Culture: Indology & The Maya Civilization

'Culture' is more than the attire, the languages or cuisine—it's about the basic philosophy underlying people's lives. A particular way of cognizing the world, of understanding man's reason for existence, is what sets each culture apart and makes it unique. This cultural philosophy is what colors and animates a people's way of life, dictating what clothes they wear, how they structure language and why a dish should be turned out just so.

Indology
Literally speaking, the term Indology stands for the study of India. However, over a period of time, the term has come to define a field of study that delves deep into the variegated philosophical, spiritual, and socio-cultural background of India. In other words, Indology is an intellectual pursuit of the idea behind India.

The Mayan Civilization
The ancient land of Mesoamerica, encompassing the entire Yucatan peninsula, was once home to the great Mayan people. For years their rich culture remained shrouded in mystery—the wild Amazonian rain forest housing the culture and a violent colonial history probably pitched in their bits in further enhancing it. But with fresher discoveries of ancient archeological sites and scientific reinterpretations of their unique Calendar system, this image is fast changing. What is emerging is altogether different from the earlier Mayan image, of a totally isolated and somewhat alien civilization, created by popular imagination. Its place has been taken by a far healthier attitude, which is eager to know, to learn about these amazing people and their culture.

Tibetan Culture
With fewer than 200,000 Tibetans living in exile and some six million Tibetans living inside Tibet but lacking freedom to practice their cultural and religious traditions, the survival of Tibet's rich cultural heritage is in grave jeopardy. One of the most damaging aspects of the fifty-year occupation of Tibet by the Chinese has been the relentless social and economic marginalization of Tibetans inside Tibet.