India is a land of “Unity in diversity”. The high mountain ranges, vast seas, large river-irrigated lands, countless rivers and streams, dark forests, sandy deserts, all these have adorned India with an exceptional diversity. Among the people, there are numerous races, castes, creeds, religions, and languages.
India is known across the world for its diversity. It is home to the largest number of different socio-cultural groups based on race, religion, language, etc. When India got independence, many political thinkers had commented that democracy in India will not survive because it’s too diverse to be united as a single nation. However, they have been subsequently proved wrong.
The diversity in India is unique. Being a large country with a large population. India presents endless varieties of physical features and cultural patterns. It is the land of many languages it is only in India people profess all the major religions of the world. In short, India is “the epitome of the world”. The vast population is composed of people having diverse creeds, customs, and colors.
Understanding Diversity:
The vast range of things that we find in and around us is known as diversity. For understanding diversity let us take an instance, say on our mother earth, there are different varieties of things such as plants, animals, rivers, trees, birds, flowers, etc.
In India, diversity can be seen in a variety of things such as religions, languages, food, clothes, races, tribes, etc. The key aspects of understanding diversity are different religious and cultural backgrounds. Within the different social groups of humans, different activities are performed depending on the culture, skills, geographic location, interests, and understanding.
Backgrounds such as religion, social status, and economic status cannot become barriers to making friends. Inequality comes only when a person does not have the resources and opportunities that are available to other persons. This led to the emergence of diversity. Some of the important forms of diversity in India are discussed below.
Diversity of Physical Features:
Racial Diversity:
A race is a group of people with a set of distinctive physical features such as skin, color, type of nose, the form of hair, etc. The Indian sub-continent received a large number of migratory races mostly from the Western and the Eastern directions. The majority of the people of India are descendants of immigrants from across the Himalayas. Their dispersal into the sub-continent has resulted in the consequent regional concentration of a variety of ethnic elements. India is an ethnological museum, Dr. B.S Guha identifies the population of India into six main ethnic groups, namely (1) the Negrito’ (2) the Proto-Australoids, (3) the Mongoloids (4) the Mediterranean or Dravidian (5) the Western Brachycephals and (6) the Nordic. People belonging to these different racial stocks have little in common either in physical appearance or food habits.
Herbert Risley had classified the people of India into seven racial types. These are- (1) Turko-Iranian (2) Indo-Aryan, (3) Scythe-Dravidian, (4) Aryo-Dravidian, (5) Mongo o- Dravidian, (6) Mongoloid and (7) Dravidian. These seven racial types can be reduced to three basic types- the Indo-Aryan, the Mongolian, and the Dravidian. In his opinion, the last two types would account for the racial composition of tribal India.
Caste Diversity:
India is a country of Castes. Caste or Jati refers to a hereditary, endogamous status group practicing a specific traditional occupation. It is surprising to know that there are more than 3,000 Jatis in India.
It may also be noted that the practice of the caste system is not confined to Hindus alone. We find castes among the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs as well as other communities. We have heard of the hierarchy of Shaikh, Saiyed, Mughal, Pathan among the Muslims.
Diversity in Language and Literature:
Many languages have sprung up on Indian soil. The census of 1961 listed as many as 1,652 languages and dialects. Since most of these languages are spoken by very few people, the subsequent census regarded them as spurious but the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India recognizes 22 languages. These are (1) Assamese, (2) Bengali, (3) Gujarati, (4) Hindi, (5) Kannada, (6) Kashmir. (7) Konkani. (8) Malayalam. (9) Manipuri, (10) Marathi, (11) Nepali. (12) Oriya, (13) Punjabi, (14) Sanskrit. (15) Tamil, (16) Telugu, (17) Urdu, and (18) Sindhi, (19) Santhali, (20) Boro, (21) Maithili, and (22) Dogri. But four of these languages namely Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Nepali, and Sindhi are not official languages in any State of the Indian Union. But all these languages are rich in literature Hindi in Devanagiri script is recognized as the official language of the Indian Union by the Constitution.
The aboriginal tribes speak their dialect. In this way, the people of India speak several languages which are perhaps not found anywhere in the world. Every language has its own literature. The style and theme of Oriya literature are different from Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, and so on.
Religious Diversity:
Several religions have left their imprint on the cultural canvass of India. The principal religions of the world like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity have blossomed on the lap of this country.
We know that Hinduism is the dominant religion of India. India is not religiously a homogeneous State even though nearly 80 percent of the population profess Hinduism. India is a land of multiple religions. In respect of religion in India, there is no end of its range. India is the place of a reunion of many religions and languages of the world. People from around the world with different cultures are found living in a peaceful manner. Here, the Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikh, the Christians, the Jews, the Buddhists, the Jains, and the Parsees live abreast of each other. They all celebrate religious festivals with great enthusiasm.
Then there are sects within each religion. Hinduism, for example, has many sects including Shaiva Shakta and Vaishnava. We can add to them the sects born of religious reform movements such as the Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj, and The Ram Krishna Mission. More recently, some new cults have come up such as Radhaswami, Saibaba, etc. Similarly, Islam is divided into Shiya and Sunni; Sikhism into Namdhari and Nirankari; Jainism into Digambar and Shwetambar and Buddhism into Hinayana and Mahayana. While Hindus and Muslims are found in almost all parts of India, the remaining minority religions have their pockets of concentration.
=>Hindu-Muslim Unity in India:
Though, there are differences between the Hindu and the Muslim communities in regard to their customs, ideology, and rituals. But for centuries, they were born in and brought up by the same mother-land. They live together and have a deep respect for each other. The Hindus send greetings to their Muslim friend on the occasion of Muslim festivals such as Eid, Muharram, etc. Similarly, the Muslims also wish good luck on the occasion of Hindu festivals such as Diwali, Durga Puja, etc.
Geographical Diversity:
Geography has played a vital role in sharing the character of this country. It has a chain of lofty mountains. Many rivers including the Ganges and Indus provide water throughout the year creating many fertile plains which produce ample grains. Similarly, there are places in India like the Thar Desert of Rajasthan where not a single grass grows.
Similar is the case with the climate of our country. All three types of climate i.e. polar, temperate, and tropical are felt in India. Places of Kashmir like Gulmarg, Khilanmarg, and Pahalgam are very cold during winter. Hot wind and heatwaves are a common feature in Rajasthan. Towns like Mumbai and Chennai on the sea- coast enjoys a moderate climate. There are places in India like Cherapunj which records 480 inches of rainfall whereas less than 3 inches of it is found in north-western Rajasthan per annum. Thus, geographical diversity is well discernible in India.
Diversity in Social Life:
Indian society is not homogeneous. The customs, manners, food, cloth, etc. of society are different from others. Through their dress, the people of Northern Indian can be distinguished from their counterparts of Southern India. The people of Northern India prefer roti, dal, and Subji whereas the people of Southern India prefer rice, sambar, rasam, papad, etc. In a similar vein, the fairs and festivals observed by different societies in India are varied in nature. Thus diversity is quite discernible in the social life of the Indians.
Political Diversity:
From the hoary past diversity is seen in the Indian political system. In the sixth century B.C. monarchical states flourished vis-a-vis republican states. The Mauryan polity was definitely different from the Guptas. Great rulers like Asoka, Chandragupta II, Harsavardhan, Balban, Akbar, Shivaji, etc. had their own way for governing the country.
Though the British authorities wanted to implement uniform law procedures in the country and after independence, the whole Indian Republic is governed by the law formed by the constitution, still then certain political decisions are not the same in all the states inside the country. Diversity is definitely reflected in political life too in India.
Diversity in Flora and Fauna:
There exists diversity so far as flora and fauna in India are concerned. The great teak, sal, pine, and other big trees are found in the vast forest tracts in India. In Indian deserts, small cactus and thorny bushes are found. In forests live wild lives like tigers, lions, elephants, deer’s, etc. Many other animals like monkey, cow, goat, camel, buffalo are generally found everywhere in the country. The ponies in the hilly area and camels in the deserts facilitate transportation. Definitely variety in flora and fauna is found in India
Reasons for diversity in India:
=> Historically there has been mixing of the different religions, languages, and ethnicities due to invasion by foreigners who settled here like Mughals, trade (Silk Road passing through Ladakh), pilgrimage (major Buddhist sites in India) and travelers like Ibn Battuta, Hiuen Tsang etc.
=> Geographical divisions like Vindhya and Satpura range in India, the Himalayas in the north and northeast ensure that societies across these divisions developed their unique identity by limiting their mixing e.g. Aryan-Dravidian divide.
=> Availability of the dense and isolated forests ensured the growth of tribal culture as distinct from mainstream society.
=> Since India had been divided into small kingdoms since the early time, many local languages and distinctive culture has developed under the patronage of their rulers e.g. Malayan under Cheras and Bengali under Palas
Threats to Unity of India:
Disputes are inevitable in any diverse society and when not managed properly they can turn into conflict, threatening the very survival of society as was the case in the Balkan Peninsula. Similarly, Indian society faces the following challenges that endanger its ‘unity in diversity’.
=> Communalism:
The rising majoritarian tendencies such as a call for a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, ‘Urban Naxal’, ‘cow vigilantism’, love jihad claims against inter-religion marriages threaten the secular fabric of Indian society.
=> Regionalism:
the demands of new states and even secession based on language (Gorkha land, Dravidnaad), religion (Khalistan), ethnicity (Nagalim) continue to mar the unity and integrity of the nation.
=> Linguism:
perceived threats to the local language and recent attempts the Fife Hindu on non-willing sections have in the past led to movements like Dravidian movement and can be seen in recent times as well such as Gokhaland and Bodoland movements
=> Casteism:
caste oppression had continued for a long time with scant attempts to challenge it until recently. With the opportunities provided by increasing literacy rate and economic reforms and excessive politicization, caste identities are becoming more pronounced than before. While some use it to challenge the oppression they have faced (Bhima-Koregaon), others use it to claim the benefits of reservation (Jat, Patidar, Maratha)
=> Separatist movements:
The ongoing separatist movements in J&K and North-East along with Naxalism have for long and continue to pose significant risks to India’s unity.
How to ensure this unity?
A society based on justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity only can stay united for long, especially society as diverse as India. As the Sachar committee report has pointed out, minorities continue to fare poorly in socio-economic indicators as compared to the majority. Similar is the case with tribals and Dalits where high GDP growth has not translated into development and improvement in the quality of life.
It is, therefore, necessary that principles espoused in directive principles are realized in spirit. Investments in the social sector including health and education, electoral reforms to keep out the divisive tendencies, providing for development needs of deprived sections such as tribals and Dalits, inclusive and equitable urbanization and curbing the majoritarian tendencies through appropriate legal measures is the only way forward to ensure a united and integrated India.
Conclusion:
In this was diversity pervades on the whole of the Indian subcontinent. This diversity is so much so that a foreigner will simply stare at this. Anyway, such diversities are not the hallmarks of Indian culture. The main theme of this culture is the unity which absorbs all the diversities. In short, India is “the epitome of the world”. The vast population is composed of people having diverse creeds, customs, and colors.
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