T ABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................3 Indian Culture Quiz ............................................................................................................................4 Answers to Indian Culture Quiz ..........................................................................................................5 Foreword ...........................................................................................................................................7 Objectives of Handbook ............................................................................................................................ 7 Participant Selection Process .................................................................................................................... 7 Overview ...........................................................................................................................................8 Geography ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Climate ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 A Brief History ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Culture ............................................................................................................................................10 What is Culture? ..................................................................................................................................... 10 The Cultural Iceberg ................................................................................................................................ 10 Generalizations and Stereotypes ............................................................................................................ 12 Culture & Perception .............................................................................................................................. 14 Communication ............................................................................................................................... 16 The English Language .............................................................................................................................. 17 Direct vs. Indirect .................................................................................................................................... 17 Decision Making ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Formal and Informal ............................................................................................................................... 19 Manners .................................................................................................................................................. 20 Greetings and Gestures .......................................................................................................................... 22 Profanity .................................................................................................................................................. 23 Conflict Resolution .................................................................................................................................. 23 Family Life .......................................................................................................................................24 The Family Structure ............................................................................................................................... 24 Family Reputation ................................................................................................................................... 25 Family Roles ............................................................................................................................................ 25 Features of a Typical Indian Home ......................................................................................................... 29 Religion ...........................................................................................................................................34 Holidays & Celebrations .......................................................................................................................... 34 Hinduism ................................................................................................................................................. 35 Islam ........................................................................................................................................................ 36 Christianity .............................................................................................................................................. 38 Sikhism .................................................................................................................................................... 38 Jainism ..................................................................................................................................................... 38 Judaism ................................................................................................................................................... 39 Concept of Time ............................................................................................................................... 40 Pace of life ............................................................................................................................................... 40 Concept of Space ............................................................................................................................. 41 Personal Space ........................................................................................................................................ 41 Private vs. Public Space ........................................................................................................................... 42 Personal Relationships ..................................................................................................................... 43 Maintaining Relationships Back Home ................................................................................................... 43 Making Friends ........................................................................................................................................ 44 Gender and Relationships ....................................................................................................................... 45 Accepting Differences ............................................................................................................................. 45 1 Sex and Intimacy ..................................................................................................................................... 46 LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) ........................................................................................... 46 School & Education .......................................................................................................................... 47 Teacher/Student Relationships ............................................................................................................... 48 English Language Proficiency .................................................................................................................. 48 Daily and Weekly Schedule ..................................................................................................................... 49 Lunch at School ....................................................................................................................................... 50 Homework and Grades ........................................................................................................................... 51 Parental Involvement .............................................................................................................................. 51 Sports and Extracurricular Activities ....................................................................................................... 52 Clothing at School ................................................................................................................................... 52 Muslim Students at School ..................................................................................................................... 53 Success in U.S. School ............................................................................................................................. 53 Appendix A – References & Further Reading ..................................................................................... 55 Appendix B – YES Program Overview ................................................................................................ 56 Appendix C – Decoding Indian English............................................................................................... 57 Appendix D – YES Cultural Tip Sheet ................................................................................................