TERM-PAPER

RESEARCH REPORT

ON

IMPACT OF WESTERN CULTURE ON INDIAN CULTURE

SUBJECT- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Submitted to Dr.B.L.Bajpai HOD DBA, University of Lucknow Submitted by Saba Kazmi MBA 2nd Sem. 2008-2010

INTRODUCTION As our lives become more and more materialistic, we are loosing our identity. The roots to which we are joined are loosing their hold, with the change in attitude and perception towards living. Western and Indian cultures are diametrically opposed. The reason for this is that Western culture is based on the principles of materialism, whereas Indian culture is based on the tenets and principles of spiritualism. Materialism stands for worldly possessions, wealth, canons of economics, material gains etc., whereas spiritualism stands for moral values, ethics, scruples, virtues and the power to distinguish between right and wrong, between good and evil, between correct and incorrect etc. It is essential to have material possessions in this world. It is a source of sustenance. Indian Culture, which is one of the oldest & richest cultures, is now days posing a serious threat as Western culture is establishing its strong base in India and slowly and gradually wiping the Indian culture. It had already made its presence in Metros & is now slowly heading towards other parts of India. Westernization has greatly affected our traditions, customs, our family and our respect and love for others. The concept of joint families is vastly decreasing every one wants to remain aloof from others. No body now bother about others and only cares about himself which is totally contradictory to our Indian culture which teaches to be a part of each other Joys and Sorrows to celebrate the moments together and share the grief together. Slowly all our values for which India has the pride is vanishing & Western culture is taking its place. People are blindly following the Western culture without knowing its consequences. The Western influence of materialism seems to have infiltrated into our family system, especially in the urban areas. A generation gap is often mentioned by the younger generation while referring to the older generation. They do not realize that the older generation is a generation ahead. Now people are so engrossed in making money that all else is secondary. Joint family tradition; one of the biggest assets of India is now vanishing. Nuclear families are taking place of many years' old values. The older generation is referred to as the past; little realizing that there is no future without a past. The younger generation wants freedom without any responsibility along with it. Youth of today is more interested in their privacy rather than enjoying their lives with others. Individualization has broken up the joint family system, paving way for the youth to fall prey to drug addiction. This stage is the most vulnerable period of life where the youth need guidance, counseling, education and care by parents. Parents feel proud in giving the Western values to their children. Children are brought up in this atmosphere. They are thus kept miles away from Indian culture. There is no harm in giving the knowledge of other cultures and traditions as Indians have made their presence in every part of world and it is very necessary that we should have knowledge of their culture, traditions and their language. We should do but to the limit, which is really needed, and also take care that our new sprouts are well versed with Indian culture and its values. It is the responsibility of parents to inherit the same and for this it is very necessary that parents should also be well versed with Indian culture and traditions. We need wealth to make our lives comfortable and to improve our quality of living, but at the same time we must remember that in the process of acquiring the above, we must never lose our power of distinguishing right from wrong, well from evil, and must allow the ecclesiastical to rule over the material. They have no time to meet their fellow brethren, but they have time to visit their psychiatrists in search of mental peace and satisfaction. From the west some people come to

India and head for the Himalayas in search of spiritual gurus to attain solace. As yet Indian culture has held its own, but the Western influence of materialism is distorting the fabric of our culture, which is spiritualism. Indians in their mind consider themselves second rate, which leads their assimilation process into the west quicker. The complex that Indians have of the west is not constricted to one area and can be seen throughout their daily lives and in their Physic. A good example of this is the subject of arranged marriage. Traditionally this is the only way Indians use to get married. This system works due to the fact that the bride and groom would have faith in the decision of their parents. Yet now days some youngsters prefer to go and find love marriages even though they know the risk of break ups and divorces. Due to the complex they have picked up from Western influences they would rather run the risk of disgrace than do the traditional ways. Though there are also some positive impacts like-emphasis on development, attention to improved infrastructure, efficiency, management, improved educational systems, sincere efforts to reduce the margin between the poor and the rich, sincere efforts to improve lifestyles of the marginalized, poor, disadvantaged sectors of society, sincere efforts to reduce the plague of India 'corruption', etc. So, everything encompasses both positive and negative aspects. The Western culture major influences the youth. Youth is that time of life when people are most impressionable as Ill as productive. So whatever decisions they take or the attitudes they adopt have far reaching consequences on their future life. The grass is always greener on the other side and the inaccessible things are always sweet. West is so alluring to everyone due to this reason only. On the positive side it has many practices and much knowledge, which are required to be adopted so that they can become acquainted with the changing scenario of world. In the lop side they can suffer if they cross their limits just for aping the west. Adopting the good practices of any culture is fruitful but abandoning the culture is a pitfall, which costs in the long run. I feel that no doubt the Western culture is versatile and has taught us to be self-independent but this does not mean that we will forget our age-old culture and blindly follow it. Thus I realized that these aspects should be explored to find out what the real changes are that affect our age old but rich traditions. Also I felt that there is a need to analyze the causes behind these changes. These changes can be both social as well as behavioral.

LITERATURE REVIEW For the exploratory study, I have taken reference from the research article of FULBRIGHT titled The Modem and the Mango Tree: Assessing Adolescents Cultural Identity Development in India. The articles review is as under: The study was focused upon traditional vs. modern cultural identity orientation among adolescents in urban areas of India. Their study was based upon the common notion given by adults of India that Young People nowadays are losing their traditional values. It captured upon various facets of the Indian youth population pertaining to their daily routines, viz., their food habits, language, mode of entertainment, physical appearance, etc., and also pertaining to social and religious habits of them. One of the highlighted point in this article was that identity of Indian youths is more impressionable; they are more open to try new technology, food, music, clothes etc. it also stated in its discussion that Indian youth is though adopting the modern values but also conserving the traditional ones. Hence, they are practicing a blend of both the values. On gender wise basis, it concluded that both male and female are almost similarly traditional, but males have more of modern cultural orientation than females. With the study of this article, I was able to decide upon the research objectives of my research study, which is titled To study the impact of western culture on Indian culture. After going through this article, I decided that upon which particular habits and traits of Indian population I am going to study. I was able to understand the deep roots of western culture on the Indian population and how has these western values made an impact upon them. I used this article in my exploratory study so as to able to jot down and understand what all can be my research objectives upon which my study is going to be based.

RESEARCH PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVES

Management Questions 1. Are Indians losing their traditional values in modern India? 2. Do Indians perceive adoption of Western values as an option of upliftment of Indian society? Research Objective To study the perception of Indians towards Western culture and the impact of Western culture on Indian culture. My study will be based on these categories, namely, the family structure and lifestyle, their workplace and their social life. Research Questions 1. Is status important for Indians nowadays? 2. Is coeducation decreasing the gender biasness?

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Is empowerment of media responsible for changing outlook of Indians? Do urge for freedom results in increasing nuclear families? Are people influenced by Western lifestyle? Does it results in Brain drain? Is love marriage an impact of modern orientation? Has global advertising resulted in increased awareness of fashion and apparels? Do modern values result in low association of Indians with their religious and spiritual practices? 9. Has Westernization lead to commercialization of everything? 10. Are extra-marital affairs and live-in relationships an impact of Western culture? 11. Are increasing instances of divorce an impact of Western culture?

RESEARCH PLAN Research Design 1- Exploratory: Exploratory research is an initial research, which is conducted to clarify and define the basic nature of a problem. I conducted this research in order to clarify my problem which was quite ambiguous in nature with several dimensions. Through this, I got information which was used not only for analyzing the real situation but also uncovering the various factors influencing the situation. I used Secondary Literature for getting a thorough understanding of the problem undertaken. This literature helped us not only in defining my research objectives but also framing my further course of action. 2- Descriptive: Descriptive Research is specifically used to describe the characteristics of a population. I used this research to determine the answers of my research questions. It generally follows the exploratory research, because exploratory research gives the understanding of the nature of the problem while descriptive helps in defining the reason behind these changes. I used Survey (Questionnaire) method of Descriptive Research to gather data from the sample. Sampling Plan 1. Target Population: Elements Population lying between 16-70 years of age.

Extent Lucknow and Delhi. Time 2009

2. Sampling frame: My sampling frame comprises of: People who go to multiplex. Students Housing Colonies Old age homes

3. Sampling Design: The target population is been categorized on the basis of: Age Education.

I used Quota Sampling because my population was infinite and the probability of selection of each sample unit was not equal. Quota Sampling is a non-probability sampling procedure that ensures that certain characteristics of a population sample will be represented to the exact extent that the investigator desires. The purpose of this technique is to ensure that the various sub-groups in a population are represented on pertinent sample characteristics. 4. Sample Size: The sample size has been decided to be 400 by the researchers. Questionnaire Formulation Measurement of Scales In measurement of scales I use to measure a variable so that variable can be quantified in statistical as well as mathematical terms. I have used ordinal scaling (non-metric) and interval scaling (metric) in my questionnaire. Ordinal Scaling is a scale that arranges objects or alternatives according to their magnitudes. I have used ordinal scaling in my questionnaire while measuring mode of entertainment based upon ranking. An ordinal scale is a measurement scale that assigns values to objects based on their ranking with respect to one another. The intervals between adjacent scale values are indeterminate. Interval Scaling is a scale that not only arranges objects or alternatives according to their magnitudes but also distinguishes this ordered arrangement in units of equal intervals. An interval scale is a measurement scale in which a certain distance along the scale means the same thing no matter where on the scale you are, but where "0" on the scale does not represent the absence of

the thing being measured. I have used interval scaling in my questionnaire to measure upon the various facets of the Indian population. Scaling Techniques These techniques are the tools which I use to bi-furcate the population in sub-groups so that my analysis can be quantified. I have used rank order (comparative scaling) and likert scale (noncomparative itemized) in my questionnaire. Rank Order is a scale that measures attitudes that asks respondents to rank a concept in comparison to each other. Likert Scale is a measure of attitudes design to allow respondents to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with carefully constructed statements that range from very positive to very negative toward an attitudinal object. Reliability Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha .373

N of Items 35

Reliability is the degree to which measure are free from error and yield consistent results. It reveals the imperfections in the measuring process such as when a respondent misunderstands a question it results in a low reliability. Reliability is necessary condition for validity but a data, which is reliable, may not necessarily be valid. Validity Case Processing Summary N 400 60 460 % 87.0 13.0 100.0

Cases

Valid Excluded (a) Total

It is the ability of a scale to measure what it is intended to measure. If the intention of the researcher is not supported by the tools he use, then the validity of the data collected is low. I have used content validity which is an agreement that a scale logically appears to reflect accurately what it purports to measure.

DATA ANALYSIS

The data analysis is divided in two phases-each phase represents one management objective. The analysis is done stepwise on the questions asked in the questionnaire and these questions are further divided in these objectives that how the data collected through these questions give the interpretation for my management objective. 1- Are Indians losing their traditional values in modern India? Family Orientation Qualification * Family Cross tabulation Count Family Girlfriend/Boyfri end/Fiance/Fia Nuclear ncee 28 27 16 15 13 15 114 17 17 24 16 14 13 101 Total

Qualification Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professiona l Total

Joint 18 31 11 12 10 10 92

Alone 17 18 18 14 14 12 93 80 93 69 57 51 50 400

Family Observed N 92 114 101 93 400 Test Statistics Family ChiSquare (a) Df Asymp. Sig. 3.100 3 .376 Expected N Residual 100.0 -8.0 100.0 14.0 100.0 100.0 1.0 -7.0

Joint Nuclear Girlfriend/Boyfrien d/Fiance/Fiancee Alone Total

Greeting Elders and Parents Age * Greeting Cross-tabulation Count Greeting Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total Namaste 42 28 43 44 157 Hi/Hello 36 41 28 31 136 Do Not Greet 24 27 33 23 107 Total

102 96 104 98 400

Greeting Observed N 157 136 107 400 Test Statistics Greeting ChiSquare(a) Df Asymp. Sig. 9.455 2 .009 Expected N Residual 133.3 23.7 133.3 2.7 133.3 -26.3

Namaste Hi/Hello Do Not Greet Total

Mode Of Entertainment Age * Family gathering Cross-tabulation

Count 1 Preferred 37 36
st

Age <=18 19-30

2 Preferred 22 26

nd

Family gathering 3rd 4th Preferred Preferred 12 17 10 14

5th Preferred 8 7

Least Preferred 6 3

Total 102 96

31-45 >=46 Total

34 39 146

24 19 91

11 12 45

20 16 67

12 5 32

3 7 19

104 98 400

Age * social gathering Cross tabulation Count 1 Preferred <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total 9 4 7 12 32
st

Age

2 Preferred 18 17 15 9 59

nd

Social gathering 3rd 4th Preferred Preferred 12 23 6 8 14 40 23 26 23 95

Total 5 Preferred 22 17 23 20 82
th

Least Preferred 18 29 25 20 92

102 96 104 98 400

Age * movie with family Cross-tabulation Count 1 preferred 11 8 9 5 33

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

2 preferred 17 10 14 18 59

nd

Movie with family 3rd 4th preferred preferred 27 28 32 30 23 112 25 19 29 101

Total 5 preferred 10 15 18 10 53
th

Least preferred 9 6 14 13 42 102 96 104 98 400

Age * movie with friends Cross-tabulation Count 1 Preferred 27 25

Age <=18 19-

2 Preferred 18 16

nd

Movie with friends 3rd 4th Preferred Preferred 22 23 27 11

Total 5 Preferred 9 12
th

Least Preferred 3 5 102 96

30 3145 >=46 Total

21 24 97

25 21 80

29 27 105

15 14 63

10 10 41

4 2 14

104 98 400

Age * spending time with girlfriend Or boyfriend Or fianc OR fiance Crosstabulation Count Spending time with girlfriend OR boyfriend OR fianc OR fiance 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Least Preferred Preferred Preferred Preferred Preferred Preferred 5 19 13 3 24 38 8 14 7 34 19 21 21 80 10 13 14 50 12 16 7 38 18 13 15 70 29 27 34 128 Total

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

102 96 104 98 400

Age * web-surfing Cross-tabulation Count 1st preferred 12 15 20 12 59 Ranks Mean Rank 203.00 191.60 210.06 196.48 2nd preferred 10 10 8 11 39 Web-surfing 3rd 4th preferred preferred 16 8 12 14 9 51 11 8 9 36 Total 5th preferred 28 25 23 35 111 Least preferred 28 23 31 22 104

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

102 96 104 98 400

Family Gathering

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46

N 102 96 104 98

Total <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total Movie With Family <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total Movie With Friends <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total Spending Time With <=18 Girlfriend Or Boyfriend Or Fianc Or Fiance 1930 3145 >=46 Total Social Gathering Web-surfing <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

400 102 96 104 98 400 102 96 104 98 400 102 96 104 98 400 102

186.13 215.98 207.75 192.59 187.68 199.48 207.92 206.97 201.51 202.59 202.70 195.07

219.16

96 104 98 400 102 96 104 98 400

199.85 180.12 203.35

205.69 193.86 198.60 203.62

Test Statistics(a,b) Spending Time With Girlfriend Or Boyfriend Or Fianc Or

Family Gathering

Social Gathering

Movie With Family

Movie With Friends

Websurfing

Fiance

ChiSquare Df Asymp. Sig.

1.550 3 .671

4.333 3 .228

2.093 3 .553

.307 3 .959

6.262 3 .100

.651 3 .885

a Kruskal Wallis Test b Grouping Variable: Age

Grooming of Children

Qualification * Children Get Better Grooming In Joint-Families Than NuclearFamilies Cross-tabulation Count Children Get Better Grooming In Joint Families Than Nuclear Families Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree 13 15 10 6 8 6 58 15 15 15 11 13 13 82 22 17 13 15 8 11 86 16 20 17 18 11 4 86 14 26 14 7 11 16 88 Total

Qualification Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professional Total

80 93 69 57 51 50 400

Advice of Older People Should Be Considered While Taking Decisions

Age * Advice Of Older People Of Family Should Be Considered While Taking Decision Cross-tabulation Count Advice Of Older People Of Family Should Be Considered While Taking Decision Strongly Cant disagree Disagree say Agree Strongly agree 14 21 18 31 18 17 15 16 29 19 Total

Age <=18 1930

102 96

3145 >=46 Total

10 13 54

14 19 69

20 15 69

33 31 124

27 20 84

104 98 400

Visiting Religious Places Helps in Knowing Religion Better

Qualification * Visiting Religious Places Helps In Knowing Religion Better Cross-tabulation Count Visiting Religious Places Helps In Knowing Religion Better Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professiona l Total 18 19 16 11 10 5 79 13 13 15 5 5 9 60 7 14 11 7 5 8 52 20 23 13 18 18 12 104 22 24 14 16 13 16 105 Total

Qualification

80 93 69 57 51 50 400

Younger Generation is More Aware Than Older Generation

Qualification * Younger Generation More Aware Than Old Generation Cross-tabulation Count Qualification Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Younger Generation More Aware Than Old Generation Strongly Strongly disagree Disagree Cant say agree agree 17 13 12 9 5 7 16 10 9 8 20 20 11 12 14 25 32 28 19 17 11 12 8 8 7 Total Strongly disagree 80 93 69 57 51

Professiona l Total

9 65

3 53

11 88

20 141

7 53

50 400

2- Do Indians perceive adoption of Western values as an option of upliftment of Indian society? Inter-caste Marriage Age * inter-caste marriage Cross-tabulation Count Inter-caste marriage Cant Yes No say 46 33 23 35 25 30 136 33 50 29 145 28 29 39 119 Total Yes 102 96 104 98 400

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

Love Marriage is Better than Arranged Marriage Age * Love Marriage Is Better Than Arranged Marriage Cross-tabulation

Count Love Marriage Is Better Than Arranged Marriage Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree 8 18 17 28 31 16 18 20 62 17 16 19 70 16 18 12 63 25 23 22 98 22 29 25 107 Total

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

102 96 104 98 400

Qualification * Love Marriage Is Better Than Arranged Marriage Cross-tabulation Count Love Marriage Is Better Than Arranged Marriage Total

Qualification Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professiona l Total

Strongly disagree Disagree 13 12 9 8 7 13 62 16 20 7 12 6 9 70

Cant say 12 11 12 10 9 9 63

Agree 19 22 21 11 15 10 98

Strongly agree 20 28 20 16 14 9 107 80 93 69 57 51 50 400

Live-In Relations Make Marriage Successful Age * Live In Make Marriage Successful Cross-tabulation

Count Live In Make Marriage Successful Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree 24 28 12 23 15 27 18 28 97 23 32 15 98 12 19 14 57 15 18 29 85 19 17 12 63 Total

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

102 96 104 98 400

Qualification * Live In Make Marriage Successful Cross-tabulation Count Live In Make Marriage Successful Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professiona l 17 19 17 17 11 16 19 22 21 11 15 10 8 18 9 8 9 5 20 20 14 9 7 15 16 14 8 12 9 4 Total

Qualification

80 93 69 57 51 50

Total

97

98

57

85

63

400

Sex Education Should be made Mandatory in Schools Age * Sex Education Should Be Mandatory In Schools Cross-tabulation

Count Sex Education Should Be Mandatory In Schools Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree 13 13 24 26 26 17 11 10 51 13 18 21 65 14 23 18 79 24 20 19 89 28 32 30 116 Total

Age <=18 1930 3145 >=46 Total

102 96 104 98 400

Qualification * Sex Education Should Be Mandatory In Schools Cross-tabulation Count Sex Education Should Be Mandatory In Schools Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professiona l Total 15 14 7 6 4 5 51 14 9 9 11 12 10 65 14 19 18 10 7 11 79 15 27 12 13 9 13 89 22 24 23 17 19 11 116 Total

Qualification

80 93 69 57 51 50 400

English Speaking is a Mark of Superiority Qualification * Speaking In English Is A Mark Of Superiority Cross-tabulation

Count

Qualification Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professiona l Total

Speaking In English Is A Mark Of Superiority Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree 17 14 8 9 6 10 64 17 30 14 12 6 12 91 16 15 12 11 14 7 75 23 22 21 14 14 9 103 7 12 14 11 11 12 67

Total

80 93 69 57 51 50 400

Co- Education Removes Disparity Among Boys and Girls

Qualification * Co-Education Reduces Disparity Among Boys And Girls Cross-tabulation Count Co-Education Reduces Disparity Among Boys & Girls Strongly Cant Strongly disagree Disagree say Agree agree Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduat e Professiona l Total 18 13 15 9 12 12 79 13 12 8 5 9 9 56 13 18 14 12 1 9 67 19 26 12 17 13 11 98 17 24 20 14 16 9 100 Total

Qualification

80 93 69 57 51 50 400

INTERPRETATION

Like my data analysis, my interpretation is also divided in two phases in accordance to the management objectives undertaken. 1-My first management objective was Are Indians losing their traditional values in modern India, so I are now dividing my research questions accordingly.

Family Orientation

The chi-square test shows Asymp. Sig. to be .376 which is more than .05.Thus the null hypothesis is true in this case, which is: Ho: p1=p2=p3=p4=p5 (proportion of all the options are equal) Thus, the analysis on the sample shows that the family orientation of people is same for all the options. The proportion of living in a joint family is same as living in a nuclear family. The crosstab analysis reveals that keeping education in mind, other than SSC all the samples prefer living in nuclear family, though the reasons may be different. For less than 8 th, SSC and HSC it could be because of their low income, thus supporting a joint family is not feasible. While for more educated people it could be preference for independence. Altogether, people prefer nuclear families nowadays, irrespective of their education. Greeting

The crosstab analysis on the sample shows that people falling under age group of 19-30myears least prefer Namaste: my traditional form of greeting elders. Other then the number of people doing namaste is highest as per my study. Thus generally age doesnt impact greeting pattern. The chi-square analysis shows that people still prefer namaste over other of greeting elders. The proportion of namaste is higher than the other. This shows that we are still living up with our tradition of greeting elders in that manner. Inter-caste Marriage

As per my analysis, the age group falling under <18 years of age prefers inter-caste marriages the most. This may be because of their less age, they are most pertinent to Western influence. Though, this influence is positive, as thinking over and above the caste factor is good for the Indian society. So, this influence is positive. While in the age group of 31-45 years the people prefer in-caste marriage to inter-caste marriage. Their state of mind follows the traditional form of marriage. Other than age, if I focus on education, I can say that the sample comprising of adolescents prefers inter-caste marriage over in caste marriage. While the grown ups do not look the positive aspect. Still, I can say that the next generation thinking is changing. Though overall, the people not preferring inter-caste marriages are more than people going for it. Thus again, the impact of Western culture is not on all the age groups. I dont think in this direction that is over and above my rigid case system. Mode Of Entertainment Nowadays also, people prefer spending time with family and family gathering to other modes of entertainment. In the research, a sample of 146 people out of the sample size of 400 people gave family gathering as their first preference. Thus I can interpret that we follow our traditions and

are still bounded to our roots. Also the least first preference is given to social gathering, which mean that people prefer spending time with their families but their degree of social interaction has declined. This is not in alignment my tradition of living together. Grooming of Children: The result of this analysis shows that people of all educational backgrounds have the belief that grooming of children in joint families is better than in nuclear families. Though, as the sample moves towards people of professional background they give preference to nuclear families only. As they give less importance to proximity of children to their grandparents.

Advice of Older People Should Be Considered While Taking Decisions:

Irrespective of the age groups in which the sample is falling they constitute agree that the advice of older people should be taken while taking decisions. As their experience may help in taking more appropriate and logical decisions. Thus, I can interpret that in this regard the Western culture has not influenced our tradition of taking advices of our elders.

Visiting Religious Places Helps in Knowing Religion Better:

In my research work I observed and concluded that all people believe in the fact that going to religious places help in understanding the religion better. This thinking pattern was evident in people who are having various levels of qualifications. However I observed that as the people become more and more qualified that is, they get higher and professional education this belief becomes less strong. Thus, I can interpret that Western culture has not impacted the present society and people do believe that going to religious places help in understanding our religion better.

Younger Generation is More Aware Than Older Generation

In this scenario I observed that just a quarter of my sample believed that still the older generation is more aware. The majority constituting of about fifty percent agreed to the fact that todays youth is more aware and informed. This means that we are loosing our traditional approach that our forefathers and elders were more informed and aware. I believe that when we are stepping out of our homes we are getting more realistic experiences.

2- Do Indians perceive adoption of Western values as an option of upliftment of Indian society? Inter-caste Marriage According to my analysis I interpret that the sample size belonging to age group of adolescents and young generation support inter-caste marriage. While the people who are of middle age and more than that believe in the fact that inter-caste marriage is not appropriate for my Indian society. On the basis of education it can be said that education does not influence the mindset of people regarding the support of inter-caste marriage, as the proportion of non-supporters is

still high. As people get more and more qualified they get more confused about the concept of inter-caste marriage. Love Marriage is Better than Arranged Marriage

In my research work I observed that the people prefer love marriage over arranged marriages. This thinking pattern of the sample remains no matter what the qualification level of a person is. The result shows that we are influenced from the Western culture as our Indian culture does not support the same. I also observed that this thinking is also evident across people of all age groups. The people who belong to middle age and older than that there thinking pattern has also changed with the passage of time. Live-In Relations Make Marriage Successful

The research works shows that though we have advanced in our beliefs and attitude towards our culture but still the society has not become so much open to the concept of living in relations. This was evident from the fact that majority of my sample disagreed on the concept of going for living in to make understanding between two partners better. This societal process is not affected even by the education and movement towards higher and professional qualification.

Sex Education Should be made Mandatory in Schools

The education process in our country is becoming more open and that is why in my study I got responses in favor of including sex education in schools. The topic, which was considered, banned to be discussed in open should now be included in the curriculum so as to make the next generation more aware and secure. This openness in the society is marketable through all the age groups of our society which means that the importance of this topic is realized even by the older generation. English Speaking is a Mark of Superiority

The importance of this global language is now very well realized in my society as well. This thinking pattern of sample were evident from there responses I received. People agreed to the fact that speaking in this tongue creates an influence over the other party and provides an edge to them. Thus, I can conclude that Westernization has impacted the society and people though comfortable in their mother tongue prefer speaking in English.

Co- Education Removes Disparity Among Boys and Girls

As the educated population is increasing in India, the people highly support the education of girls along with boys. Thus, the concept of co-education is highly welcomed. Though this is an affect of Western culture on our society but this is positive in the sense that it provides an opportunity for both the sexes to develop a sense of belief and respect towards each other.

DISCUSSION After going through all this research, I interpreted my results on various dimensions. Be it family orientation, or be it their choice about the marriage preference. Also I studied upon their food habits and all. Below I present, my interpretation of the research solution that I have shown in the interpretation section. The solution showed that the habit of greeting our elders by saying Namaste etc. is getting depleted in the adolescents and youth. Though the overall analysis showed that still a major chunk of our population greets their elders in the traditional form only, but the results are alarming. This young generation, who is not willing to adapt to the tradition of India, will teach the same to the next generation. We might be looking on to the extinct of the Namaste etc. culture. Long time back, the inter-caste marriage was considered as a taboo or as a sin in India. But my results showed that the Indians are opening up their mindset in this area. I saw that not much people of my age, i.e. youth, are infancy to inter-caste marriage. They are very much in favor of this. Though the older generation still has certain grudges to this idea but that does not mean I have to look down the barrel. The young guns are ready to this change and I can be hopeful of this getting carried through coming generations. Hence, I can see a positive impact of Western culture here.

It has been a culture of India that we are very much attached to our family and we are proud of this too. The study also revealed the same. But another alarming fact was that their interest in getting connected with society has declined tremendously. No more do they prefer a social gathering for a change in their daily routine. They are much occupied with the issues of their own. This is in high contrast to my traditions.

Also if I focus upon grooming of children, and the importance of the older people in family the results are disappointing. The decline in the joint family culture which is again an effect of Western influence, has led to the decline in the importance of older people too. Old persons who were considered as a real asset of the family, dont even exist in the nuclear family. The professional life is taking over the Indian traditions. And with this, apparently the grooming of children will also have an effect. Children does not get the same attention and grooming in the nuclear family as they get in the joint family.

Some time back, we cannot even think of getting indulged in a love affair and finally getting it resulted into a love marriage. But this has caught a wave now. People are more open and find no problem in love marriage. Even live-in relationships are no more an infancy. I cant conclude it in concrete terms that whether it is good or bad for our society but this has showed an effect on my culture for sure.

Sex education which has almost become a necessity nowadays, considering the ill effects in the society, has came into existence just because of this Western culture. So I can see a positive impact here.

The Western culture has also made an impact on my education system. Co-education and sex education are into existence because of the Western culture and they are for the good reasons too.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS - William G. Zikmund .

2. RESEARCH ARTICLE by FULBRIGHT titled The Modem and the Mango Tree: Assessing Adolescents Cultural Identity Development in India

APPENDIX Demographics

Qualification
Less than 8th SSC HSC Graduate Postgraduate Professional
20.00%

12.50%

12.75%

14.25%

23.25%

17.25%

Age
<=18 19-30 31-45 >=46

24.50%

25.50%

26.00%

24.00%

Income
<1lakh 1lakh-3lakh 3lakh-5lakh >5lakh

24.00%

24.25%

23.25% 28.50%

QUESTIONNAIRE Demography Age (in years) <=18 ____ 19-30 ____ 31-45 ____ >=46 ____ Qualification Less than 8th class ____ SSC ____ HSC ____

Graduate ____ Annual Household Income (Rs.)

Post-Graduate ____ Less than 1 Lac ____ 3 Lacs - 5 Lacs ____ Please answer the following questions : I am a/an

Professional ____ 1 Lac - 3 Lacs ____ 5 Lacs and above ____

Student ____ Businessman / Businesswoman ____ Working Professional ____ Service Personnel ____ Retired / Pensioner ____ Others ____ (Please Specify _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _) I live (in a/an) Joint Family ____ Nuclear Family ____ With my girlfriend/boyfriend/fianc/fiance ____ Alone ____ I like/liked reading Amar Chitra Katha ____ Panchtantra ____ Jaatak Kathayein Archies ____ Spider-Man ____ Others ____ (Please Specify _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ) I greet persons elder to me by saying Namaste ____ Hi/Hello ____ Do not greet at all ____

I find (Indian Classical/Western) dance form more entertaining. (Tick any one) I married/may marry with a person of another caste/religion/country. (Yes/No/Cant Say) Rank the following mode of entertainment in order of ymy preference (1st rank to Most Preferred and so on)

Family Gathering ____ Social Gathering ____ Movie with family ____ Movie with friends ____ Spending time with girlfriend/boyfriend ____ Web Surfing ____ Please tick mark the appropriate box after reading the statement Strongly Disagre S. Queries Disagre e No. e

Cant Say

Agree

Strongl y Agree

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Love marriage is better than arranged marriage Live-In relationships is a viable solution to make marriages successful Early marriages create a hurdle in career development You believe in adjusting to make your marriage work Sex Education in schools should be mandatory Pre-Marital sex is a taboo Children get better grooming in joint families than nuclear families Speaking in English is a mark of superiority Western countries provide better living status and growth opportunities Western outfits are indicators of modernity Education system of missionary schools is better than government schools Advice of older people of family should be considered while taking family decisions Visiting religious/devotional places helps in knowing my religion better Use of branded stuff (particularly foreign brands) enhances my status level My taste buds prefer more of Western food (pizzas/burgers) than Indian food Younger generation is more aware than old generation Celebrating religious festivals are necessary to understand my culture Co-education helps a lot in decreasing disparity among boys and girls Women should have a significant say in personal and professional matters Nowadays, rational thinking is gaining ground over superstitious beliefs

Thank You Very Much for spending your valuable time to fill up this questionnaire!!!