A number of men lounge in the city park of Jallianwala Bagh, the site where 2000 Indians were attacked by the British on April 13, 1919. The massacre resulted in mass uprising and insurgence, which led to the country's independence.
"Site of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre." Gale World History Online Collection, Gale, 1997. Gale In Context: World History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/ZUZYWJ099260780/WHIC?u=vol_h58hs&sid=bookmark-WHIC&xid=78a97d7b. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.
Indians tend to be religious, family oriented, and philosophical. Indians traditionally value simple material comforts, physical purity, and spiritual refinement. Even in hardship, one is expected to accept one's course in life as the will of God or fate. Abundant expressions of gratitude are generally reserved for real favors rather than routine courtesies. Many Indians are highly superstitious, often turning to holy men, believed to mediate between heaven and earth, for guidance and blessings.
Most Indians deeply respect the nation's founder, Mahatma Gandhi, and his ideals, which included humility, nonviolence, self-denial, and religious harmony. Yet many Indians sadly acknowledge that Gandhi's principles are hard to find in practice in today's India. Many are equally troubled by the fact that the government has not adequately addressed basic needs: sanitation, health care, education, and housing. Tensions between Hindus and Muslims, social classes, rural and urban populations, and traditional and modern values make it difficult for India's people to seek common ground amid their diversity. Nevertheless, as citizens of the world's most populous democracy, Indians are pressing forward to find balance amid continual social change.
"India: General Attitudes." CultureGrams Online Edition, ProQuest, 2018, online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country_sections.php?cid=75&cn=India&sname=General_Attitudes&snid=6. Accessed 12 October 2018.
"Political Map." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2018, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/311461. Accessed 12 Oct. 2018.
"Infographic of India." CultureGrams Online Edition, ProQuest, 2018, online.culturegrams.com/world/world_popup_infographic.php?scountryname=India&id=&refername=&type=World. Accessed 12 October 2018.