Do I smell bad in India - In other words, what is considered as "smelling good" in India?

 What are India's values? What matters for India the most?

- Respect for seniors - Those who do not respect the seniors (however they behave) are viewed very badly in India. It becomes very hard to prove our caliber in India across a senior person. So "respect for seniors", seem a very attractive concept in India, but it can really make the young talent suffer and struggle. Ideally, "respect" for any human should be a default phenomenon. But in India it turns out like "The senior person is always right". And that is harmful. 

- "Literal" hard work - India is not able to appreciate the concept of "smart" work yet. That means people who want to do "smart" work and leave the office early, are viewed negatively in India

- Respect for language and culture - India has diverse languages and cultures throughout. Many of the languages are state specific. Many of the cultures are state specific. Even if I consider "Hindi" as a language spoken by maximum states, Hindi has a "respectful" flavor in one state and a "friendly" flavor in another state. Those who appreciate that, are respected in those states. But remember, this respect is "state specific". If a person is respected in one state of India, does not necessarily mean, he/she will be respected all over India. Some habits like "eating with hand" are also culture specific and traditional, which people from outside India are not able to appreciate. As a result a person who eats "rice with a spoon" can easily be considered an "outsider". And not only an "outsider", his or her efforts can be totally discarded as "showing off western manners" and not quite "down to earth" "not quite humble". The number of day to day practices in India are so enormous, that they give people a lot of room to judge the "new addition". It is hard for any person, however "adaptable", to adapt to such a large change and still get judged and not appreciated. 

- India values "equality" right from equally "pampering" the children (girls and boys both) to equally "yelling" at children. 

- India values "family bond" the most. When it comes to "trust", family members are of first priority to be preferred to do certain task. As a result people with "cross community" marriages suffer a lot, being considered as "outsiders". This "family bond" is at various levels depending upon how "liberal" the family is. At a minor level it is at "cast level", at a higher level it is at "language and culture" level. If the marriage is across two different states in India, "cast, language, culture " everything differs. So for any new addition to the family, there are too many things to adapt. Otherwise, the "new addition" might feel socially isolated. It is obvious that any newcomer in the family will be treated "specially" only for a few days or max for a few months. Later, if the person is not able to adapt or become reluctant to adapt, he/she will automatically become socially isolated. Neither belongs to this family nor that. As a result people prefer arranged marriages in India, which means marriage across "same cast, same language, same culture"