Tradition is the total set of ideas, customs that are transferred from one generation to another in a particular community, whereas custom refers to the procedures followed in daily routine and the actions performed on the occasion of a particular festival.
There has often been a dispute between progressive society and traditionalist society on the issue whether traditions and customs hinder the way of progress?
To find the answer, we have to examine the relationship between Indian tradition and logic. When children are born in India, they are first fed honey and their Annaprashan ceremony is performed. Now this is neither scientifically any kind of mischief, nor does medical science reject it.
Apart from this, there is no cheating of any kind in different festivals related to sowing and harvesting of crops like Bihu, Onam, Pongal, Baisakhi etc. Yoga Kriya and Namaskar have universal acceptance today.
Apart from this, the rites of cleanliness and the collective sense of cleanliness are realized by the arrangement of hand-washing and group food before eating food. Today, the qualities that are being spread awareness to adopt in the West have been part of our culture since time immemorial, such as serving the elders, having faith in them.
By worshiping animals, we automatically become animal lovers, which is now being strongly advocated by the international society. India has concepts like sacred forest and god forest which makes India naturally nature lover and eco-protective.
However, there are some traditions which were a hindrance in the way of progress such as Sati system, child marriage, widow remarriage not recognized, Nikah-halala, Devadasi, Sati system etc. But social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar etc showed the way to improve them and today most of these evil practices are obsolete. Apart from this, the state in India protects all religions equally, so whatever things of religion it finds to be unfavorable from human and social point of view, it also tries to separate it from religion with the help of constitutional and legal provisions.
