Model Answer 1:
We live in a multifaceted society that has its own cultural and traditional values. Traditions that vary from place to place are unique in their own form. These norms and distinctive cultural values attract people to visit different places in order to learn more which is laudable, but others believe that we live in a digital world know where all the information is available through paper and print media then there is no point to visit those places physically. This essay will analyse both viewpoints to understand their merits before presenting an opinion.

People believe that culture can be best understood when one physically visit that place. Proponents of this viewpoint argue that films and books do not cover all the aspects and often shows only positive attributes and customs of a place. Cultural values and traditions are best analysed when we live with them and participate in their festivals, religious gatherings, weddings and other events. Moreover, they say that books and the internet give us limited information and physical presence in instrumental to observe and understand their emotion, feelings, sentiments and so on showcased during different occasions. For instance, Malay culture is rich in folk music, artworks, poetry, festivals and so on which we usually see in different videos, but there are some hidden traits like their disliking for non-Malay which is not mentioned in any book or shown in films. Furthermore, one can truly admire and appreciate culture when they mingle with them.

On the contrary, others believe that one can easily learn the traditions and cultural norms through different documentary movies, historical books or through the digital contents available over the internet. They say that books written over different cultures were written by authors that visited those places or heard about them from other. Moreover, the internet is a massive repository of digital content in the form of textual and visual information which is instrumental in learning various cultures without the need to travel. For instance, Indian culture got popular in western countries due to different Bollywood movies revealing the customs and way of living of people residing in different cities like Gujarat, Rajhistan, Kashmir and so on. Furthermore, documentary videos and movies are a good source of information as they cover different aspects of a culture in visual form and one gets absorbed in it while watching.

To recapitulate, the aforementioned provides plausible arguments over both view point. However, I personally believe that one should travel to explore and kerb their passion for learning different cultures as physical presence cannot match the virtual information.

[ Written by - Syed Tauseef Raza ]