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Globalization and Contours of Indian society

Nikita Singh

Law Student at Aligarh Muslim University

Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Email id-nikitasingh19988@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

When we think of the word ‘Globalization’ or ‘Globalization’ , one think that encapsulates
our mind is that the process of integration of the countries of the world as one whole. It is
thought basically that Globalization has only its connection with the economic policies of a
nation. But, when we look into the diverse impacts of Globalization we find out that it affects
each and every aspect of an individual’s life and nation’s character.

Globalization has brought massive changes in the society and lives of the people. It was in
1991, India had introduced the LPG policy. Since then, Indian policies have an over-
powering effect of Globalization on them. Indian society has dynamically changed with no
cross -border boundaries between it and other nations. The people of the country now have
broken their chains and become inter- national persons. With the establishment of, various
Multinational Companies (MNCs) all over the country, the people have started working in an
international arena.

But the big question is whether the process of Globalization is nourishing the Indian society
or is now one of the major back-bone behind the deterioration of the society. We may find
two views of scholars on this question. According to one of the orthodox dogmatic view,
India should remain a nation with firm beliefs and idols and its biggest priority should be to
preserve its culture. On the other side of the coin, are the liberal viewers who believe that
‘Change is the essence of society’. And the process of Globalization is essential for the
modernization of the society. Between these two extreme views, lies the neutral view of
scholars,that Globalization is essential for the up liftment of society but the only question that
needs to be taken care of is that to what extent the society adapts itself to it.
Like when we talk of the Indian society, we may see that in previous years, the people have
become a brand ambassador and slaves of the foreign companies. Now, it is only the brand
that plays a role in the determination of the economic status of the countrymen. Outsourcing
activity has become a common phenomenon among the people of the country. Note the big
question that is front of us is that why the people of the country are wasting their talent going
and serving a foreign country and foreign company. There are some of the questions that are
to be pondered at.

In this research paper, we will like to pounder only these questions regarding has really
Globalization helped the Indian society or has weakened the roots of the culture of the
society. Has it really helped the people to modernize or made them forget about their culture.
These are some of the questions that stand before us in the new era of the 21st century. Does
India need to go further with the policy or stick it to its roots, Globalization needs to be at
what cost? Does it need to be at the cost of the changing the contours of the Indian society?

INTRODUCTION-

Before going into the details study of the topic discussed in the research paper, let’s first try
and understand what does the title of the paper is trying to say. The title reads out that “
Globalization and Contours of Indian Society” , the meaning of the word “Globalization is
much an express one, no need to go into detail as this something that we will discuss in detail
in the rest of the paper. But let’s try to find and understand what does the phrase “contours of
Indian Society” means, when we look into the dictionary meaning of the word ‘Contour’ it
means an outline representing or bounding the shape or form of something. Another meaning
that one may find that it is something that molds itself into a specific shape, especially one
designed to fit into something.

Both of these meanings go along with us to refer the title of the paper, let’s understand how
in this research paper we have tried to find out how the process of Globalization has brought
a rapid number of changes in the society. So basically through the title I have tried to reflect
that how Globalization has come within the defined boundary of the Indian society and then
in return how the society has reacted to same whether it has been able to mold itself to be
adaptive to it.
Now let’s understand what we try to mean when we say ‘Indian Society’, as we all know
Aristotle said “That man is a social animal and lives in a society to live.” Thus, going by that
philosophy Society is nothing but an integrated group of these people only. Know adding the
word “Indian” to it. Every society of the world has some peculiar characteristic attached to it,
it is something that distinguishes the same with the rest of the world countries. The same is
with the Indian Society there are certain features that are peculiar to it. When we talk of the
process of Globalization, it is basically that it aims at integrating the societies of all over the
world into one thread.

From here only the question of our significance arise that whether by this process of
Globalization we are losing our own identity. Is Indian society losing the significance in the
process of Globalization. In this research paper it would have been a difficult task to cover all
aspects of the Indian society and try to find out the impact of the process of Globalization, so
we will confine only the impact of the same upon the Education, Cultural Contents and the
overall outlook of the people.

Globalization and Education in India-

Since the Vedic ages, Education is considered of utmost importance and priority of the
people. One may note that since then, the significance of education has never been swayed
been the only change that has come is with regards with the medium and method of teaching.
In the ancient Indian society, the medium of instruction was based on the “Gurukul system”.

This is something that has continued till the Britishers has come to India, with their onset the
educational regime of the country has changed completely, with the introduction of English
teaching. Besides this there also began a process of the abroad studying and the introduction
of the Civil Services Exam was also a significant step with regard to education and the
outlook of the people has widened tremendously.

Now talking of the present scenario, there are immense effects observed in educational sector
due to Globalization such as literacy rate become high and foreign universities are
collaborating with different Indian Universities. The Indian educational system faces
challenges of Globalization through Information Technology and it offers opportunities to
evolve new paradigms shift in developmental education.
The distinction between formal, non-formal and informal education will vanish when move
from industrial society to information society takes place. Globalization promotes new tools
and techniques such as E Learning, Flexible Learning, Distance Education programs and
Overseas training.

It is observed in current Indian Society that through Globalization, women have gained
certain opportunities for job options and to recognize women’s rights as a part of the human
rights. Their empowerment has given considerable opportunities and possibilities of
improving employment conditions through global solidarity and co-ordination. It is found
that the growth of computer and other technologies enabled women with better waged, flex
timings, and capacity to negotiate their role and status in home and the corporate world.

But one can’t ignore the negative aspects of the process of Globalization and the biggest
threat is that when of the people of India go for abroad study it is seen that a majority of them
stay back there only and don’t come back. Thus, there is something that is injurious to India
only as we will be losing our potential youth to some other country.

Further it is a significant observation that maximum number of pleasures and facilities to the
youth has made them forget their real targets and them focusing on inanimate things. They
are going deep into the technological aspects of everything and paying a deaf eye to the real
problems of the country and society. Thus, I would rather suggest that a middle ground need
to be found out to import the process of Globalization into practice into the educational field.

Globalization and Cultural Elements-

Globalization is the process of importing the elements of one society to another. Basically
adopting certain elements of one society and then making them a part of one’s lifestyle. There
are certain cultural elements that are part of one society. Like when we talk of India, we
know that it is well settled belief that Indian society is richest of all cultures and societies. We
in our country, find an integration of religious practices, morals, values, norms etc. It is the
practice of being attached with our roots however how modernize we tend to become.

But one may note that the Western culture in past few years has impacted the society of India
to a greater extent. One may note these changes all around in day to day basis. Be it with the
attire wearing of ours or the morals we are following now. Like for example, Family was
considered to be the basic unit of the Indian society. It was the family and marriage that were
the main institutions of the society. But now with the influx of the Western Culture and
norms the importance of family had decreased significantly. There has been change of the
joint family culture to a nuclear family culture. Elders of the family which were earlier
considered to be the responsibility of the children. Now, it is those children only who leave
them in old age homes and forgotten them.

‘Change is essential for the society’. But the question remains at what cost it should be
brought into the society. Same is with the process of Globalization though it is essential for
the modernization, westernization and industrialization of the society. But when this is
applied to the Indian Society we should make a look into the fact that the morals and values
of the society are not swayed away.

People should not forget that though how glamorous and pleasure seeking the western values
seem to be but it is one’s moral values and culture’s that one person must adhere to in long
run. Because, these are those basic principles on which the foundations of a society lie and
these are those qualities that make a society different form the other. Thus, one may not lose
their essentials in the name of modernization.

Globalization and General outlook of people-

Since the process of Globalization has taken place the people of the country had become
extreme adaptive to it. While there is some section of people who have denied the existence
of the process and have decided to remain attached to the roots only. Both sections of the
people have tried to make their stand held good and have made efforts to lure the people to
adept to their respective ideologies

First let’s try to understand the ideology of those people who have adapted to the process of
Globalization, they believe in the usefulness of the process of Globalization and believe that
this is essential for the broadening of the outlook of the people. Further they believe that it is
essential to bring the Indian society in sync with the other societies of the world.

Now lets try to understand the ideology of the second group of people they believe that the
process of Globalization has resulted in the waving away of the morals of the people and laos
the traditions and culture of the people which the people of the Indian Society were believed
to have possessed.

I however would like to stand a that is more liberal than these two extreme poles. The stand
would be that the process of Globalization is fine for the society till the time it makes the life
of the people good and the essential values and traditions of the people are not swayed away.
But the point of integration where the essential values and cultures of the society are swayed
away, efforts should be made to sway away from the wrong practices.

Thus, one should have the capacity to accept the position that is best suited in a given
scenario and tend to forget the position if it doesn’t suit them in the scenario. Basic idea that
should be kept in mind is that we should not become a slave to any system of society but only
try to implement those essential elements which tend to suit one.

Advantages of Globalization-

(i) Globalization helps to boost the long run average growth rate of the economy of the
country through:

(a) Improvement in the allocative efficiency of resources;

(b) Increase in labour productivity; and

(c) Reduction in capital-output ratio.

(ii) Globalization paves the way for removing inefficiency in production system. Prolonged
protective scenario in the absence of globalization makes the production system careless
about cost effectiveness which can be attained by following the policy of globalization.

(iii) Globalization attracts entry of foreign capital along with foreign updated technology
which improves the quality of production.

(iv) Globalization usually restructure production and trade pattern favouring labour-intensive
goods and labour-intensive techniques as well as expansion of trade in services.
(v) In a globalized scenario, domestic industries of developing country become conscious
about price reduction and quality improvement to their products so as to face foreign
competition.

(vi) Globalization discourages uneconomic import substitution and favour cheaper imports of
capital goods which reduces capital-output ratio in manufacturing industries. Cost
effectiveness and price reduction of manufactured commodities will improve the terms of
trade in favour of agriculture.

(vii) Globalization facilitates consumer goods industries to expand faster to meet growing
demand for these consumer goods which would result faster expansion of employment
opportunities over a period of time. This would result trickle down effect to reduce the
proportion of population living below the poverty line

(viii) Globalization enhances the efficiency of the banking insurance and financial sectors
with the opening up to those areas to foreign capital, foreign banks and insurance companies.

Disadvantages of Globalization-

(i) Globalization paves the way for redistribution of economic power at the world level
leading to domination by economically powerful nations over the poor nations.

(ii) Globalization usually results greater increase in imports than increase in exports leading
to growing trade deficit and balance of payments problem.

(iii) Although globalization promote the idea that technological change and increase in
productivity would lead to more jobs and higher wages but during the last few years, such
technological changes occurring in some developing countries have resulted more loss of jobs
than they have created leading to fall in employment growth rates.

(iv) Globalization has alerted the village and small scale industries and sounded death-knell
to it as they cannot withstand the competition arising from well organized MNCs.

(v) Globalization has been showing down the process to poverty reduction in some
developing and underdeveloped countries of the world and thereby enhances the problem of
inequality.
(vi) Globalization is also posing as a threat to agriculture in developing and underdeveloped
countries of the world. As with the WTO trading provisions, agricultural commodities market
of poor and developing countries will be flooded farm goods from countries at a rate much
lower than that indigenous farm products leading to a death-blow to many farmers.

(vii) Implementation of globalization principle becoming harder in many industrially


developed democratic countries to ask its people to bear the pains and uncertainties of
structural adjustment with the hope of getting benefits in future.

Conclusion-

Thus, we may conclude that Globalization has made a significant impact on the Indian
society. Some section of the people have though become a slave to same and they have
completely forgotten that there are certain moral values and traditions of the Indian society
that a person has to take care of and tend not to forget them. But this is only the section of
people there are other people also who believe in the usefulness of process and tend to
appreciate it for the welfare of the Indian society.

Whatever the position may be there is one thing for sure that there needs to be maintained a
balance between the two extreme strands of everything and a reasonable stand be taken.

References-

1-https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/list-advantages-disadvantages-globalization-list-
113517.

2-https://www.jstor.org/stable/41856193?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.

3-https://www.civilsdaily.com/impact-of-globalisation-on-india/amp/

4-https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Hans/2015-11-05/Effect-of-globalisation-on-
Indian-society--II-/184831/

5-http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/globalization/globalization-meaning-advantages-and-
disadvantages/63041.

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