Understanding Diversity - Class 6 Civics - Extra Questions

Kerala and Ladakh are quite different in terms of their geographical features but the history of both regions has seen similar cultural influences. Both regions were influenced by Chinese and Arab traders. It was the geography of Kerala which allowed for the cultivation of spices and the special geographical location of Ladakh and its wool that drew traders to these regions. Thus history and geography are often tied in the cultural life of a region.

Ladakh is a desert in the mountains in the east of Jammu and Kashmir. Very little agriculture is possible here since this region does not receive any rain and is covered in snow for a large part of the year. There are very few trees that can grow in the region. For drinking water, people depend on the melting snow during the summer months.

Aurobindo Ghosh took refugee in Pondicherry during freedom struggle. Aurobindo Ghosh and his French disciple, the Mother established Aurobindo Ashram. Subsequently an international village, named as Auroville was established with the backing of the United Nations to spread the message of peace and global cooperation.

India's diversity has always been recognised as a source of its strength. When the British ruled India, women and men from different cultural, religious and regional backgrounds came together to oppose them. They worked together to decide joint actions, they went to jail together, and they found different ways to oppose the British. The British thought they could divide Indians because they were so different, and then continue to rule them. But the people showed how they could be different and yet be united in their battle against the British.

Indian is an amalgamation of $$29$$ states and $$7$$ union territories which is augmented by the islands like Andaman and Nicobar islands and the Lakshadweep. India is one of the vast countries with extraordinary characteristic and diversity in terms of its geographical, linguistic, religious and social-cultural features etc.

A little more than two hundred years ago or long before the train, aeroplane, bus or car became a part of our lives, people travelled from one part of the world to another, in ships, on horses, on camels or on foot.At that time they went in search of new lands, or new places to settle in, or for people to trade with. And because it took so long to travel, once they got to a place, people stayed there, often for a long time. Many others left their homes because there were famines and drought and they could not get enough to eat. Some went in search of work while others left because there was a war.Sometimes, as they began to make their homes in new places, people began to change a little and at other times they managed to do things in the old ways. So their languages, food,music, religions became a mix of the old and the new, and out of this inter- mixing of cultures, came something new and different.

India became a secular country where people of different religions and faiths have the freedom to practise and follow their religion without any fear of discrimination. This is seen as an important element of our unity that we all live together and respect one other. No one language, religion or festival should become compulsory for all to follow. The writers of the Constitution said that the government must treat all religions equally. 

Hinduism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism are some of the religions followed in India.

The writers of the Constitution also said that respect for diversity was a significant element in ensuring equality. They felt that people must have the freedom to follow their religion, speak their language, celebrate their festivals and express themselves freely. They said that no one language, religion or festival should become compulsory for all to follow. They said that the government must treat all religions equally. So these leaders set out a vision and goals in the Constitution to ensure that all the people of India were considered equal. This equality of all persons is seen as a key value that unites us all as Indians. Everyone has equal rights and opportunities.In addition, the Constitution also placed responsibility on the government to take specific steps to realise this right to equality for poor and other such marginal communities. 

(i) True: The members of a group share similar views on a particular topic and come close to each other as a group.
(ii) False: (a) We find diversity in Indian society because people from various religious and regions inhabit the country. People speak diverse languages and practice many religions.
(iii) True: The supporters of individual freedom oppose to such restrictions.

Yes. I believe "unity in diversity" is an appropriate term to describe India.
Diversity: India is a large country and people of different parts follow different faiths, speak various languages, eat and wear differently. This shows that India has a diversity spread across its people.
Unity: Despite the diversities, as Indians, we are one. As Indian, we are no more a Gujarati or a Bengali, we celebrate the national days with equal zeal, we sing the national anthem with the same passion. This shows our unity. Therefore, the phrase "unity in diversity" is justified.
Nehru has written in his book "The Discovery of India", It was something deeper and within its fold, the widest tolerance of belief and custom was practiced and every  variety acknowledged and even encouraged." He means that when one ponders over it deeply, one finds that India is not only united, but its people also know how to accept other customs and beliefs.

Festivals shared by different regional and religious communities are:

• Independence Day
  
• Republic Day
  
• Gandhi Jayanti
  

These are our regional festivals, so every Indian celebrates them irrespective of region and religion. As a nation we can also see people of different regions and religions coming together and celebrating all festivals including, Holi, Diwali, Eid and Christmas together. There are certain Harvest festivals celebrated which have different names in different regions. However. the purpose of celebrating them is the same. These are the festival of Lohri, Onam and Pongal.

India is a country with a rich heritage of diversity. People here belong to various religions, speak different languages, wear different clothes, eat different things, among others diversities. However, despite all this. we unite together as Indians. We share the same national symbols, national virtues and feelings. Being an Indian gives us the divine idea of 'sarva dharma sambhavna', which means that we have the virtue of respecting all religions, since all religions are one. 

India is a democratic republic State and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land by which the elected government derives power. India is a vast and diversified nation. It harbours various cultures, traditions, religions, castes, languages, races and ethnic groups. The conflict among the different community of people can never be removed but they can be accommodated. In India, the constitution ensures equal participation of all people irrespective of differences. There is an equal representation of the minority along with the majority. The Rights and interest of everyone are protected irrespective of Status and Unity. India is a secular nation and that guarantees each and every citizen to practice and profess their own religion without interference. People are united geographically, linguistic and politically which unified social diversity.

All Indians share the same national pride of having India as their motherland.

The people of India, living in different parts, speak different languages shows the diversity of languages existing in India.

(A) Ladakh is a cold desert in the mountains in the eastern part of Jammu and Kashmir. This place is famous for wool production. The sheep in this region are special because they produce pashmina wool.

Kerala is famous for cultivation of spices. Ladakh is famous for growing wool.

Diversity is the term that applies to dissimilarities. It may be in language, food, culture, living, religion, etc. India is a unique country where one can observe it extensively. There are a number of festivals, languages, dresses, religions, etc. in India. Still people of India are Indians and they salute the one flag and sing one national anthem. It is unity in diversity.
Diversity occurs when we travel to different parts of the world. Since time immemorial people have been visiting different lands in order to learn something and for trade. They adopted different styles, languages and cultures from all those places.
Diversity also occurs due to geographical variations and natural calamities. For example, Kashmir is a cold place and temperature goes even below $$0^0C$$. Naturally Kashmiri people wear woolen clothes, eat and drink hot food. On the other hand, people in desert areas use different clothes because it is veiy hot there. 

Diversity is dissimilarities in the way of our lives. It is observed in religious functions, in the festivals, in language, etc. One thing is unique about diversity is that it teaches us to live and adjust ourselves in broad society. Our Constitution believes in respect to all human beings in a similar way. Diversity makes us tolerant and just. We know how to behave with other people belonging to different caste, creed or culture.

Both regions were influenced by Chinese and Arab traders. 

It is a fact that India's diversity has always been recognized as a source of its strength. It becomes clear when the country was struggling against British rule. People from different cultural, religious and regional backgrounds came forward together to oppose the British government in India. They worked together to decide joint actions, they went to jail together and they found different ways to oppose the British. The British thought that they could divide Indians because they were so different and then continue to rule them. But it was their illusion. Although Indians were so different, they were united from within at the question of the British government in India. They were 'one' in their battle against the British. They cherished the same goal to banish the British from India as soon as possible.

Samir Do, the paperboy, thought the author looked like a foreigner, so he would not know Hindi.

It is equality of all persons that can unite all Indians.

If all had similar lives in aspects of region, religion, opportunities, etc., then writers would lack innovation.

Ladakh is known as Little Tibet.

Kerala and Ladakh are quite different in terms of their geographical features. It was the geography of Kerala which made the possibility of spice cultivation there. So far Ladakh in concerned, its special location flourished the business of wool collection among the Ladakhi people. The people of Ladakh carefully collect the wool of the sheep and sell it to the traders from Kashmir. The history of both regions had been affected with similar cultural influences. Both the regions were influenced by Chinese and Arab traders. Thus, we can stay history and geography are often tied to the cultural life of a region.

• The food people eat: Ladakh is a desert in the mountains in the eastern part of the Jammu & Kashmir. Very little agriculture is possible here. It is, therefore, people here keep sheep, goats, cows, and dzos for their living. They eat meat and milk products like cheese and butter. Kerala is a coastal region. The fertile land and climate are suited to growing rice and a majority of people here eat rice, fish, and vegetables.
  
• The clothes they wear: Ladakh people wear woolen clothes including pashmina shawls because it is very cold there. The people of Kerala wear cotton clothes.
  
• The work they do: The people of Ladakh rear sheep for its wool. They carefully collect the wool of the sheep and sell this to traders from Kashmir. The main occupations of the people of Kerala are fishing and farming. People grow rice in huge quantity. They also grow a number of spices like pepper, cloves, and cardamoms. It is spices that made this region an attractive place for traders.

Diversity comes from various factors. It begins with diversity in geography which brings diversity in climate, weather etc. Diversity in clothes, food habits, language and cultural practices is shaped by local needs of this regions. All these people with different backgrounds, religions and cultures help to make India so interesting and so diverse.

In our locality, festivals like Pongal, Sakranti, Diwali, Eid etc. celebrated together by peoples of different regions and religions. They belong to Islam or Buddhist or Jain. Also, people form Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and North Indian states they belong.

India is a democratic republic State and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land by which the elected government derives power. India is a vast and diversified nation. It harbours various cultures, traditions, religions, castes, languages, races and ethnic groups. 

Many pilgrims going to Dwarka in Gujarat or to Mecca and Madina in Arabia or to Ajmer and Pushkar lake would pass through Rajasthan area along with the traders. Over a period of time, these places have grown into important towns and cities like Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur. Thus, over centuries, people of many religions like Bohra Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Jains, Shaivas, Vaishnavas and Sikhs settled down in these towns and cities.

Earlier people in Thar region mainly ate rotis made of bajra with green gram or black gram and ate vegetables that grew on some trees (Sangri) and thorny bushes. These were dried and eaten throughout the year. Today however, you can get all kinds of food from idly-sambar to pizza and ice-creams.

i)No national language: Our Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi was identified as the official language. But Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40 percent of Indians. Therefore, there were many safeguards to protect other languages. 

Living in India with most diverse culture adds pride and feeling of national unity adds to our life. We should feel proud because we are the future of this very diverse and rich heritage country. We have Taj Mahal, which is one of the seven wonder in world; Almost all religions of the world, in our country, of which we feel very much proud of.

Don't forget the days of blood, O friend 
In the midst of your happiness remember  to shed a tear for us 
The hunter has tom away every single flower
Do plant a flower in the desert garden dear friend
Having fallen to bullets we slept in Jallianwala Bagh
Do light a lamp on this lonely grave O  friend
The blood of Hindus and Muslims flows together today.
Do soak your robe in this river of blood dear friend
Some rot in jails while others lie in their graves 
Do shed a few tears for them O friend.
The underlined line reflects India's unity. When it came to struggling for freedom of the country, the Hindus and Muslims came together to fight and their blood flows together.

National sports events like Olympic Games or cricket match brings people together. It brings feelings of oneness among people which helps in national unity. When a sportsman represents in international games, he/her do not represent himself or his/her state merely, but he represents whole nation. This feeling of national representation brings unity in peoples.

Dakhni is language in Telangana mixture of Telugu, Urdu and Hindi languages, which are distinct from those languages spoken in other parts of the country.

Maharashtra: People in Maharashtra celebrates festivals like Shivaji Jayanti, Makar Sakranti, Gudhi Padva, Raksha Bandhan etc.
Food: They eat various kind of food ranging from Fish and rice in coastal region to Bajra and Jowar, Dal-rice in other regions. Puran-poli is favourite in almost all corners of Maharashtra.

A large number slaves of African origin were brought to Hyderabad in medieval period. Some colonies like Habsiguda in Hyderabad have been named after them.

 Hyderabad has been a major centre of both Telugu and Urdu poetry.

French, an European power had control over Pondicherry till 1954.

In our own state of Telangana we can see vast diversity among the people. During the time of the Golkonda Sultans and Nizams, people from as far away as Samarkand, Bokhara, Iran and Turkey have come and settled in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and other parts of the state. A large number slaves of African origin were brought to Hyderabad. By intermixing with other people, all these diverse people have created a distinct and diverse culture of Telangana. 

Many kings from different parts of the subcontinent, established kingdoms in these parts. All these people together developed complex systems for harvesting rain water and cultivating desert soil. Thus Thar became the most thickly populated desert in the world.

In his book, The Discovery of India Jawaharlal Nehru says that Indian unity is not something imposed from the outside but rather, It was something deeper and within its fold, the widest tolerance of belief and custom was practised and every variety acknowledged and even encouraged. It was Nehru, who coined the phrase unity in diversity to describe the country.

During the freedom movement in India against the British, Pondicherry offered refuge to many freedom fighters like Subramania Bharati, the great nationalist poet of Tamil Nadu and Aurobindo Ghosh, who was initially, a revolutionary nationalist from Bengal.

Rajasthan state due to geographical factors receives very little rainfall and there are no large rivers flowing. As a result, very few trees grow here and very few crops can be culativated. Only grass grows here.

Over the past centuries India emerged as a country with shared cultures, religions, political systems etc. along with the diversity. This history of diversity and integration helped Indian people to come together as a nation to fight the British Rule. This common struggle is called the National Movement.