Originally posted by: Clochette
I'm not even from India but I know that the bold part is something debatable. There are different perspectives so it may depend on which of these views one favours:
They range from Hinduism (evolved out of Vedic traditions and Sanatana Dharma) being the foundational "way of life" to India being a composite, multicultural society. Undoubtedly, Hindu traditions, philosophy, and epics have deeply influenced the Indian subcontinent, still Indian culture probably is better described as a synthesis or composite of diverse traditions... quasi a 'blended' culture.
I won't dispute that Hinduism is a 'major pillar' of Indian culture for from thousands of years ago till today, but I also would not neglect the influence of tribal traditions, other 'homegrown' religions and foreign cultures (and I mean far older ones than the islamic one - there are cultures even older than the one based on Hinduism). Actually, as far as I know, Hinduism itself is a kind of fusion of the Indus-culture (religions of the Harappa culture) with that of the religions brought by the Aryans (the Vedic texts)... it's a belief system that slowly evolved through ancien times.
Modern times now tend to divide instead of fusing.
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