Modern India: Symbol of unity and diversity
Symbol of Unity
Love for India cannot be controlled. In a nation as diverse as India, where it is hard to even singularize ‘one Indian people’, it is impossible to expect everyone to have only one type of emotion towards the nation. There cannot practically be just one type of nationalism that we all adhere to.
There is also nothing political about loving India. Respect, pride and adoration for India’s National Anthem, National Flag – the Tiranga, or for that matter any other national symbol, is a deeply personal issue. The degree of reverence – or not – towards these symbols is a powerful metaphor of how each one of us ordinary citizens feels towards India, which is our private nationalism. In fact, some of India’s major national symbols have been nurtured, spontaneously, by the civil society itself.
The Song ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was written by a poet, not a politician. When Rabindranath Tagore composed it in 1911, it was known only to the readers of the Adi Brahmo Samaj journal, of which Tagore was the editor.
Similarly, the need to have a National Flag – with red representing Hindus and green representing the Muslims of India, with a charkha or a spinning wheel in the centre – was first written about by Mahatma Gandhi, in his journal Young India in April 1921. Young India was not a political journal per se, but it instead focused on the socio-economic challenges in India and how to overcome them with non-violence. The charkha was later replaced by the Ashoka Chakra, Colours Red by Saffron representing renunciation, White for peace and Green for prosperity.
Upon India’s independence, even when the flag was unanimously adopted by the Constituent Assembly held on July 22, 1947, private citizens could fly the Indian Tricolour only on a few days in a year, such as the Independence Day and the Republic Day of India. We, the citizens of India, fought relentlessly in court for several years and won on January 23, 2004, the rights of ordinary citizens to be able to display the National Flag on all days.
Displaying the flag everyday as a symbolic gesture reminds us citizens of our duties towards the Nation, shows our faith in and love for what we stand for. Now, the rhetorics of what we ‘must’ do to be seen as nationalistic have clouded our memory of the pure passion and love that drove citizens to establish the symbols of our nation, for no political purpose.
Meaning of Diversity
The term diversity is the opposite of uniformity. Uniformity means similarity of some sort that characterizes a people. ‘Uni’ refers to one; ‘form’ refers to the common ways. So when there is something common to all the people, we say they show uniformity. When students of a school, members of the police or the army wear the same type of dress, we say they are in ‘uniform’. Like diversity, thus, uniformity is also a collective concept. When a group of people share a similar characteristic, be it language or religion or anything else, it shows uniformity in that respect. But when we have groups of people hailing from different races, religions and cultures, they represent diversity. D.N. Majumdar wrote a book with the title, Races and Cultures of India. Mark the words in the plural: Races (not Race); Cultures (not Culture). Thus, diversity means variety. For all practical purposes it means a variety of groups and cultures. We have such a variety in abundance in India. We have here a variety of races, religions, languages, castes and of cultures. For the same reason, India is known for its socio-cultural diversity.
Meaning of Unity
Unity means integration. It is a social psychological condition. It connotes a sense of one-ness, a sense of we-ness. It stands for the bonds, which hold the members of a society together. There is a difference between unity and uniformity. Uniformity presupposes similarity, unity does not. Thus, unity may or may not be based on uniformity. Unity may be born out of uniformity. Durkheim calls this type of unity mechanical solidarity. We find this type of unity in tribal societies and in traditional societies. However, unity may as well be based on differences. It is such unity, which is described by Durkheim as organic solidarity. This type of unity characterizes modern societies.
Two types of unity
The point to note is that unity does not have to be based on uniformity. Unity, as we noted earlier, implies integration. Integration does not mean an absence of differences. Indeed, it stands for the ties that bind the diverse groups with one another.
Diversity of Indian Society
India is a vast country and represents a blend of different castes, regions, religions, cultures, people and traditions. People have different tastes, eating habits, languages, dresses and dialects across the country yet share common sentiments of being Indian. The feeling of patriotism and nationalism are the common feelings that exist irrespective of any difference. The diversity can be witnessed in almost all the spheres of the country.
Some of the forms of Diversity of India are discussed below –
Geographical and climatic diversity:
There are hilly regions in the North and some other parts of the country, which are cold. The regions in the South are comparatively hot. There are regions that have humid weather throughout the year and there are dry deserts of Rajasthan. The difference in climatic conditions leads to the difference in the clothing of the people which adds to the diversity quotient.
Religious Diversity:
Indian civilization is a classic example of the coexistence of unity in diversity. This unity has successfully stood the test of time. India is a plural society; it is a repository of different traditions, cultures and religions. Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians have been living harmoniously under a canopy of India. The Constitution of our country highlights India as a secular country where different religions co-exist. People have respect and tolerance for other religions and their beliefs. This is because the core values of all religions revolve around the principles of humanity and mutual respect.
Social and cultural diversity:
National unity and integrity have been maintained even though sharp economic and social inequalities have obstructed the emergence of egalitarian social relations. It is the synthesis, which has made India a unique mosaic of cultures. India is, in fact, a panorama of its own types without a parallel in other continents. The unity of India is reflected in its moral and spiritual values. It has upheld its cohesiveness and strength against all the foreign invaders. It was this unity only which helped Indians to overthrow the British rule and become independent.
Moral and spiritual values diversity:
Foreign invasions, immigration from other parts of the world and the existence of diverse languages, cultures and religions have made India’s culture tolerant, on the other hand, and a unique continuing and living culture with its specificity and historicity on the other. It is the moral and spiritual values of India which have remained the same since time immemorial. These values play the role of a unifying factor among the masses. These moral and spiritual values define Indian culture and have carved a niche for India on the global map.
Diversity in worshipping:
India is known as the land of saints. The people of India are highly religious and spiritual. All the spiritual gurus and different religious leaders have emphasized the importance of evolution and the beauty of the inner soul. The sacred books of different religions teach salvation, purification of the soul and the theory of Karma. Holi, Diwali, Christmas, Budh Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, Eid etc., are celebrated with pomp and show across the country.
However, there are certain social elements and external forces which have played havoc with the unity of our country. Politicians have tried to weaken the unity of the country in order to preserve and safeguard their vote banks. They have smartly played the cards of caste and religions in order to strengthen their foot.
Assimilation, absorption, accommodation and incorporation have been the hallmarks of Indian culture unity. When one ponders a little overall their diversities, seeming paradoxes and varieties, they fade away into India’s basic cultural unity and oneness.
What is the diversity of India?
After Independence, India is an amalgamation of 28 states and 8 Union territories which is augmented by the islands like Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep. Presently there are 28 states and 9 Union Territories in India after removing Article 370 on 5 August 2019. India is one of the vast countries with extraordinary characteristics and diversity in terms of its geographical, linguistic, religious, social-cultural features etc. But still, you can find a thread of unity among Indians. Undoubtedly, India is a museum of various customs, cultures, creeds, social systems, races and tongues but still, there is unity in all the diversities.
India has retained its diversity from ancient times till date and will continue to do so. The endless varieties of physical and cultural features prove that India is the epitome of the world.
Important Forms of Diversity of India
To know more, let’s have a look at some of the important forms of diversity of India:
Geographical Diversity:
The physical features of India consist of numerous beautiful rivers, dry deserts, evergreen forests, fertile plains, long coastal lines and lofty mountains. Some regions of the country are considered to be the most fertile regions in the whole world whereas some regions are so unproductive that you can hardly grow anything on them.
India is basically divided into four regions, namely the Himalayan region or the northern mountains that include regions like Kashmir, Sikkim, Bhutan, Kangra and much more. The second region is the northern plain that consists of major river systems of the country like Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. This region is the most fertile and productive region in the whole country. The third region consists of the plateaus of Central India and Deccan and the fourth region lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. With these four regions, India is known for having one-fifth of the total population of the whole world and the statistics are hiking day by day.
Climatic Diversity:
You can see diversity from the point of view of climate as well because some regions face blazing heat and some places enjoy a tropical climate all around the year. Also, the monsoons are not uniform across the country because places like Meghalaya receive the highest amount of rainfall whereas places like Rajasthan hardly have any rainfall. Pilfering winter is felt in the Kashmir region for more than six months whereas places like Kerala never experience such cold at any time. Due to this diversity in the climate of India, you can see a variety of flora and fauna in the country.
For example, Ladakh in the Eastern part of Jammu Kashmir remains covered with snow throughout the year therefore very less vegetation is possible here whereas places like Kerala are responsible for the cultivation of a host of spices like pepper; cloves etc.
Racial Diversity:
Other than the physical diversity, the presence of a variety of human beings makes India a beautiful place to live in. Beginning from the Neolithic and Paleolithic men who inhabited India since the remote past to the mongoloid type people that are found in places like Bhutan and Sikkim. The southern part of the country comprises Dravidians. The tall and fair complexion group called Indo Aryans lives in the North-Western part of the country and these races are becoming closer to each other day by day.
Apart from these, there were many other religions like Persians, Greek, Muslims, and Arabs etc. came to India and settled here, leaving their pinch of culture and beliefs in the country.
Linguistic Diversity:
India has been called “as a tower of veritable languages” or a “Museum of languages”. As people belonging to different religions and tribes are living in India, therefore there is a huge diversity in their languages also. More than 200 dialects and languages are used in this vast country but the main languages of India include Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Sanskrit and Kannada.
The Dravidian group speaks languages like Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada whereas the Indo Aryans speak languages like Punjabi, Kashmiri, Hindi, Gujarati and Punjabi etc. Sanskrit is considered to be the sacred language by all the sections in the entire country irrespective of their race, rank, and creed because it is considered to be the original source of various languages like Hindi, Gujarati, and Bengali etc. India’s schools teach approx. 58 different languages.
Religious Diversity:
You can find the entire world in a single country as people belonging to different religions are living in India. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity are the main creeds found in India. These religions have their subdivisions like Hindu religion is split up into Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Puranic Hinduism, etc. Religions such as Persian and Zoroastrianism are also spread across India.
Diversity in Worshiping
Lord Vishnu and Shiva are worshipped in the north whereas the people in the south are more attracted towards the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The stories of Ram and Krishna are sung with great devotion and respect in the southern regions of India.
The Vedas, the Gita, the cow and the Puranas are respected equally across the whole country.
Also, the rivers such as Saraswati, Narmada, Kaveri, Ganga and Yamuna are also considered to be sacred.
This shows that there is religious unity among the people and no religion is considered to be inferior here.
Social and Cultural Diversity:
India is known for its civilization and culture all over the world. There is diversity in the literary ideas, philosophies, conventions, and literature all over India. Another important aspect that shows the beautiful diversity of India is the different social and cultural beliefs that people carry. The people have different social habits in terms of their dresses, food habits, manners, dance forms and customs and celebrate different festivals in different parts of the country.
Cultural diversity can be seen in the form of religious beliefs, festivals, and modes of life. North, South, East and West parts of the country have carved their own cultural niches. The years of foreign rule and religious movements have given the ancient land of India, a rich culture of festivals, customs and social habits. Let’s take a look at some of these:
Festivals:
Some festivals are meant for particular communities where some are celebrated and enjoyed all over India. The celebration of these hosts of festivals in India is a perfect glimpse of seeing Indian culture at its best. In a multicultural, multidimensional society like India, almost every day is a festival. People share and experience the distinctiveness of every festival and celebrate the spirit of oneness.
Food:
Even Indian cuisines are very diverse and classified into various categories. There are various multi cuisines and cooking styles that vary from region to region. People all over the world appreciate Indian food. Every region of India has its own form of food. The cuisine of India can be divided into four categories: North Indian, South Indian, East Indian and Western Indian food.
Dance Forms:
Diverse dance forms are being performed throughout the country depicting religious beliefs and celebrations. Indian dance forms are broadly categorized into two major forms namely, Classical dances and folk dances. Classical dances are related to spiritual content whereas folk dances are performed during celebrations and happy events. The best thing about the diversity of dance forms is that they represent the culture and beliefs of a specific region.
Every state has its own native dance form and music. The most popular classical dance styles of India are Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala, Odissi of Orissa, Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh and Manipuri of Manipur.
In the end, it can be safely said that the rich diversity of India enriches our life and brings along harmony and prosperity to the nation. India reflects unity that expresses diversities of colour, language, culture, dress, and blood. Unity and Diversity in India go hand in hand. People live in harmony and peace in spite of having differences on the basis of language, colour and region etc. Therefore no matter if it’s about festivals or music, India has got enormous diversity patterns. Apart from the diversity, India is a perfect example of the doctrine of one in many.
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