The Cultural History and Diversity of India

Indian cultural history has been enriched by customs, traditions and rituals brought by invaders and immigrants. Many Indian customs, cultural practices and languages are examples of this mixture through the centuries. It is in India that many religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, have been born which have influenced not only this country but also the neighboring countries. With the invasion of Islamic rulers, Indian culture was strongly influenced by Persian, Arab and Turkish cultures. The Indian culture is 5000 years old, and it is as old as it is varied. But one can see unity in diversity, the main mantra of Indian civilization, simply observing various forms of art and tradition. In religion, if Hinduism is the dominant religion of India with about 80% of the population, it is far from being the only practiced: the largest Muslim community in the world is in India and represents about 13% Population. But there are also Jains, Sikhs, Parsis or Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jews and Christians, not to mention the natural religions still very much alive in some tribal groups.

Many of the 'great' religions originate in India, some are almost exclusive to the country. Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the world, dates back to the Indus civilization, the first manifestation of Indian culture that appeared around the 3rd millennium BC. JC. He comes from a very ancient oral tradition that presents itself as a set of philosophical concepts. Hinduism has gradually assimilated the beliefs and philosophies of the many invaders on the Indian subcontinent, and as a result, has evolved over time. Buddhism appeared in the 5th century BC JC in North India and was widely spread by Emperor Ashoka. Created from Hinduism as a reform movement, it almost disappeared from the country in the 10th century AD. JC, but has since redeveloped. Christianity (Orthodox, Protestant or Catholic) in India is either a result of a very old evangelization by the apostle St. Thomas in South India, or following the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century. Sikhism is one of India's own religions, and most Sikhs live in the Punjab region. It was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, against Hinduism. It is a monotheistic religion.

Jainism is another religion specific to India, whose followers live mainly in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Very old because it appeared in the 6th century BC JC, this religion is characterized by absolute respect for all forms of life and a rigorous asceticism. With only 0.5% of the population, Jains are nevertheless a significant and influential force in India. Indian culture and Hindu religion are very related. Hinduism, which is, in fact, a bundle of religious traditions, can allow anyone, theist or atheist, skeptical or agnostic, to find a place in Hinduism. As the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, said, 'His essential spirit is to live and let live.' On the other hand, Hinduism recognizes the omnipresence of God, everything is sacred in the universe, and everything deserves veneration. Also, all important Hindu scriptures teach that there are many roads to God. It is this fundamental view of who created the basic Hindu attitudes, such as cultural and religious tolerance, non-violence, vegetarian diet, and so on. Despite this, inter-religious tensions in India have been repeatedly noted, such as the violent riots between Hinduism and Muslims after independence in 1947, or the pogroms against the Sikh community in 1984, following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The history of traditional Indian dance dates back to the 2nd century BC JC and is colorful. Classic, popular and contemporary, we find all styles of dance in India. Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi, Kuchipudi and Mohini Attam are the main forms of classical dance. Kathak, the main dance form in North India, was initiated during the Islamic invasion, although it evolved in subsequent years into Hindu gharanas such as Banaras Gharana or Jaipur Gharana. Most classical dances have their origins in religious feelings. But to these classical dances are added many forms of popular tribal dances.

The Indians have always believed in the divine association of music. One can find mainly two schools of classical singing style: one is the Hindustani style of North India, the other is the Carnatic style of South India. Like dance, music has a rich and robust folk tradition, and music is inextricably linked to rural Indian life. Contemporary music from India even includes jazz, pop and rock. Painting is the best way to express one's feelings. In ancient India, it was used as a tool to demonstrate one's religious beliefs. The cave paintings of Ajanta, Ellora, Khajuraho and paintings in the temples bear witness to this. Most of the rock art in India is mostly influenced by Hinduism or Buddhism. The painting is not necessarily done on a canvas, paper or rock: in India, it is not uncommon even nowadays to see drawings with very colorful flowers called 'Ranguli' in front of the doors of the Indian houses, especially in South India. You will understand how popular cinema is popular with this simple observation that more than 900 films are produced and screened in India annually. In a country where film stars are venerated as gods, we cannot deny that cinema is an integral part of Indian society since we all know that cinema is the mirror of society. India is a land of colors and diverse cultures, and this evidence is also visible in the various outfits worn by people. The traditional Indian way of dressing is marked by variations, both religious and regional, with a wide range of textures and styles. The simple sari is draped by Indian girls and women from different regions in a different style. The traditional dress for women from Rajasthan or Gujarat is the colorful Ghagra choli, consisting of a skirt, a blouse close to the body and a scarf. Women in South India wear half-saris with the dupatta (the scarf). Churidar Kurta is worn by women in North India. This is a set of pants, tunic and scarf; this outfit has become very popular nowadays and is worn everywhere. Nevertheless, the Western clothing style is growing more and more among urban youth.

At NEW DELHI. In July 2003, mobile phone operator Hutch, the Indian subsidiary of giant Hutchinson, launched its first commercial on Indian TV. Directed by the agency Ogilvy & Mather (WPP group), it featured a little boy who, from the couch to the hairdresser through the swing, was inevitably followed by a cute little puppy, all on a background bewitching musical. The slogan: 'Wherever you go, our network follows you. 'Taking advantage of the low costs in India, Hutch then declined the campaign on all fronts. In the newspapers, on the billboards, the irresistible duet looked straight into your eyes, the music accompanied you to the elevator from Bombay, and there were footprints of the puppy in the corridors of Bangalore's shopping centers. In just a few weeks, Hutch subscription sales jumped 70%. Luxurious decor, family values, tenderness, efficiency... The pub had seduced the middle class, THE Indian advertising target par excellence, since it lists, according to the criteria selected, between 150 and 300 million consumers. An example, too, of the revival of the Indian pub, haunted, until recently, by spots of a rare blandness for shampoos or chewing tobacco. 'For a few years, we have been watching on the international scene. It took a long time and we will have to consolidate our reputation, but we have come a long way in terms of creativity, 'says Piyush Pandey, creative director at O & M and a true guru of Indian advertising. With others, this man has in a few years revolutionized commercials, introducing professionalism but also humor, emotions and consistency. So much so that he was the first Indian to be chosen to chair the Cannes jury.

The qualitative leap is such that some Indian spots are now adapted to be distributed abroad. Ambitious, some Indian advertisers are even dreaming of an India where one would outsource the production of campaigns for foreign markets. The Italian Perfetti and others have already tried the experiment successfully. 'The creation requires a good knowledge of the market culture that you are talking to, says John Goodman, CEO of O & M South Asia. It is not certain that Indians are as good at tackling Western markets.' In India, moreover, the 'Indianization' of pubs is an unavoidable rule, including for international campaigns. 'The weight of history, cultural identity is omnipresent in this country, to ignore it is to go straight into the wall,' said Amit Agnihotri, editor of the magazine 'Pitch'. Heavyweights such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Honda, Samsung or LG are therefore systematically calling on Bollywood stars or players on the national cricket team to be sure to be popular. Others are trying to play on Indian humor, the desire for a better quality of life for the middle class and family values, pillars of society in this country still very conservative. No one, in any case, dares to stage foreigners and, in any case, the spots must be in Hindi or in a regional language.

Now recognized abroad, the current innovation is also due to the fact that the economic boom of recent years (+ 7% in 2004-2005, + 8.1% in 2003-2004) has brought new customers: the growth drivers of advertising agencies are no longer the staples, but the automotive, telecoms, financial services and generic pubs for multinationals. As a result, annual advertising spending has risen from 200,000 euros in 1993 to around 2 billion today, and the market is growing at around 10% a year. The direct consequence of the emergence of a middle class more and more consumer, especially through the development of bank credit. 'The strong economic growth leads to a virtuous circle,' summarizes Amit Agnihotri. New sectors have emerged, customers are more numerous, and everyone is trying to stand out because of growing competition in many sectors. It's a blessing for agencies, starting with the international heavyweights, who, having bought most of the successful local agencies in recent years, dominate the Indian scene. Via JWT, O & M, Contract and a few others, the WPP group has almost half the market share, followed by Omnicom (RK Swamy BBDO and TBWA-Anthem), Interpublic (McCann, Lowe, SSC & B, Quadrant and a few others). others), Publicis, Dentsu and Havas. All believe that the Indian potential is enormous. 'India has become a priority market,' says John Goodman, CEO of O & M South Asia. This country is still largely 'under-publicized': the ratio of advertising expenditure to GDP is lower than that of China, where the vectors of communication are even less, and even to that of Indonesia, whose population is yet five times smaller. 'Finally, even slow, economic liberalization attracts every year more foreign brands, which supports the growth of the market while stimulating the passage of Indian brands that are working to resist the onslaught. Opening the distribution to foreign investors should also result in an influx of new international customers.

As a symbol of the growing maturity of the Indian advertising market, the fastest-growing activities have in recent years been indirect advertising (events, public relations, direct marketing, etc.), to the point where most agencies have already opened subdivisions. For the time being, the mass media, however, continue to concentrate more than two-thirds of spending, television and, to a lesser extent, press. The display, it is only far behind, as radios since the advent of the FM has intervened very recently. As for the Internet, its growth is phenomenal, even if its volumes remain so far very small. In other words, the small screen remains the most effective vector for brands. Its dominance is all the more stubborn as the number of media multiplies with the appearance of dozens of new channels each year, and that the tariffs continue to be ridiculously low, compared to the rest of the world.