5 misconceptions about India that need to be debunked

2022-03-30 02:35:50

India, the land of snake charmers, yoga, and spirituality. It’s a country that is steeped in tradition and culture. Indians are often associated with their strong beliefs in religion and spiritualism. However, there are many misconceptions about India that need to be debunked if we want to understand this complex country.

In this article:

- The 5 most common misconceptions about India

- Why do these misconceptions need to be debunked?

- What these misconceptions of India actually mean

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The most common misconceptions about India

There are many misconceptions about India, but there are 5 that seem to be the most common:

- India is a country of snake charmers and people who remain in the past.

- India is not a democracy because they have a caste system.

- Women in India are held back by the men in their lives.

- Hinduism is the main religion of India, but it’s the only one.

- India is entirely rural.

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India is poor and starving

This is the number one misconception about India, which is that it’s a country that is poor and starving. And while this may have been the case in the past, it is not the case anymore.

India’s economy has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, with a staggering growth of 14% in 2015 alone. Furthermore, as per GDP (Gross Domestic Product) , it has now surpassed France to become the world's sixth-largest economy . Contrary to popular belief, India is now emerging as one of the world’s fastest growing economies. One of the reasons for this is that there are no restrictions on foreign investments or imports in India.

Another reason for this misconception about India being poor and starving might be because of poverty-related problems like child labor or issues with access to education and healthcare. However, these are not as widespread across India as we usually think they are.

One important point to note here is that there are many types of India: rural vs urban; educated vs uneducated; upper class vs lower class; rich vs poor; etc.  These various types make up different parts of India, which means that India cannot be generalized as ‘poor and starving’.

India has Affordable Rates

Affordable rates is a term that has different meanings for different people. For some it may mean that they can find goods and services at a price that is lower than the market rate in the area they are from. For others, it may mean that they can find goods and services that are within their budget.

In India, the cost of living and availability of goods and services would be considered affordable rates for the majority of the Western nations. The cost of living in metropolitan areas is higher than in rural areas. This is largely due to the cost of real estate and the availability of goods and services. In rural areas, the cost of living is lower due to the availability of land and the cost of goods and services.

Consider that the average India salary per month in India is around 31,900 INR, this is on average about $428.49 USD per month (given exchange rates). If you take that into account, add on some for mark ups, you can figure that  for about $1,000 usd a month you could live well.

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Indians are oppressed by the caste system

It’s an unfortunate truth that India is still fighting with the caste system. The traditional Indian caste system is a social stratification system utilizing endogamy (meaning people are only allowed to marry within their caste) and hereditary occupations. This has been a formative aspect of Indian society for centuries, with the four main castes being Brahmin (the priestly caste), Kshatriya (the warrior and noble caste), Vaishya (the trading and farming caste), and Shudra (the servant or laborer caste).

This sounds like an oppressive belief system to us, but for many Indians this is simply their way of life. Many Hindus believe in reincarnation, so they think that the person's position in society is determined by how they lived their past life. In other words, if you were a good person before your past life, you will be born into a higher caste in your next lifetime.

To many Indians, it's not as much of an issue as it may seem to outsiders who are unfamiliar with this belief system. It's important to remember that not everyone subscribes to this belief system or agrees with it.

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Indian women are oppressed by patriarchy

The first misconception about India is that all Indian women are oppressed by a patriarchy. The truth is, this is more of a cultural phenomenon than an institutional one. Indian women are often considered to be the backbone of the family and are given significant influence in the decision-making process.

Some families may have different expectations for sons and daughters in terms of education or career paths, but this has less to do with gender discrimination than it does with how money will be spent differently on each child.

Indian culture also places enormous emphasis on marriage and having children, so even if there are more opportunities for girls to pursue higher education, they may instead marry early and start a family due to social pressure.

Indian Woman and their contribution to society

Did you know that Mother Teresa Was from India?

Since ancient times, Indian women have been contributing to the society in various ways. They have been playing a pivotal role in the family and the society. Even today, Indian women are breaking all the barriers and are making a mark for themselves in various fields. Despite facing challenges and hurdles, they are coming out victorious and setting an example for the world. Indian women are not only intelligent and hardworking but are also very graceful and cultured. They are the perfect amalgamation of beauty and brains. This page has a lot of powerful Indian women who have helped to shape society and the world. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/india-women.php

This is a great article that talks more about Indian women and their role in the workforce : https://kaproject.org/indian-women-in-the-workforce/

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Hindus worship cows

Many people see cows as sacred and are surprised to learn that Hindus don’t worship cows. The cow is typically associated with the Hindu religion because many Hindus don’t eat beef. However, eating beef is not a religious practice. It’s more of a cultural thing. For example, if you were raised in an Irish culture, you might not eat pork or ham either, even though it would have nothing to do with your religion.

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Indians only eat curry

One of the most common misconceptions about India is that people only eat curry. This misconception is often seen when Westerners are served Indian food for the first time. What they taste first is a dish that is loaded with spices and herbs.

The thing to remember, however, is that Indian cuisine has so many flavors. There are dishes in India that have lighter, more mild flavors, such as vegetables and chicken. And there are even sweet dishes like desserts and cakes. It’s not entirely accurate to say that Indians only eat curry or any one thing for that matter.

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Conclusion

India is a beautiful and diverse country that is often misunderstood. Many of the misconceptions about India are rooted in racist or colonialist attitudes. This is why it’s important to understand the truth about India.

The common misconception that Indians are oppressed by the caste system is not true. The caste system is complicated, but many people believe that it does not oppress people.

The most common misconception about India is that it’s poor and starving, but in reality, India has an economy on par with other populous countries.

Another common misconception about India is that Indian women are oppressed by patriarchy. In reality, they have the same rights as women in Western countries.

Another common misconception about India is that Hindus worship cows and eat curry all the time. In reality, Hindus are just as likely to eat beef as people in Western countries.

India is an incredibly complex country with many quirks and interesting cultural differences. But if you want to understand this nation, you need to get to know the truth.

Thank you for joining me today for this article, I hope you found it interesting

About the Author

This is a guest post from Roaming Sparrow  (https://roamingsparrow.com/) . The thoughts and ideas expressed in this article come from his experiences living at our Yoga Center. If you feel any of the information in this article is not correct, please contact us so we can fix it.