalore)

The latter point took me aback a tad at first… what happens when I am surrounded by people who are vegetarian and some are not; drink alcohol and some do not; want rice dishes and some others bread; from the north or from the south; follow one religion or another… would I offend someone as I try to see how the culture looks like from the shoes of someone else? Not at all. Everyone got along, at least in my presence. I saw friendships and deep respect between men though predicated by “but we are not from the same caste”. Interesting. Why tell me this? Why would I care? Why should you remind yourself of it, especially if you like each other so much? Hmm. A certain degree of confusion, I imagine… is that a bad thing? Hmm.

Every culture is presently assailed by real time information, distractions, a loss of control by central organized leadership whether familial, political, economic or religious.

Having access to movies today where sex is all pervasive and cheap does not lead me to forget that my neighbor’s wife belongs to my neighbor, and that my wife and daughters ought to not look cheap. It does not stop me from having a say of what is watched in my house. Watching popular series on TV about drug production and drug cartels has not led me to endorse the use of drugs in my family - I don’t even smoke cigarettes. Nobody in my family smokes cigarettes. Working once for a corrupt executive did not lead me to become a corrupt manager or a corrupt employee.

Morality is not strong because it’s not exposed to evil - morality is strong because it endures in the presence of evil.

Blaming western influence (or any other influence) for a change in behavior is clinging to an excuse for disavowing responsibility for one’s behavior. When one makes a choice, one has to own up to the consequence. “They made me” and “they told me”… that doesn’t fly.

There are several aspects of culture. Let us look at them one by one.

• Language: I am really worried about this. Everyone wants to be educated in English medium and I have no problems with that. But no one wants to care about his/her mother-tongue. That is the worrisome aspect. In my experience, it is more pronounced in the South Indian languages where (English) literacy rate is high and languages are fairly old (~1500 years+).
• Religion: Independent of the religion an Indian follows, there is some aspect of Hinduism left in everyone. The greatness of Hinduism is that it has survived several attempts at corruption by being open to other ideas and assimilating them into it slowly. After the onslaught of Islam and at the peak of Christianity, people like Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Prabhupada have revived the spirit of Hinduism. If there is a danger to Hinduism, it is not from outside but from inside (Read: fake baabaas).
• Social structure: Clearly, it is being heavily influenced by the West. There are fewer and fewer large families, a higher divorce rate, more premarital sex and reducing bonds between relatives. Everyone of my friends says he/she hates relatives. This is the indirect price we pay for importing development. Nephews don't long to talk to uncles/aunts as they are crazy about a smart phone or a tablet. Not all of it is bad, but some of it is very dangerous. One point to note here is that, it is not like our previous social structure was pristine. Women were very oppressed until 1990's. Even today, they are but it is slowly reducing. So, to summarize, this is a mixed bag -- win some, lose some.
• Arts: Our original art forms have taken a beating. No one wants to watch stage dramas anymore. Everyone wants to pay 500 bucks and watch a film in an IMAX. Who cares about Carnatic or Hindustani music? Let's buy some western music to look cool. Part of the reason for which this is happening is because most of the work in this area looks religious. Other art forms like Hari Katha, Rangoli etc. are also slowly going away.
• Quality of living: I believe that the quality of life (not to be confused with Standard of living) has come down. Relationships are not as strong as what they used to be (with the exception of good marriages). Families do not live close to each other to stand by their loved ones in the times of difficulty. Pollution is everywhere, villages are virtually static, festivals are very superficial, liquor consumption has become a vogue.

We have definitely gained a lot from the rest of the world (like they did from us). But we have also picked up some dirt (like we passed some). At the end of the day, globalization is a double edged sword. There is little we can do about how the society progresses except by encouraging what we think is good and discouraging what we consider evil. But then again, in a heterogeneous society the very classification of good and evil is debated upon. And maybe, that's also for good.

India has not got westernized… it has got Globalised !!!

“Westernisation” started with the mughals and is an ongoing process !

I feel globalization has given one very important tool.

• Free Access to Knowledge and opinions
• This is one area where the whole world was benefited. Today we know that india is casteist but Britain and The US are Racist…
• We know that our culture is ancient, but also that bigotry is rampant
• We want to adopt western values such as clothing but refuse to learn punctuality from them..................

•                         THANK YOU 

---