12 Irrational Ideas That India Has Adopted From West

There is no doubt that Indian culture, traditions and practices are one of the richest and mesmerizing of all. All the rituals, traditions and cultural heritage of India is lively and full of energy. However some features of the western culture and practices caught the eye of us Indians and have thus been adopted by the people of India over the last few decades.

Here is the list of some of the most illogical practices that India has taken from the west.

1. Wearing suits

Majority of the western countries have temperate climate and temperatures are low thus making their surroundings cold. Suits having a thick fabric helps in keeping the body warm in such cold temperatures, Thus western folks tend to wear suits on a daily basis. But in a hot and humid country like India, following this practice is totally illogical as wearing suits will be uncomfortable in Indian weather conditions.

2. Bachelor parties

Men are never on the backseat when it comes to having fun. Bachelor parties have always existed in the western culture as the last time a man gets to have a fun time as a bachelor with his close friends. This trend has also made its way across the ocean to India and has been enjoyed by many people. Bachelor parties involve getting drunk and having fun with your friends one last time as a single man before you finally step into your married life. It is often clubbed together with poker or some other card game.

3. Glass buildings

Glass buildings were designed in the Scandinavian countries because the climatic conditions prevailing there is very cold. So this glass has an excellent property in which if a sun ray enters through the glass, the ray cannot get outside or exit the room. In other words the sun ray will be present inside the room and will keep it warm. But in a country like India which is already hot and humid, glass buildings are not required.

4. Sunday as a holiday

Sunday is the day of rest in most western countries as a part of the weekend and weeknight. For most observant Christians, Sunday is observed as the day of worship and rest, holding as the Lord’s day and the day of Christ’s resurrection. However in India following the same practice doesn’t make sense as per Indian culture and traditions.

5. Wearing robe and cap on graduation day

It has been an age-old tradition of graduates to wear graduation caps and robes. In a way, the cap and gown symbolizes the hardwork of students and also differentiates them from the rest of the mass. Moreover due to the lack of sufficient heating systems in western universities back then, the cap and robe helped in keeping the body warm. Nonetheless, Indians are still following this age old western tradition.

6. Low waist jeans

This is one of the most irrational practices adopted from western countries. People having a curvy and muscular body tend to wear low-waist jeans because it clings to their body and fits well. Moreover it offers an opportunity for men to showcase the expensive and stylish inner-wear they are wearing. However in India everyone following the same trend blindly is somewhat illogical.

7. Valentine’s day

Originating as a western Christian feast day and honouring the saint named Valentius, Valentine’s day is recognized as a significant celebration of romance and romantic love in many western countries around the world. But it sounds weird that Indians all accept this as a festival as for them there is no need to follow this practice.

8. Using fork and spoon

The utility of fork lies in extending the reach of the human hand, so that one can stab something and bring it hither. On the other hand spoons are used in western world to eat food in bite size quantities. But Indian food and cuisine have dishes which can be easily eaten by hands. Indian culture encourages eating with hands, so there is no necessity to use fork and spoon as the western world follows.

9. Calling money as bucks

Buck is an informal reference to $1 that may trace its origins to the American colonial period when deer skins (buckskins) were originally traded for goods. The buck also refers to the U.S. dollar as currency that can be used both domestically and internationally. But Indian currency has its own name ‘Rupee’, so it literally makes no sense referring money as bucks.

10. Applying cake on face

If we were to look from a pseudo- anthropological point of view, applying cake on face might have something to do with applying of colors on someone’s face as early man would have once done on account of something substantial happening. Cakes due to their inherent color, thus makes for a good palette. However following this practice in India is next to a sin where around one-third people don’t even get proper meals. It is a sheer wastage of food.

11. Attestation by gazetted officers

A gazetted officer is an employee of the central/state government and has the authority of attesting photocopies. This practice dates back to British colonial rule when majority of the Indians were illiterate and British did not have faith on Indians for any documentation work. But even after seven decades of independence, we Indians are illogically following this practice.

12. Giving the bride away

The weddings in the west have a tradition known as the giving away of the bride. This involves the bride walking down the aisle with her father towards the groom who waits while the band plays the music. The bride bids goodbye to her father and goes to stand next to the groom, where they recite their vows and get married. This tradition has also adopted by Indians whereas the traditional Indian weddings have very minimum involvement of the father.