‘Culture is not what we say, culture is what we do’, was the essence of the webinar discussion with Prof. Nandita Chaudhary, an eminent cultural psychologist and child development expert, led by Dr. Sandhya Shankar, Assistant Professor, CVV. The webinar was conducted as a part of NFSI19 held on 15th November 2019.

The discussion centred around the question, ‘Is culture important and to what extent, in concept formation during childhood’. Prof. Nandita elaborated on the role that culture plays in one’s development and identity formation. She also mentioned the practices we have gained over the years and the ones we are losing. For example, technology has been a wonderful tool for connecting and sharing ideas, while alienation from our culture is a potential threat leading to a confused sense of belonging. She also discussed the notion of ‘selfhood’ in Indian children, wherein the family and the larger community have a big role to play in identity formation.

Prof. Chaudhary answered many questions on best practices in bringing up children, be they toddlers or adolescents, and the role of a family. She emphasized that culture is dynamic and change is inevitable, hence what is required is to embrace positives of modernity and amalgamate the positive aspects of past into it, to develop best practices towards a sustainable future.