RACIAL FACTOR IN INDIAN CULTURE.

We have now seen how India’s geography has influenced her culture. As for the racial factor, that too, has been responsible for the shape the Indian culture has assumed through the course of centuries. The fundamental thing about culture is thing intimate association with historic development Indian history explains why the mosaic of our culture is so rich and multi colured. Races after races have poured into India lent their original contribution to our culture and have been assimilated in the Indian milieu. India has been called a museum of races. The anthropological survey of India has classified the races of India into eighteen categories.

The classification is not, however, watertight and there is considerable overlapping. Charcterisictics.  In many cases are toned down by economic conditions, environments, group – life and so on. as a result of common life in India these races have been modified in their characteristics and evolution of a common Indian type and culture has been the result. We may now discuss some of the contributions made by these races to the Indian culture.

The proto – austroloids are supposed to have given us the custom of disposal of the ideally by exposure, communal houses, heed – hunting, canoe cult, introduction of pottery, idea of to monism and religion, terraced cultivation of rice and some fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean people represented chiefly by the Dravidians who are long – headed have been responsible for the city culture. They have also led India in the matter of foreign trade. Their language now forms a solid block in the Deccan and south India. It is surmised that the people of Harappa and Mohan – jo – daro were Dravidians. The Dravidians have contributed the cult of Shiva, the worship of Mother Goddess or Shakti and also the institution of ‘Yog’. Many features of our temple architecture have been of the Dravidian Origin.

Besides the above indigenous racial types, a large number of foreign races kept on pouring in this country long before the beginning of Christian era. The Greeks, Sake, Parthian, Hunas, Turks, Afghans, Persians, Mongols, etc. poured into this country and were all assimilated into the mainstream. The multiracial character gave richness and variety of Indian culture –leading to the growth of composite culture.

We thus see that both geography and the racial factors have considerably influenced our culture. The influence of the Aryans is too patent to be missed. They have given us trough their philosophical, religious and spiritual ideas the original and fundamental basis of Indian culture. In modern times we are witnessing the beginning of a fresh synthesis; the east and the west have met on our solid and out of their meeting we are likely to have another fusion of cultures and this may well provide a basis for the world – culture of tomorrow.