"It takes thousands of years to build a civilization and hundreds of years to build a culture," as Dr Radhakrishnan once stated and this statement adapts so appropriately to the Indian context.

The Indian culture is a huge canvas of variegated cultural works. Our macrocosmic world constitutes not only of Hinduism but also Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Christianity and other belief systems. The multi-variated all encompassing Indian culture constitutes not just the interaction of forces from our mother-land but also those from alien lands.

The key note of our culture in Samanvaya – a synthesis, an assimilation. It has great capacity to digest foreign cultures, which has led to its enrichment, growth and most significantly its dynamism, a tantalizing potential for transforming. This element of assimilation was evident when the three races – the Austrie, the Dravidians and the Aryans together settled down in the upper Gangetic plains in India. They all evolved as a people having a single Aryan speech, sharing same traditions and the same of thought process. Aryans who worshipped nature came into contact with the people of the Mohenjodaro and Harappa civilizations who worshipped images and so, a new way of life and experience evolved. Then came Islam to India with its mysticism and aided the Bhakti movement as well.

Over the centuries the Indian soil saw the absorption of other religions too such as those that were established by Gautama Buddha, Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ. The process has only gone on to augment the richness of our culture which primarily rests on the precepts of morality, truth and righteousness.

Indian culture is a product of a practical way of life and like other cultures it too emphasizes the good of the greatest number and stresses the relevance of such deeds that would lead to this goal and towards immortality which is the end-path seeked by many religions. Another common thread running through our amalgamated culture is the concept of the all persuasive, Omni-present God. Spiritualism is an essential essence of our culture and is directly related to one’s inner growth. Ultimately, the term culture could be better understood by its Sanskrit equivalent – Sanskriti which means to refine, to purify and so it is a state of having done away from all dosha (sins) and thereby progressing in the path of righteousness in all respects.

After all, a cultured state refers to an evolved stage of humanity that is a result of the co-mingling of the spiritual, mental and physical forces. Therefore along with the non-material aspect, the material ingredients also go into the formation of a culture. This would include the clothing, food habits, art, literature, music and other intellectual expressions of the society at a particular point of time.

For India, this would mean infinite categorization with regard to these different cultural variables. Our country harbours nothing less than twenty eight states with each one having its distinct identity in terms of their traditions, language, cuisine, dress and arts.

From the Kashmiri Wazwan food and Marwari Thali in Rajasthan, to the Rasogullas of Bengal and the Dosas of the South, there is plenty of diverse food. The apparel scenario in India is quite fashionable ranging from phirans to lehangas, salwaar-kameez and finally to the sarees which is our national dress.

Even the languages and the crafts are unique to each state of India. Every handicraft sold in the country is made by tightly knit communities following the zealously guarded traditional methods that are passed down from one generation to the other over the centuries.

Therefore, our Indian culture is a complex mosaic of a multitude of elements. And the elasticity that has shown through time can have no better evidence than the stamp of the Mughal era - The Taj Mahal at Agra, which is synonymous with India and a perfect example of Mughal architecture.

Indian culture stands evidence to the fact that there can be no clash between civilizations but, only fusion and these fused threads of thought and action run through the society’s fabric.

Finally, it would be appropriate to state that the culture of a country is the accumulated wealth of a nation. It is a mode of thought and action, evolving during the community life over centuries.

Hence, we can proudly state that India is a perfect example of peaceful, progressive and united living despite such diversity.