CBSE Class 6 Social Science Unity in Diversity Notes Set 01

What is diversity?

Diversity means variety: many kinds of people, languages, foods, clothes, festivals and beliefs living together. India is one of the most diverse countries in the world. People in different parts of the country speak different languages, dress differently, eat different foods and celebrate different festivals. These differences make life interesting because we can learn from one another, while the things we share help us feel close to one another.

Reasons for diversity in India

1. Geography. India has mountains, rivers, plains, forests, deserts and a long coastline. In the past, travel was slow and difficult, so groups of people stayed in one region for a long time and developed their own language, food, art and customs.

2. Climate. The weather of a place shapes the clothes people wear, the crops they grow, the food they eat and even their music and dance. People of cold Ladakh wear heavy woollen clothes and grow barley, while people of the warm coastal state of Kerala eat a lot of rice, fish and coconut.

3. History. Over thousands of years, people moved from place to place because of trade, droughts, wars and the search for a better life. They settled in new places and mixed their ways of life with those of the local people.

4. Contact with other lands. Travellers, traders and scholars from other countries came to India and some stayed. Kerala has had trade links with distant lands for centuries and is home to old Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. The Urdu language grew out of the meeting of Hindi and Persian, and the Mughlai food and the architecture of buildings such as the Taj Mahal show Persian influence.

Differences among people

People also differ in how much money and opportunity they have. Such economic differences show up in housing, clothing and lifestyle. Our Constitution says that all people are equal and must be treated fairly, whatever their religion, region, gender or background. Unfair treatment of a person because of such differences is called discrimination, and the law does not allow it.

Unity in diversity

Even though we are so different, we are bound together as one nation. This idea is called unity in diversity, a phrase often linked with Jawaharlal Nehru. Several things unite us:

1. The freedom struggle, in which people of every region, religion and language worked together against British rule. Our differences were a source of strength, not weakness.

2. National symbols, such as the National Flag, the National Anthem, the National Bird and the National Flower.

3. The Constitution, which gives the same rights to every citizen.

4. Shared festivals, stories and epics, and the habit of respecting each other's customs. For example, the Kesar Saga is a national epic of the Tibetans and is also told in Ladakh.

Key terms

1. Diversity: variety. 2. Tradition: a custom or belief passed from one generation to the next. 3. Staple food: the main food that people eat every day. 4. Discrimination: treating people unfairly because of their group or background.

Worked examples

Example 1. Why do people living on the coast eat a lot of fish? Solution: The sea gives them fish and a means of trade, so fish became a staple food over many generations. This shows how geography shapes food habits.

Example 2. How did the Urdu language come into being? Solution: When Persian speakers and Hindi speakers lived and traded together, words and styles of the two languages mixed. The new language that developed is Urdu, an example of cultural mixing.

Example 3. Why was the freedom struggle a good example of unity in diversity? Solution: People from different regions, religions and languages joined the movement and marched together. They proved that differences need not divide a nation.

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