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Hi, this is a very culturally insensitive and ignorant question but I am very curious: Why do adult Indian people, in India, sit on the ground or floor? It must

by thomk 9y ago

Hi, this is a very culturally insensitive and ignorant question but I am very curious: Why do adult Indian people, in India, sit on the ground or floor? It must be a cultural thing, that can't be comfortable or (dare I say it) clean.

devnonymous 9y ago
Well it is culturally ignorant tho I won't call it insensitive. Why do they do it? Because they can :-) Is it comfortable? Sure it is, if you've been used to sitting that way for most of your life. Is it clean? No more cleaner than riding the subway in a major metro or sitting at a park bench or some such. You do notice that they have a rug or some such on which they squat and even if they don't, people tend to keep the areas where they sit relatively clean. You have to understand that irrespective of where people come from there always is a personal sense of hygiene, it may vary from person to person but by and large there is not a glaringly large variance in what is considered clean by most humans. Btw, kids in India and Indian adults out of India have also been known to enjoy sitting on the floor :-)
dheelus 9y ago
Not just adults, but children sit on the floor as well. Anyways, yes, it is a cultural thing. If you do it all the time, it is comfortable enough. What Westerner's perceive as uncomfortable is not uncomfortable at all. Don't forget that Western style toilets are also a relatively new thing, so sitting Western style is actually less common (but is now common in post modern India). Also, Indians are generally very fastidious and clean. Paradoxically, India itself is quite dirty since the concept of cleanliness in India is usually limited to one's immediate habitat. Sweeping, dusting and mopping is a daily chore in Indian homes unlike the West. The images in this particular article do not portray a very clean environment though, I'll grant you that.
navalsaini 9y ago
Its actually more comfortable is you ask me. More space to wriggle and more sitting postures.
mavelikara 9y ago
It is a cultural thing. As an aside, Indians often find it uncomfortable to get on to bed with shoes on - which is also cultural.

by thomk 9y ago

devnonymous 9y ago

Well it is culturally ignorant tho I won't call it insensitive. Why do they do it? Because they can :-) Is it comfortable? Sure it is, if you've been used to sitting that way for most of your life. Is it clean? No more cleaner than riding the subway in a major metro or sitting at a park bench or some such. You do notice that they have a rug or some such on which they squat and even if they don't, people tend to keep the areas where they sit relatively clean. You have to understand that irrespective of where people come from there always is a personal sense of hygiene, it may vary from person to person but by and large there is not a glaringly large variance in what is considered clean by most humans. Btw, kids in India and Indian adults out of India have also been known to enjoy sitting on the floor :-)

dheelus 9y ago

Not just adults, but children sit on the floor as well. Anyways, yes, it is a cultural thing. If you do it all the time, it is comfortable enough. What Westerner's perceive as uncomfortable is not uncomfortable at all. Don't forget that Western style toilets are also a relatively new thing, so sitting Western style is actually less common (but is now common in post modern India). Also, Indians are generally very fastidious and clean. Paradoxically, India itself is quite dirty since the concept of cleanliness in India is usually limited to one's immediate habitat. Sweeping, dusting and mopping is a daily chore in Indian homes unlike the West. The images in this particular article do not portray a very clean environment though, I'll grant you that.

navalsaini 9y ago

Its actually more comfortable is you ask me. More space to wriggle and more sitting postures.

mavelikara 9y ago

It is a cultural thing. As an aside, Indians often find it uncomfortable to get on to bed with shoes on - which is also cultural.