Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined

                            Abstract

India, our country, has for ages been known to the world for its rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, respect for life, higher values of life and spiritual attainments. It is acknowledged the world over the culture of India is very diverse, old, rich and all embracing. The superiority of India’s composite culture can be fully appreciated from the fact that this country has along been known in the whole world for its lofty values of life and peace-loving nature.

This is an era of science. There is hardly any domain where science and technology do not play an important part. Whether it is on the food front or defence, in the matter of clothing or comfort, in the enjoyment of leisure or pastime, modern science and technology contribute to make man’s life more effective, fast and pleasant. Science has also entered into the world of art.

 India, our country, has for ages been known to the world for its rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, respect for life, higher values of life and spiritual attainments. It is acknowledged the world over the culture of India is very diverse, old, rich and all embracing. The superiority of India’s composite culture can be fully appreciated from the fact that this country has along been known in the whole world for its lofty values of life and peace-loving nature.

 The composite culture of our country is very rich and healthy because the traits of various religious and cults flourishing in this country side by side are prominently visible in its various aspects. This composite, culture is therefore, really said to be the soul of India- the life of the nation. 

Indian culture is a composite culture because here there is a protection and freedom of distinct identity even for religious and ethnic minorities. It is only in India that followers of any religion and

denomination can profess, practice and propagate religion of their choice. It is all because of the secular character of Indian cultural strains flourishing side by side. No cultural or religious group can denominate any other cultural or religious group. We, the people of India must feel proud of having such a rich cultural heritage. Another important factor that has helped India to have its composite culture is the readiness of Indians to accept and adopt anything good coming from any direction. It is also because of the influence of our common social reformers who mentally prepared the people of this country to line together in peace and amity in spite of differences in beliefs and traditions.          

This is an era of science. There is hardly any domain where science and technology do not play an important part. Whether it is on the food front or defence, in the matter of clothing or comfort, in the enjoyment of leisure or pastime, modern science and technology contribute to make man’s life more effective, fast and pleasant. Science has also entered into the world of art.

Science has been defined as a body of systematized knowledge as an object of study. It covers generally truths or the operation or general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific methods. Culture is the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties, especially by education. It brings enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by ascetic training. Culture, when applied to society, implies the behavior typical or a group of class.

Modern science was born as a reaction against the dogmatism of the middle ages. It first invented the scientific methods of research. Then, it applied these methods to the phenomena o nature. 

Consequently science achieved wonderful results; the railway train, the telephone, the telegraph, the motor car, the cinema, the radio and the aeroplane, etc.,are the great achievements of modern science. Most of them were very useful as they were introduced into use. The scientists were greatly elated by these. Naturally, they thought that the knowledge of science was far superior to the knowledge of religion and morality. In their enthusiasm they forgot morality altogether. As a matter of fact, they defined the scientific temper in such terms as rendered the morality irrelevant. They maintained that the business of the scientist is to deal with only what is and what can be and not what “ought to be”. Thus, it was very natural that they should go on with the experiments in the name of truth without thinking of the consequence of their work.

 However, science and technology stand for rationalization of man’s activities. Progress in science and technology is based on essential unalterable facts. Sentiments alone has no place in the scientific thinking. Even institution, which plays a great role in the formulation of scientific theory, is not easily accepted unless it can proved and justified in some way or the other. Scientific work demands a certain rigour in thinking, a respect for objectivity in the evaluation of facts. It trains the mind to make a clear, dispassionate and objective assessment of events and situations.

Thus, the scientific age has ushered in a number of new values and invincible optimism in attacking human problems, a rationalization of effort so as to obtain maximum efficiency, sense of sharing in the common tasks of mankind, in relieving human want and suffering and feeling of the brotherhood of man. These are all values that have become a part of traditions of an industrialized society and can, therefore, be called elements of true culture.

The irony of the present situation is that the protagonists of the two cultures- literary culture and scientific culture- have ceased to speak to each other in any effective way. Literary men like to pretend that the traditional culture is the whole of culture, as though the exploration of the natural order and science were of no interest either in their own values or in its consequences. They think as if scientific edifice of physical world in its intellectual depth, complexity and articulation, is the most beautiful and wonderful collective work of the mind in the man. On the other hand, many scientists have no use for the whole literature of traditional culture. It seems to them totally irrelevant to the real needs of man.

   The United Nations has established as one of its important wings called the UNESCO realizing the important role that science plays in the field of education and culture. Gone are the days when culture and refinement were monopoly of the few, privileged with money and power, luxury and leisure. Culture is now the property of masses all over the world and this boon has become possible only with the aid of science. Science has diversified and decentralized culture and made it the common media of international understanding.    

   

 Conclusion

We are deep in the midstream of a scientific age and the scientific revolution is taking place very fast. Science and technology are increasing the wealth and the power of man, his comforts and material enjoyment. In certain fast-moving societies, there are bound to rise certain tensions and conflicts. In

such societies, it is desirable that the desire for power and enjoyment be tempered by a thirst for beauty and moral greatness. These values, so predominant in traditional culture, need to be retained so that they can help the culture to transform into a powerful instrument of true human progress and happiness.