The word culture nowadays is used in so many peripheral contexts that its original meaning seems to have lost its relevance. For example, we have a popular culture, by which is meant the collective human intellectual achievements. There is a consumerist culture, which is taken by some as a determinant of the status of a person along with his formal educational success and financial strength. To be an integral part of this culture, one has to have a higher spending power, which yields a greater availability of materialistic pleasures and facilities. To many of us culture simply comprises of the genesis and creative expansions of traditional styles and forms of dance, music and art and may be some social customs. We also hear of an emerging culture, which reflects the attitudes and the behavioural characteristic of a particular social group or media-oriented socialites. An emerging drug or pub culture among the youngsters of today is an example relating to this. Another familiar example of this kind is what one refers these days as corporate culture that includes a competitive culture and a culture of advertisement that help modern industries to strive (may be stressfully) their best and also to market their best. However, such narrow or adhoc interpretations of culture in no way justify its inseparable existence with the history and civilization of mankind. Neither can its relevance and scope be hashed off under the pretext of superficial definitions. So vast are the folds of culture that it embraces almost every horizon of our existence.

- courtesy Akhand Jyoti