Diversity of India

In India, the marriage is thought to be for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low —compared to that of say the United States. However, the divorce rates have risen significantly in recent years. Although women and men are equal before the law and the trend toward gender equality has been noticeable, women and men still occupy distinct functions in Indian society especially in rural areas. A woman’s role in the society is often to perform household works and pro bono community work. In most Indian families, women do not own any property in their own names, and do not get a share of parental property. Arranged marriages have been a part of the tradition for centuries. Even today, overwhelming majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members, with the consent of the bride and groom. . Literature Sanskrit literature begins with the Rig Veda a collection of sacred hymns dating to the period 1500–1200 BC. The Sanskrit epics Ramayana and Mahabharata appeared towards the end of the first millennium BC. Classical Sanskrit literature flourished in the first few centuries of the first millennium BC, as did the Tamil Sangam literature. Some of the most important authors from India are Rabindranath Tagore, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', Subramania Barathi, Kuvempu, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, etc. In contemporary Indian literature, there are two major literary awards; these are the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship and the Jnanpith Award.  Indian Poetry The Mahābhārata is one of the longest epic poems in the world, with more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in total. India has strong traditions of poetry ever since the Rigveda, as well as prose compositions. In modern times, poetry has served as an important non-violent tool of nationalism during the Indian freedom movement. Two examples of poetry from Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali serve as the National Anthems of both India and Bangladesh.