The first question: “By saying that there exist “Western” and “Indian” cultures aren’t you somehow essentializing cultures into monoliths?”
I do not see how. When we talk of ’the human species’ (in the singular), or about ’life’ (again in the singular) while doing evolutionary biology, we do not presuppose or imply that either of the two is a monolithic entity, do we? In fact, diversity is a presupposition for any kind of knowledge and this is my presupposition as well. I presuppose (and my theory requires) diversity in both the Indian and the western culture. Without it, one cannot test the theories.