“Culture is a way of life. It is composed of language, religion and specific lifestyles. It can never be easy to define culture, because there exists no static definition of it. Rather, it is a continuously evolving, having dynamic entity, which characterizes the entire lifestyle of a certain group of people.

The term ‘culture’ has a wide usage, often lacking an understanding of the many elements it encompasses. According to UNESCO, “We speak of culture in connection with the behavior of people, the moral values, and human relations. We denote it by action, behaviour and attitudes considered useful for the interests of the society, or of a certain social group.” There are many layers associated with the word culture, and hence it is often sub-divided into categories with narrower definitions enabling identification of various elements of culture. One such classification could be material and non-material culture, the former including arts, architecture, etc., and the latter including belief systems, myths, legends, etc.

The etymology of the word ‘culture’ can be traced back to Roman times. It originally meant cultivation of soul or mind, and it is only after the influence of German thinkers of 18th century that it came to acquire its present meanings.

Cultures, or cultural values evolve continuously, as people interact with one another. There is an intermingling of values, and material ways of life, and thus culture alters itself by both processes – one when it accommodates change, and second when it resists change. Contact between societies remains the most important factor influencing culture, and over time, this contact has only increased. Today, the extent of cultural intermixing is such that cosmopolitan cities have come up at numerous places across the world, which is underlined by a common thread of cultural values despite the varied difference in the ethnicity of settlers there in.”