Cultural Consciousness in Ancient India

Cultural Consciousness in Ancient India
Dr.Alok Chantia
Lecturer(Anthropology)
Sri J.N.P.G.College (KKC)
Lucknow
Keywords: Culture, harmony, religion, human right
Abstract:
Religion is an important component of culture which sustains the society.
Indian society has been wrapped with multicultural groups. What ancient
India contained in its religious text in the form of cultural consciousness is
reflected in the modern world in the form of abstract ideal of human right.
Human right declares that that everyone is born free and equal and has right
to survive. This hypothesis was well framed in ancient India in the form of
the ideal of Live and Let Live. Another pillar of cultural consciousness in
ancient India was the ideal of Vasudhaib Kutumbakam. The concept of
human right has been the backbone of harmony in the culturally diversified
Indian society.
Caste has been a unique feature of Indian society. It was generated on the
basis of work and labour to combine and harmonise culturally different
people in a holistic way. Cultural consciousness should be analysed in the
light of human right which has been the very basis of ancient Indian Society.
The proposed paper analyses whether cultural consciousness is the synonym
of human right and whether cultural consciousness existed due to the tenets
of human right in ancient India?