It’s almost every day that you read 10 articles on how western culture is influencing the young India. With our culture being thousands of years old it shouldn’t come as a shock to know that we have also made a huge impact on the western culture. If you are wondering how to make sure, continue reading till the end of this article.
1) Yoga
It is not a hidden fact that people in the west have embraced yoga, not only it’s very common to see a yoga class being taught on every corner, they have also made some derivatives of it. So don’t be surprised if you see people teaching “Beer Yoga” (yes, it’s real) or Hot yoga.
2) Meditation
The journey of finding inner peace is difficult, to say the least, but has made it all the way to the western shore. The Vedic practice has been made popular by Indian gurus traveling abroad. It is also safe to say that meditation has helped a lot of people both here and abroad equally.
3) The spices.
Let’s all agree on the fact that Indian food is probably the best food in the world. The reason behind it is obviously the spices. They are so famous that many explorers have discovered continents just in the search of a trading route to India, so don’t be surprised to see adark chai on a Starbucks menu in future.
4) Kama sutra
The thing on which lots of Indian people frown upon, but western culture embraces. The Kama sutra has taught many people the art of love and intimacy, and no wonder it has made a huge impact worldwide.
5) Indian music
No, we’re not talking about item songs or Honey Singh here. Indian music really came into limelight with Slumdog Millionaire and since has been popularized. The influence of it can be seen in the works of many international artists like Black Eyed Peas, etc.
6) The number ‘zero’
This might be perhaps the most important contribution from us to the world. When Aryabhatta invented the number zero in the decimal system it not only changed us, but it changed the world entirely.
7) Philosophy
When trading routes were established to India spices and fabrics weren’t the only thing that was taken. The teachings of Bhagavad influenced many great philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche in the west. It was also translated into several different languages over the decades.
8) Art
The Europe may have had its renaissance but Indian art has also made a huge contribution to the now modern European art. artists like Auguste Rodin and Vincent van Gogh were heavily influenced by Indian art, the result of which can be seen in some of their work.
9) Indian food
I know it’s criminal that this is ranked so low, but we wanted to save the best for the last. It is safe to say that Indian cuisine is easily one of the top 5 cuisines in the world. Many of famous chefs have tried to replicate the authenticity of Indian food and have failed miserably (looking at you, Gordon). Plus who in their right mind would prefer a Burger over Butter Chicken?
10) Indian fabric
India is the second largest cotton producing country in the world. It is a known fact that entire trade routes were established for things like cotton and spices, and after so many years we still see its influence on the fashion industry. Things like embroidery were also brought from India to the west.
Now if someone says you that India is influenced from Western culture then show them this piece of information!
Did I miss anything? Feel free to share in comments section