Arguments of a confused Man : Part I

Sometimes me and my roommates discuss about how we are getting used to the American food slowly. D always says that when we make spicey hot indian food all we taste is the chiili and masala and not the vegetable itself. A and me wont agree with D even though he is right about it. ever ... ha ha

Then i was wondering WHAT IS INDIAN FOOD ?

I realized many subtle things about heritage, culture and the perception of it. Most of us say we have to preserve our culture and teach it to the future generation. But thinking about it !! What is Indian culture ?

Is it in the 300 - 400 AD when we were ruled by sooooooo many kings ? or when we were ruled by moguls or magadha or maurya or gupta or cholas .... the list goes on and on ......Is it the culture we had during our struggle for independence ?

The question is how can i preserve and pass on something which is ever changing.

Child marriage and Sati which were considered the norms of the society seems so stupid now. So what do we mean by our culture and our heritage ?. Which should i count and, which i shouldn't ?.

Whatever culture one belongs to i think Buddha's Kalama sutta puts things in perspective. (http://www.buddhadasa.com/naturaltruth/kalamasutta1.html)

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.