The document provides information about Indian culture, including national symbols, statistics about India, religions practiced in India, languages spoken, epics, dances, clothing, greetings, sports, architecture, and business etiquettes. It discusses Hinduism and other major religions in India. It also summarizes Indian cultural aspects like dance forms, traditional attire, greetings, sports, and architectural heritage sites. The business etiquette section outlines cultural norms for meetings, gifts, dining, negotiations, and other professional interactions in India.

1. India and Its Culture!
Presented by : Sriram
"Satyameva Jayate"

2. National symbols of India
• National Flag National Emblem National Flower National Fruit
• National Animal Indian Currency

3. Other Important National Symbols
• National Anthem - Jana Gana Mana
• National Song – Vande Mataram
• National Calendar – Saka Calendar
• National Heritage Mammal – Indian Elephant
• National Heritage Animal – Hanuman Langur
• National Tree – Banyan Tree
• National Aquatic Animal – Dolphin
• National Reptile – King Cobra

4. Statistics
Location: Southern Asia,
bordering Bangladesh
4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km,
Burma 1,463 km, China
3,380 km, Nepal 1,690
km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Capital: New Delhi
Climate: varies from
tropical monsoon in south
to temperate in north
Population: 1.252 billion
(2013)
Ethnic Make-up: Indo-
Aryan 72%, Dravidian
25%, Mongoloid and other
3% (2000)
Government: Federal
Republic

5. Indian Culture
• Religions -. Religion plays a central and definitive role in the life of many of
its people.
• India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism,
collectively known as Indian religions
• According to the 2011 census, 79.8% of the population of
India practice Hinduism. Islam (14.2%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.7%),B
uddhism (0.7%) and Jainism (0.4%) are the other major religions followed by
the people of India.
• According to the 2012 WIN-Gallup Global Index of Religion and Atheism
report, 81% of Indians were religious, 13% were not religious, 3% were
convinced atheists, and 3% were unsure or did not respond.

6. Indian Culture
• Languages and literature
• Indo-Aryan language family
• Dravidian language family
• Austroasiatic language family
• Sino-Tibetan language family
• Tai-Kadai language family
• Great Andamanese languages
• The official language of the Union Government of the Republic of
India is Hindi in the Devanagari script.
• According to Census of India of 2001, India has 122 major languages and
1599 other languages
• The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 languages, which have
been referred to as scheduled languages and given recognition, status and
official encouragement.

7. Indian Culture
• Epics - The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the oldest preserved and
well-known epics of India.
• Dance in India – There are eight classical dance status by India's National
Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama, those are :
1. Bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu
2. Kathak of Uttar Pradesh
3. Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala
4. Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh
5. Vakshagana of Karnataka
6. Manipuri of Manipur
7. Odissi (orissi) of the state of Orrisa
8. Sattriya of Assam
Kuchipudi Odissi

8. Indian Culture
• Clothing- Traditional clothing in India greatly varies across different parts
of the country and is influenced by local culture, geography, climate and
rural/urban settings.
• Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women
and dhoti or lungi or panche (in Kannada) for men.
• Indian women perfect their sense of charm and fashion with make up and
ornaments. Bindi, mehendi, earrings, bangles and other jewelry are common
• Bindi is often an essential part of a Hindu woman's make up and it is
considered as auspicious mark.

9. Indian Culture
• Greetings - Namaste (Sanskrit), Namaskar (Hindi), Juhar/Namaskar
in Odia, Namaskar, Swagatam (Marathi) or Namaskara (Kannada)
orNamaskaram (Telugu, Malayalam), Vanakkam (Tamil),Nomoshkaar (Bengal
i), Nomoskar (Assamese) is a common spoken greeting or salutation when
people meet or a form of farewell when they depart.
• Other greetings include "Jai Jagannath" in Odia Language, "Ami
Aschi" (in Bengali),"Jai Shri Krishna" (in Gujarati), "Ram Ram“.
Pressing hands together with a smile to greet Namaste - a common cultural
practice in India.

10. Indian Culture
• Sports - Field hockey is the official national sport in India.
• Cricket is considered the most popular sport in India and most followed sport.
• Other games which originated in India and continue to remain popular in wide
parts of northern India include Kabaddi, Gilli-danda, and Kho kho. Traditional
southern Indian games include Snake boat race and Kuttiyum kolum.
India wins 2011 World cup. Snake boat race on occasion of Onam.

11. Indian Culture
• Architecture - There are 32 World Heritage Sites in India that are
recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) as of 2014

12. Indian Culture – Business Etiquettes
Meeting and Greeting
• Westerners may shake hands, however, greeting with 'namaste' (na-mas-
TAY) (placing both hands together with a slight bow) is appreciated and
shows respect for Indian customs.
• Men shake hands with men when meeting or leaving. Men do not touch
women when meeting or greeting.
• Western women may offer their hand to a westernized Indian man, but not
normally to others.
• Traditional Indian women may shake hands with foreign women but not
usually with men.

13. Body Language
• Public displays of affection are not proper.
• Indians generally allow an arm's length space between themselves and
others. Don't stand close to Indians. Indians value personal space.
• Indian men may engage in friendly back patting merely as a sign of
friendship.
• The Western side-to-side hand wave for "hello" is frequently interpreted by
Indians as "no" or "go away."
• Use your right hand only to touch someone, pass money or pick up
merchandise. The left hand is considered unclean.
• Do not touch anyone's head. The head is considered sensitive.
• Feet are considered unclean. Feet are sacred for holy men and women.
Pointing footwear at people is considered an insult.
• Indians are very sensitive to being beckoned rudely. Hand and arm waved up
and down (Western "good-bye") means "come here." To beckon, extend your
arm, palm down and make a scratching motion with fingers kept together.
• Never point with a single finger or two fingers (used only with inferiors). Point
with your chin, whole hand or thumb. The chin is not used to point at
superiors.

14. Indian Business Etiquettes
• Dress
• For business, men should wear suits and ties. During summer months, you
may omit the jacket.
• Women should wear conservative pantsuits or dresses, a salwar-suit is also
acceptable for business dress.
• Gifts
• Give gifts with both hands. Gifts are not normally opened in the presence of
the giver.
• Gifts from your country are appreciated (perfume, chocolates, small china or
crystal objects).
• Gifts are not normally expected at the first meeting. Gifts may be given once
a relationship develops.

15. Dining and Entertainment
• Initial business entertainment is done in restaurants in prestigious hotels.
Business can be discussed during meals. Allow your host to initiate business
conversation.
• Never flatly refuse an invitation to a home or dinner of a business counterpart;
if you can’t make it, offer a plausible excuse.
• Spouses are often included in social/business functions.
• Strict orthodox Muslims don't drink any alcohol. Most Hindus, especially
women, do not consume alcohol.
• Arrive 15-30 minutes later than the stated time for a dinner party.
• At a social gathering a garland of flowers is often placed around a guest's
neck. Remove it after a few minutes and carry it in your hand to show
humility.

16. • Allow hosts to serve you. Never refuse food, but don’t feel obligated to empty
your plate. Hindu hosts are never supposed to let their guests’ plates be
empty.
• If hosts eat with hands, assure them you enjoy doing the same. If utensils are
not used, use your right hand and your first three fingers and thumb only.
• Take food from communal dish with a spoon; never your fingers. Use
chappati or poori (bread) torn into small chunks to scoop up food..
• Guests give gifts to the host and the host's children as a "thank you."
• You should reciprocate invitations with a meal of comparable value. Never
invite someone to a far more lavish dinner -- it might embarrass them.

17. BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPSAND GIFT GIVING
• Gift giving is customary in India as a display of friendship or affection, it is
vital to choose the Gift appropriately.
• Gifts are not opened in the presence of the giver. If you receive a wrapped
gift, set it aside until the giver leaves.
• Don't wrap gifts in black or white, which are considered unlucky colors.
Instead, use green, red, and yellow, since they are considered lucky colors.
• When invited to an Indian's home for dinner, bring a small gift of chocolates or
flowers.
• Chocolate, disposable razors, perfumes, toiletries, and household items such
as plastic containers can also be welcome gifts.
• If you are visiting during a festival, it is customary to carry a box of sweets.
• When selecting flowers, be aware that frangipanis are associated with
funerals.
• Be cautious in giving a leather item as a gift.
• Avoid giving leather or alcohol.

18. Table Manners
• In a traditional Indian meal setup, the following is observed. Normally the
plate is served with small quantities of all the food items.
• Answering phone calls, sending messages and using inappropriate language
are considered inappropriate while dining and while elders are present
• Distorting or playing with food is unacceptable
• Eating at a moderate pace is important, as eating too slowly may imply a
dislike of the food and eating too quickly is considered rude.
• Generally it is not acceptable to burp, slurp, or spit.
• A cardinal rule of dining is to use the right hand when eating or receiving food
• Certain Indian food items can create sounds, so it is important to close the
mouth and chew at a moderate pace.

19. Negotiations
• If your business dealings in India involve negotiations, always bear in mind that
they can be slow.
• Decision making is generally a long-drawn out process, very often because a
decision may have to be ratified by people who may not be present at the
negotiating
• If trust has not yet been established then concentrate efforts on building a
rapport.
• Indians do not base their business decisions solely on statistics, empirical data
and exciting PowerPoint presentations. They use intuition, feeling and faith to
guide them, so patience is required and anger is a no-no.
• Be non-confrontational and when criticizing or disagreeing, do so very sensitively
and diplomatically. Note that the Indian psyche operates around the overall
context.
• One should be prepared for questions and enquiries, which may not seem to be
directly related to the subject.
• Finally, bargaining is the life blood of negotiations in India – be prepared for the
bottom line after the bottom line and the need to “adjust” for changing
circumstances.

20. Indian Business Etiquettes
• Business cards are exchanged and Indians are very conscious of the
protocol. Always present business cards when introduced. English is
appropriate for business cards.
• Helpful Hints
• When an Indian answers, "I will try," he or she generally means "no." This is
considered a polite "no."
• Many Indians do not wear shoes inside a home. Follow your host
• Apologize immediately if your feet or shoes touch another person.
• Ask permission before smoking. It is considered rude to smoke in the
presence of elders.(recommended to ignore)
• Stand when the national anthem (of any country) is playing. Show respect to
all flags and all religious symbols.
• Standing tall with your hands on your hips is perceived as aggressive.
• Do not show anger.