NCERT Book Class 6 Social Science Unity in Diversity or Many in the One PDF Download

Chapter 8: Unity in Diversity, or 'Many in the One'

Oh, grant me my prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of the touch of the one in the play of the many.

- Rabindranath Tagore

... The principle of unity in diversity which has always been normal to [India] and its fulfilment the fundamental course of her being and its very nature, the Many in the One, would place her on the sure foundation of her Swabhava and Swadharma.

- Sri Aurobindo

The Big Questions

1. What is meant by 'unity in diversity' in the Indian scenario?
2. What aspects of India's diversity are the most striking?
3. How do we make out the unity underlying the diversity?

A Rich Diversity

If you travel through India by train, you will notice not only changing landscapes but also many different types of dresses and food; you will hear different languages, familiar and unfamiliar, and see different scripts on the way. Even within your own region, you will often come across people from other parts of India with different customs and traditions. This is India's rich diversity, and it is usually the first thing that strikes visitors to our country.

With over 1.4 billion inhabitants (about 18 percent of the world's population), such diversity is not surprising! In the late 20th century, the Anthropological Survey of India, a national organisation, conducted a massive survey called 'People of India project' of 4,635 communities across all States of the country. It counted 325 languages using 25 scripts; it also observed that many Indians may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near their birthplace or with their original community.

Let's Explore

As a class activity, make lists of (1) the birthplaces of at least 5 classmates and the birthplaces of their parents; (2) the students' mother tongues and other languages known to them. Discuss the results in terms of diversity.

Teacher's Note

When you see the phrase "unity in diversity", remember it means finding common threads that connect India's many different peoples, languages, and cultures. The diversity is real and obvious - the unity is what you need to discover by looking deeper into how Indians share common values, foods, beliefs, or practices across regions.

While diversity is indeed beautiful, making sense of it is not so easy. Over a century ago, the British historian Vincent Smith wondered,

"How, in the face of such bewildering diversity, can a history of India be written? ... The answer to the query is found in the fact that India offers unity in diversity."

What is meant by 'unity in diversity'? How shall we perceive and express this unity, or the 'Many in the One'? To answer this question, we will explore a few dimensions of Indian life.

Food for All

Some of you will have eaten food from different regions of India. The number of different dishes and preparations you can taste in India must be in their thousands, if not lakhs! Yet certain food grains are common to almost every part of the country - cereals such as rice, barley and wheat; millets such as pearl millet (bajra), sorghum (jowar), finger millet (ragi); and pulses such as various kinds of dals and

[Figure 8.1: A few examples of cereals and pulses from different regions of India, See in your textbook]

Teacher's Note

Notice how the "Food for All" section shows both diversity and unity at once. Each region has its own special dishes and cooking styles, but they all rely on the same basic grains and pulses - rice, wheat, dals, millets. This is a perfect example of unity within diversity: many different food cultures built on a common foundation of shared ingredients across the whole country.

Key Points

• Unity in diversity means that despite India's many different languages, religions, clothes, foods and customs, there are underlying connections and shared elements that bind the country together.
• India has over 1.4 billion people, 325 languages using 25 scripts, and 4,635 different communities, making it one of the most diverse nations in the world.
• Common food grains like rice, wheat, millets and pulses are eaten across almost all regions of India, even though regional dishes and cooking styles vary greatly.

This is a preview of the first 3 pages. To get the complete chapter, click below.