NCERT Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 2 Chapter 05 India a Home to Many PDF Download

Chapter 5: India, a Home to Many

ayam nijah paro veti ganana laghucetasam
udaracharitanam tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam
"This is mine, that is not mine," so think the narrow-minded.
For the noble-minded, the whole world is family.
- Hitopadesha

Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
- Last message of Sri Sarada Devi
(spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa)

The Big Questions

1. What has made India a home for people from different parts of the world?
2. Why did oppressed or persecuted people from other countries seek refuge in India?
3. What is it about the nature of Indian society that enables people to assimilate here?

In the chapter "Unity in Diversity, or 'Many in the One'" (Grade 6 Social Science textbook), we read that "many Indians may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near their birthplace or with their original community." In this chapter, we will explore another type of migrants - people who came to India from other parts of the world and settled here, adding another dimension to the diversity. There have been many such migrant communities in India's history, up to recent times. We cannot cover them all in this chapter and have selected only a few representative examples.

Think About It

• Imagine this scenario - A stranger knocks at your door at midnight. It is raining heavily outside, and the stranger seeks shelter for the night claiming that his car broke down while he was driving in the vicinity. Your family goes into a huddle to discuss the pros and cons of letting a stranger into the house at night. Form two groups to discuss the arguments for and against in this scenario.
• Now extend this scenario to a country like India - when refugees seek shelter in India, will similar arguments apply?

The Story of Indian Jews

Jews are members of the people and the cultural community originating from the ancient Hebrews of Israel and traditionally linked to the religion of Judaism. A Jew may be identified either by descent from Jewish ancestry or through conversion. Jewish identity may therefore be defined on the basis of religion, culture, history, or ethnicity.

Jews sought sanctuary in India in several waves. The persecution of Jews in various countries led to them having to flee their homes. India has proved to be a safe haven where they can practise their faith without fear.

The Bene Israel are a Jewish community that lived on the Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai. According to some scholars, they came around 175 BCE, from the ancient Kingdom of Israel. On their journey, their ship was caught in a storm and shipwrecked near the coast. The survivors settled in India and started a new life. Although they lost their holy books, they remembered their prayer, which says there is only one God. Over time, the Bene Israel grew to become the largest Jewish community in India, numbering over 25,000 shortly after India gained independence.

Teacher's Note

Notice how the Bene Israel maintained their faith even after losing their holy books - they preserved the prayer that expresses their core belief. This shows you that religious identity is not just about possessing objects, but about remembering and living by core beliefs and practices. When you study migration and assimilation, look for how communities keep their identity alive while becoming part of a new society.

Several groups arrived much later, between the 12th and 19th centuries, again facing persecution in their respective countries. Some Jews settled near Cochin (present-day Kochi). The Raja of Kochi granted them land free of cost "as long as the world, sun, and moon endure." The Jews built a synagogue, which enabled them to practise their faith even as they became part of the Indian society.

[Figure 5.1: Swami Vivekananda, See in your textbook]

Swami Vivekananda, in his speech delivered at the World Parliament of Religions held at Chicago in 1893, had these memorable words:

I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the Earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.

Teacher's Note

Swami Vivekananda is speaking to an international audience in 1893, and he is using the example of Jews coming to India around 70 CE (when the Romans destroyed their temple) to show that India has a long tradition of welcoming refugees. This is a key piece of historical evidence that appears in exams: remember that different refugee groups came at different times, and India's hospitality spanned many centuries.

Key Points

• India has been a refuge for persecuted people from many religions and nations throughout its history, including Jewish communities who arrived in several waves starting from around 175 BCE.
• The Bene Israel Jewish community settled on the Konkan coast and became the largest Jewish community in India, maintaining their faith and prayer traditions even after losing their holy books.
• Indian rulers like the Raja of Kochi supported religious minorities by granting them land and allowing them to build places of worship, enabling communities to practise their faith while becoming part of Indian society.
• Swami Vivekananda highlighted India's long tradition of sheltering refugees and persecuted people of all religions, showing that this was an important part of Indian national identity.

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