Class 6 Social Science Chapter 8 Notes Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
→ Relief: A design that stands out from the : surface of a panel (which may be of stone. wood, ceramic or another material).
→ Diversity: The wide variety of something.
→ Epic: A long poem generally narrating the adventures of heroes and other great figures: of the past.
→ Anthropological: The study of human beings and their ancestors.
→ Staple food: A food eaten frequently and make up a large part of a person’s diet.
→ Tradition: A belief or custom handed down from one generation to another.
→ India is incredibly diverse in terms of its people, places, attire, cuisine, holidays, festivals, and customs.
→ In many domains, diversity is evident, yet there is also a fundamental commonality.
India’s unity honours diversity because it enhances rather than divides.
→ The anthropologist K.S. Singh directed the ‘People of India’ project.
→ The sari has a long history.
Learning Objectives
- Learn to explore meaning of diversity.
- Learn the role diversity plays in our social life.
- Student will able to explore the positive impacts of diversity on our lives.
- Understand the influence of diversity on India (historically and geographically)
Fundamental Facts
Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, coined the phrase “Unity in Diversity” in his book “The Discovery of ! India” in 1946.
A Rich Diversity
Diversity generally means difference among different people on the basis of lifestyle, culture, tradition and food habits, etc. We are describing the other positive aspects of diversity in this chapter. We try to find how ‘India’ is such a very diverse nation since its independence. When travelling by rail across India, you’ll observe not just the country’s shifting landscapes but also a wide variety
of clothing and cuisine; you’ll also hear several languages, including and strange, and observe various scripts along the route. Even in your local area, you will frequently encounter individuals from other Indian regions with distinct customs and customs. This is the great diversity of India, and typically the first thing that foreigners notice about our nation.
With more over 1.4 billion people living there-roughly 18% of the global population-such diversity is hardly shocking! The Anthropological Survey of India, a national organisation, surveyed 4,635 groups in all of the nation’s states as part of the huge ‘People of India project’ in the latter half of the 20 th century. It counted 325 languages using 25 different scripts and noted that many Indians could be considered migrants as they no longer reside in the same area as their birthplace or native village.
What does the phrase ‘unity in diversity’ mean? How are we going to understand and communicate this togetherness, this ‘Many in the One’?
We shall investigate a few facets of Indian life in order to respond to this query.
Food for All
There must be thousands, if not millions, of distinct cuisines and preparations to sample in India! However, some food grains are found practically everywhere in the nation. Pulses like different types of dals and grams; cereals like rice, barley, and wheat; and millets including pearl millet (bajra), sorghum (jowar), and finger millet (ragi).
Since the majority of Indians eat these as their staple diet, they are collectively referred to as ‘staple grains’ (Fig. 8.1 on page 127). In a similar vein, common spices like ginger, cardamom, cumin and turmeric are also utilised all over the nation.
We could add some common foods, common oils, etc. to this list. We may thus observe how the same components (unity) can be employed in a multitude of ways (diversity) to create an infinite number of different cuisines.
Textiles and Clothing
In India, every culture and region has created its own distinct dress and dressing codes. Regardless of the material, there is a commonality among various classic Indian costumes. One prominent example is the simple length of cloth known as the sari, which is used as a sort of apparel in most of India and is made primarily of cotton or silk, but synthetic fabrics are sometimes used these days.
Famous silk sari types include Banarasi, Kanjivaram, Paithani, Patan Patola, Muga, and Mysore. Cotton saris come in an abundance of varieties. This piece of unstitched fabric is available in hundreds of variations overall.
They are made using various weaving and designing techniques. While some designs are printed on the cloth after it has been woven, others are woven into the fabric. Last but not least, the colours, which are created using a variety of pigments, are infinitely varied.
The sari has a long history. Since sari styles differ from one area or group to another, there are numerous ways to wear them. In fact, creative new ways to drape it are always being developed. However, the sari is ultimately only one outfit.
Festivals Galore
India hosts a staggering array of festivities. Though they go by different names, you may have noticed that a few common ones are observed virtually simultaneously throughout India. We shall use only one example, Makara Sankrānti, which falls on or around 14 January and signifies the start of the harvest season in many parts of India.
An Epic Spread
Another excellent example of unity in diversity may be found in literature. Indian literatures are among the most varied and prolific in the world. Despite variations in language, style and other aspects, they have shared significant themes and concerns for millennia. The fascinating stories of Panchatantra, which feature animals as the primary characters, impart valuable life skills to us.
Though the stories in the Sanskrit book are at least 2,200 years old, they have been translated into nearly every Indian language. They have actually travelled far beyond India, touching down in Southeast Asia, the Arab world, and Europe, serving as inspiration for other story collections along the way.
India’s two epics – the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. These two epics have been translated or altered for use in Indian and other regional languages. There are also a countless of folk renditions of these. Tribes found throughout India, including the Bhils, Gonds, Mundas, and many others.
The majority of tribes in the northeastern and Himalayan regions of India, including Kashmir, have their own interpretations of both or either of the two epics. These versions are passed down orally among the tribes, along with stories of how the heroes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata came to visit their respective locations. Indian culture values diversity as a source of enrichment, but it never loses sight of the fundamental oneness that is the foundation for that diversity.