Demographics and culture

Main article: Demographics of India

Population density map of India

With an estimated population of 1.2 billion,[2] India is the world's second most populous country and is expected to be the most populous by 2030.[16] Almost 70% of Indians reside in rural areas,[39] although in recent decades migration to larger cities has led to a dramatic increase in the country's urban population. India's largest urban agglomerations are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

India is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. The Indian constitution recognises 23 official languages.[40] Hindi and English are used by the Union Government of India for official purposes, wherein Hindi has a de jure priority. Tamil and Sanskrit were designated "classical languages" by the Indian government in 2004 and 2005. The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.[41]

Over 800 million Indians, or about 80.5% of the country's population, are Hindu. The next-largest religious group are Muslims, who make up 13.4%; due to India's large size, this is among the world's largest Muslim populations. Other religious groups include Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahá'ís and others.[42] Tribals constitute 8.1% of the population.[43]

At the time of India's independence in 1947, its literacy rate was 12.2%.[44] Since then, it has increased to 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males). The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate (91%); Bihar has the lowest (47%).[39] The national gender ratio is 944 females per 1,000 males.[39] India's median age is 24.9, and the population growth rate of 1.38% per annum; there are 22.01 births per 1,000 people per year.[2]


Culture of India

The Taj Mahal is India's most popular tourist destination and one of the seven touristic wonders of the world
The Taj Mahal is India's most popular tourist destination and one of the seven touristic wonders of the world

India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism[45] and cultural pluralism.[46] It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants; multicultural concerns have long informed India’s history and traditions, constitution and political arrangements.[47] Many Indian cultural practices, languages, customs, and monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries.

Notable architectural creations, such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Mughal architecture, examples of Dravidian architecture are the result of traditions that combined elements from several parts of the country and abroad. The vernacular architecture displays notable regional variation.

Indian music is highly diversified. Classical music is mainly split between the North Indian Hindustani and South Indian Carnatic traditions. Highly regionalised forms of popular music include filmi and folk music like bhangra. Many classical dance forms exist, including bharatanatyam, kathakali, kathak, kuchipudi, manipuri, odissi and yakshagana. They often have a narrative form and are usually infused with devotional and spiritual elements.

The earliest literary traditions in India were mostly oral and were only later transcribed. Most of these are represented by religious texts such as the Vedas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana; Sangam literature from Tamil Nadu is among India's oldest. Among many notable Indian writers of the modern era, using both Indian languages and English, Rabindranath Tagore is perhaps the most famous.
An oval-roofed hut of the Toda people of the Nilgiris. The walls are made of dressed stone and decorated with mural painting
An oval-roofed hut of the Toda people of the Nilgiris. The walls are made of dressed stone and decorated with mural painting

The Indian film industry is the world's most prolific; its most recognisable face is the Mumbai-based "Bollywood," which produces commercial Hindi films and is the largest producer of feature films in the world.[48] Other strong cinema industries are based on the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, and Marathi languages.

The cuisine of India is diverse, as ingredients, spices and cooking methods vary from region to region. Rice and wheat are the nation's main staple foods.[49] The country is notable for its wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine. Spicy food[48] and sweets are popular in India.

Traditional Indian dress greatly varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include the sari for women and the lungi or dhoti for men.

India's national sport is field hockey even though cricket is the most popular sport in India. In some states, particularly those in the northeast and the coastal states of West Bengal, Goa, and Kerala, football is the more popular sport. In recent times, tennis has also gained popularity. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is also gaining popularity with the rise of the number of recognized Indian grandmasters. Traditional sports include kabaddi, kho-kho, and gilli-danda, which are played nationwide. India is home to the age-old discipline of yoga, and also to the ancient martial arts, Kalarippayattu and Varma Kalai.

Indian festivals come in a vast variety; many are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. The most popular holidays are Diwali, Holi, Onam, Dussehra, the two Eids, Christmas, and Vaisakhi. India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in the individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair. Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, although urban families now prefer a nuclear family system due to the socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional joint family system.