Appreciating traditional brands

THIS MONTH’S TOPIC: As Indians, do we appreciate enough Indian traditional brands such as ayurveda, ethnic wear and way of living?

I have a bittersweet opinion on this. On the one side, it is necessary to carry on with our traditions and on the other side, there is nothing wrong in following the modern trends. However, it would be wrong to totally let go off of our traditions. A major part of our country still follows the traditional style and hence, we are never going to lose our cultural essence despite the modernisation we sometimes are following. So even when we advance towards newer things we should never forget our real culture.
Karishma Wadia (17)
St Joseph’s ET High School, Bilimora, Gujarat

In my opinion, most of us know very little about the richness of Indian traditions be it ayurveda, ethnic wear, our languages, way of life, etc., leaving alone the question of appreciating them. Since the pram we moved in as a toddler up till the coffin we land in, we are wooed by non-indigenous products and traditions. It is important to know that Indian traditions are unique and only by taking pride in it and celebrating its uniqueness can we preserve them forever.
Arya Pandey (15)
St Francis’ Convent Inter College, Jhansi

India is a land of diverse culture. Each state in this country has its own language, food, music and attire, etc. Talking of Indian attire, Indian ethnic wear needs a special mention. Today’s generation feel more comfortable in western culture and hence this has dominated the wardrobe of Indian ethnic wear. But when it comes to wedding, festivals, etc., there is nothing more beautiful and elegant than the Indian ethnic wear.
Kirti Agarwal (18)
Jhansi

Not many of us would prefer wearing a short dress over a beautiful sari for an Indian wedding. Yes, if it’s a casual outing each one of us would prefer wearing tees and jeans than a heavy churidar. I feel that though we don’t continuously wear the Indian ethnic wears, we give the right importance to the Indian culture at the right place. The same goes with ayurveda. For a healthy living, we prefer having chavanprash, but if it’s a cold or a flu, we usually prefer the English medicines. Hence I feel that the Indian culture is not fading away, but we youngsters use it in a right way.
Abraham Reeja Thomas (18)
UMIT, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai

Being Indian as I would say is a blessing which indeed, only a few would understand. The Indian youth is being swayed by the influence of western culture when it comes to clothing, their perspective of living life and a lot more. Clothing is no more a traditional thing, except for in marriages or dress code events. Nevertheless the values are still imbibed in us and if need be these values can act as the major weapon to instil in us the thought of being Indian.
Jaituni Sanghvi (22)
Mumbai

The major population of India is under the myth that Indian made goods are of bad quality. The truth, rather, is that Indian traditional brands are of superior quality and they last longer.
As Indians, we fail to appreciate Indian brands and blindly follow western fashion, ending up in giving our money to the west. We use costly branded things instead of cheaper Indian things which are more effective.
Siddharth Gangwal (18)
St Xavier’s College, Jaipur

India’s vibrant culture has been always given the lower rank in contrast to the magnanimous trend of demand in following the western culture. The irony being the western world adores Indian traditional brands like ayurveda, yoga and our ethnic wear like sarees. We should be proud and confident members of our heritage and should patronise the culture we belong to. The confidence shown towards one’s own culture/country will make the world confident towards you.
Sarita Fernandes (20)
S.Y.B.M.S, Mumbai

Traditional way of living, ethnic wear and traditional brands like Ayurveda are associated with our past when they were developed and perfected. This was a time when India was not affected by the influences of the outside world. The pace of time was not an important factor then, India moved not as per the calendar of today but as per the changing seasons. Today, no country in the world is a separate entity unaffected by the others due to the fast pace of life everywhere and we have to keep up with the others not to be left behind. Traditional way of life, ethnic wear and ayurvedic medicine require time and extra effort. But with many other options which are easily available traditional things take a second place.
Teena Soni (16)
St Patrick’s Vidya Bhawan, Jodhpur

I personally feel that we Indians have started to appreciate Indian traditional brands because we are well aware of the uselessness of spending money on foreign brands which fetch us no good but loss of one’s wealth. Let us not forget that it was the Swadeshi call which gave India the independence. Indian attires are more reasonably accepted in universities which are evidence that Indian sensitivity is taking a new direction to accept traditional brands globally. In a nutshell, I conclude that in coming times it will be a well-accepted fact to wear Indian traditional brands and to use “made in India” products worldwide.
Pahul Sond (16)
MGN UE2, Jalandhar

Majority of the people don’t prefer the Indian way of living. I feel it is all really a matter of preferences. Foreign way of living is definitely different but they are easy to adapt. Another factor I feel deters appreciation to Indian ways is the lack of awareness. People of India have very little exposure when it comes to the culture and the way of living this profound land nurtures. This I feel has caused a sense of ignorance towards our land.
Sagarika Kothavale (16)
A.D. Joshi Junior College, Solapur

Long gone are the days of Indian tradition. We are so inclined towards the modern western world that today we as Indians are forgetting our own culture, our traditional brands that our ancestors wanted us to accept. Ayurveda no longer gets its due recognition. People prefer using the foreign products than these. Our style of dressing has completely changed and we are on our way towards the modern ‘progressive western culture’. Simple living and high thinking no longer prevails in our society since we are moving way too fast. Hence, we ourselves are marking an end to a beautiful era that our ancestors left for us.
Harshita Sood
Delhi University

Well, in my opinion, actually we do not appreciate our traditional brands and ethnic wear. Since the 1990’s, with the arrival of MNC’s to our country, we eventually have turned towards the western culture, which has gradually eroded our traditional ways. This has not only affected our way of living but also had a great ‘impact’ on our ‘mindsets’. On a practical note too we observe that nowadays, from our head to ‘shoe’, we have turned ‘western’. And this change itself answers the question, “Whether we really appreciate traditional brands…”
Akshay Jain (15)
Jai Academy, Jhansi

We as Indians totally do not seem to be proud of being Indians. We can only be seen wearing ethnic wears on occasions, like for a wedding or for Independence Day celebrations etc. Other days go unnoticed by us. As for Ayurveda, there are people who like it but there are people who believe the only cure to them is by paying full lot of amount to other dealers. There isn’t enough respect for the Indian ways of living. We prefer following the trend and the trend is western ways.
Titibha Bhaskar (17)
St Patrick’s Vidya Bhawan, Jodhpur

The grass is always greener on the other side. Similarly we Indians are attracted towards western brands and lifestyle. India is a treasure land adorned with the essence of its rich ethnic culture which is still aloof from the ignorant Indians. We like to follow those who ruled the roost and emulate their way of living. Indians consider it “middle class” or feel inferior when it comes to using Indian goods. We consider the centuries old traditional Ayurveda as obsolete over passing the fact that the contemporary medicines have been derived from it. It is rightly said that self-possessions are always undermined and other’s possessions seem better.
Meenakshi Jain (16)
Sanskaar International School, Allahabad

We never miss a chance to boast about our international expensive brand hauls. Indians admire the western culture and their lifestyle way too much. Probably that’s why our Indian economy has more imports than exports. It’s good to learn new things from other cultures, but merely imitating them just for the sake of showcasing superiority is foolishness. Appreciation and respect for our own lifestyle and culture will bring positive effect in our country’s overall growth and development.
Anushri Shukla
IGNOU, Allahabad