Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik | Unwrapping the meaning of culture and civilisation

The two words are often used interchangeably. But culture refers to things that are man-made. Plants and animals do not have culture, humans do. When we became humans from apes, we started using tools, painting on cave walls, etc. invoking the birth of a culture. There is no human who does not have a culture. 

Culture and mythology 

When we study culture, we study a people’s food, clothing and shelter preferences, their belief systems, rituals and customs and ascertain their collective way of imagining the world, i.e. worldview (myth). 

As humans, we need to generate food, clothing and shelter hence, we need resources. In Hindu mythology, resources are symbolised by Goddess Lakshmi.

To fulfil our basic needs, we need power in the form of tools and technology. We also need rules to regulate how resources are distributed and inherited. This is represented by Goddess Durga. 

When we have resources and security, we express our imagination through song and dance, art and architecture. We share our knowledge with the next generation. This is all embodied in Goddess Saraswati. 

All cultures create resources, power and knowledge in some form or the other. 

Civilisation, a complex culture

Civilisation, on the other hand, is a complex culture with hierarchy, complex organisations, and most importantly ruins of public buildings and monuments created from surplus resources.  

A century ago, the Europeans used this word to distinguish themselves as a culture which had a complex structure with a hierarchy, cities and monuments. But they saw themselves as civilised and the “other” as uncivilised.  

This definition of civilisation is, however, not considered sensible today. For it assumed that only those who colonised and created class divisions have civilisation. Culture and civilisation were seen as part of a spectrum, worse, a hierarchy.

It implies that tribal folks have a culture but not civilisation. And this seems rather insulting. Therefore, these old definitions need to be questioned.

A new definition

Maybe we need a new definition. Every human has a culture. A culture takes care of its own people, while a civilisation engages with other cultures through trade. For example, Stone Age cultures turned into Bronze Age civilisations as they began trading. Metal and stones from mountains were exchanged with agricultural settlements in river valleys. 

The Harappan civilisation of India traded with modern-day Iraq and Iran 4,500 years ago. Harappans exported via sea routes cotton textiles, sesame oil, ivory, beads made of carnelian, agate and other semi-precious stones, live chickens, water buffaloes, dogs. In exchange, they received bitumen, incense, silver, copper, and woollen textiles. 

Here is another example to clarify how culture is different from civilisation. Since the Jarawa tribe in Andaman does not trade and continues to remain isolated, it is not yet a civilisation. But since they are humans, who use tools and have rites and rituals, they have a culture.

Civilisation is thus measurably larger than culture, looking at the needs of not only the in-group but also of the out-group.

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Also, along with goods, ideas are exchanged and cultures transform. In order to trade, you need goods and an exchange mindset. 

Having goods exemplifies the saying that civilisation is what we have, while the exchange mindset stands for who we are, our culture. However, not all cultures have an exchange mindset. The ones that have it become civilisation. In other words, all civilisations are cultures, but not all cultures are civilisations.

Diversity in Indian culture

Moreover, while speaking about Indian culture, it is important that we do not restrict ourselves to North India. Around 2500 BC, in the Northwest of India, the Harappan civilisation was thriving with its red and black pottery. Around 1500 BC, the painted grey ware of Vedic culture thrived in the Gangetic Plain. But things were also happening in the rest of India.

In the Deccan, there were communities building megaliths and ashmounds, and hoarding copper artefacts. How do we see them? As cultures or civilisations? As cultures, for sure, because they are man-made. But since we do not see a trading pattern, we cannot call them a civilisation.

Also, on the Ratnagiri coast of Maharashtra, 10,000 years old rock art was found. These were made by cultured people. But in the absence of knowledge about their trading pattern, we cannot say whether they had a civilisation.

(Devdutt Pattanaik is a renowned mythologist who writes on art, culture and heritage.)

Post Read Question

What are the characteristics of a civilisation? How is it different from a culture?

All civilisations are cultures, but not all cultures are civilisations. Discuss.

Write a brief essay on the external trade of Harappans.

“Rock art in India is one of oldest material evidence of the country’s early human creativity.” Evaluate.

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