Indian society is not entirely regressive. Although there are still regressive people who contribute towards a bulk of the community having a regressive approach and haltering modernization, there are still hints of the Indian society being progressive. Since independence, the modernization of India has been an integral part of the national strategy. Also, conscious and sustained efforts are being made to develop India’s economy, polity, and social framework. Modernization signifies a transformation from rudimentary traditional values to modern rationalist traditional values.
Thus, Modernity is not antithetical to Cultural preservation but a rational view of culture. So, achieving Modernity should be the aim of society to thrive on modern and reasonable traditional values. The idea that old regressive approaches still sustain the Indian culture is fuelled by misperception, popularized through years of media stereotyping, conceals reality. India is a vibrant society with an increasingly vigorous internal dynamic and an increasing influence, directly and indirectly, in the world. Its significance lies in its size—some 930 million Indians are 15 per cent of the planetary population—and the questions raised by the path India has chosen in domestic and foreign policy.
This nation is the largest functioning democracy, with regular and freely contested elections. Modern India is also a test of two middle-ground philosophies. As an early proponent of non-alignment in international politics, India has attempted to establish a position between Western and oriented states. The term “India” implies a unity that exists more as a tentative political form than as a human and socio-cultural reality. By intertwining its complex history with contemporary society, one can distil five important features that will perhaps aid us in understanding modern India.
Ethnic differences also abound. This mosaic is culturally extraordinary, and it is a source of divisiveness in a nation where particular loyalties have a deep meaning, both spiritually and physically. Given this diversity, it is remarkable that India has remained and grown, and continues to grow, as one nation.
Is Indian society regressive?
