Institute of Integrated Learning in Management

Graduate School of Management

Indian Society and Culture

Assignment
INDIA – UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Submitted to: Submitted By:

Vinay Srivastava Anu Gupta
Unity in diversity

India being the largest democracy in the world with a civilization more than five
thousand years old boasts of multiple cultural origins. The cultural origins of the
Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilizations, the
remains of which are cherished even today. Since the late 16th century India was
under the influence of the British Empire until 15th August 1947 the day when
India gained independence. India is a land of diverse cultures, religions and
communities. There is great diversity in our traditions, manners, habits, tastes and
customs. Each and every region of the country portrays different customs and
traditions. But though we speak different languages yet we are all Indians. 'Unity
in Diversity' has been the distinctive feature of our culture. To live peacefully has
been our motto and this motto has helped us to achieve independence. As history
tells us that there has been active participation from people of different caste and
religion. In our struggle for freedom people from different communities
participated keeping one thing in mind that they all are Indians first. But
unfortunately this peace and understanding among different communities has
been endangered lately. India at present is facing many problems. The biggest of
these is the problem of communalism. In their personal fight they are destroying
their life only. In fact, it is the biggest threat to humanity and to the unity and
integrity of the country.

People from different background and culture participated in India's struggle for
freedom. The national leaders, particularly Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Azad and
Bose had coined the slogan unity in diversity There are numerous others who
were also involved. Be it Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain and Sikhs everybody had a
single identity of being an Indian. It should be understood that all of us have
multiple identities religious, linguistic, cultural, regional and caste identities. No
one can claim single identity. One who demands single identity i.e. national
identity does not recognize the reality but during India's struggle for freedom no
one thought in that manner they just thought of India's independence. Modern
India presents a picture of unity in diversity where people of different faiths and
beliefs live together in peace and harmony. Still today also India remains one of
the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.

Unity in diversity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Unity in diversity is a slogan celebrating co-operation between different groups of

people in a single society and socio-ecological philosophy that describes a sense
of oneness despite physical or psychological barriers.

In 1938, the leader of the Baha'i Faith said it was the "watchword" for the
religion.[1] "Unity in diversity" or some variation is also the official slogan of the
European Union (see In varietate concordia) as well as the nations of Ghana,
Indonesia (see Bhinneka Tunggal Ika), Papua New Guinea and South Africa. "Unity
in Diversity" is one of the nine Enduring Principles of Community of Christ, an
international Christian church. [2]

India

Furthermore, the phrase is widely used to describe India, which is home to a

multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious society. The subcontinent's long and
diverse history has given it a unique eclectic culture.[3] The philosophy is the
underlying pan-Indian philosophy echoed in textbooks throughout India.[4]

India's diversity has always been recognized as a source of its strength. When the
British ruled India, women and men from different cultural, religious and regional
backgrounds came together to oppose them. India's freedom movement had
thousands of people of different backgrounds in it. They worked together to
decide joint actions, they went to jail together, and they found different ways to
oppose the British. Interestingly the British thought they could divide Indians
because they were so different, and then continue to rule them. But the people
showed how they could be different and yet be united in their battle against the
British.
In his book The Discovery of India Jawaharlal Nehru says that Indian unity is not
something imposed from the outside but rather, "It was something deeper and
within its fold, wildest tolerance of belief and custom was practiced and every
variety acknowledged and even encouraged." It was Nehru who coined the
phrase, "unity in diversity" to describe the country India.

India is land of variety. There is great variety in variety of aspects. The languages,
lifestyles, religions, habits, geography, climates, cultures might be different but
still they unite us into an invisible frame, the frame of Indianism. Diversity is there
in every aspect of India, a land that encloses 1,222,559 sq. meters of land and is
home to more than one billion people. As such stats imply, there ought to be
diversity, but this does not always imply that there are differences. Rather, India is
a land where in spite of so much of diversity, there is still unity. Be it the joining of
hands for a mission or against it, Indians have always shows great unity.

There have also been instances where people have fought against each other for
some reason or the other but such cases do break out in all countries, so India
being a niche of such diversity can be excused for once!

India won't be India if not for this diversity. If India means Kanchivaram sadi then
India also means Pashmina shawl. If India means extreme hot climate of the south
India, then India also means the snow covered mountains of the north India. If
India means the desert of Rajasthan then India also means the highest rainfall
grounds of Assam!

Such diversity is also found in the school of minds, where one stands for the
motion, another stands against it. This means an added advantage, because while
one is looking at the positive aspects of a side, other is hunting for the
counterpart negatives.

Architecture:
Indian architecture encompasses a multitude of expressions over space and time,
constantly absorbing new ideas. The result is an evolving range of architectural
production that nonetheless retains a certain amount of continuity across history.
Some of its earliest production are found in the Indus Valley Civilization (2600-
1900 BCE) which is characterised by well planned cities and houses. Religion and
kingship do not seem to have played an important role in the planning and layout
of these towns.
During the period of the Maurya and Gupta empires and their successors, several
Buddhist architectural complexes, such as the caves of Ajanta and Ellora and the
monumental Sanchi Stupa were built. Later on, South India produced several
Hindu temples like Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at
Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura, Brihadeeswara Temple,
Thanjavur, the Sun Temple, Konark, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam,
and the Buddha stupa (Chinna Lanja dibba and Vikramarka kota dibba) at
Bhattiprolu. Angkor Wat, Borobudur and other Buddhist and Hindu temples
indicate strong Indian influence on South East Asian architecture, as they are built
in styles almost identical to traditional Indian religious buildings.
The traditional system of Vaastu Shastra serves as India's version of Feng Shui,
influencing town planning, architecture, and ergonomics. It is unclear which
system is older, but they contain certain similarities. Feng Shui is more commonly
used throughout the world. Though Vastu is conceptually similar to Feng Shui in
that it also tries to harmonize the flow of energy, (also called life-force or Prana in
Sanskrit and Chi/Ki in Chinese/Japanese), through the house, it differs in the
details, such as the exact directions in which various objects, rooms, materials,
etc. are to be placed.
With the advent of Islamic influence from the west, Indian architecture was
adapted to allow the traditions of the new religion. Fatehpur Sikri, Taj Mahal, Gol
Gumbaz, Qutub Minar, Red Fort of Delhi are creations of this era, and are often
used as the stereotypical symbols of India. The colonial rule of the British Empire
saw the development of Indo-Saracenic style, and mixing of several other styles,
such as European Gothic. The Victoria Memorial or the Victoria Terminus are
notable examples.
Indian architecture has influenced eastern and southeastern Asia, due to the
spread of Buddhism. A number of Indian architectural features such as the temple
mound or stupa, temple spire or sikhara, temple tower or pagoda and temple
gate or torana, have become famous symbols of Asian culture, used extensively in
East Asia and South East Asia. The central spire is also sometimes called a
vimanam. The southern temple gate , or gopuram is noted for its intricacy and
majesty.
Contemporary Indian architecture is more cosmopolitan. Cities are extremely
compact and densely populated. Mumbai's Nariman Point is famous for its Art
Deco buildings. Recent creations such as the Lotus Temple, and the various
modern urban developments of India like Chandigarh, are notable.
INDIA IS A COUNTRY RICH IN CULTURE AND HERITAGE!
IT HAS 28 STATES AND ITS POPULATION IS 110 CRORES!
THE NO OF LANGUAGES BEING SPOKEN IN INDIA R 1016!
NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF INDIA IS HINDI!
M PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN!
JAI HIND!
LET ME TELL U ABOUT THE HIMALAYAS WHICH IS VERY FASCINATING!
THE HIMALAYAS IS A VERY LONG RANGE OF SNOW CLAD MOUNTAINS.
IT ACTS AS A POLITICAL BOUNDARY AND SAVES INDIA BY PREVENTING OTHERS
FROM
ENTERING INTO INDIA! IT ALSO HELPS IN ACTING AS A BARRIER PREVENTING
THE COLD CENTRAL ASIAN WINDS FROM ENTERING INTO INDIA!
MOST OF ITS PEAKS R AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOVE 6500 METRES!
MY NEXT INFO IS BOUT THE THAR DESERT IN THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN.
A MAJOR PART OF THE DESERT IS LOCATED IN INDIA AND THE OTHER
PART IS LOCATED IN PAKISTAN!IT STRETCHES NORTH WEST TO THE ARAVALLI
RANGE IN INDIA ACROSS RAJASTHAN TO THE INDUS RIVER PLAIN IN PAKISTAN.
CAMELS R THE ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORT!THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE
RECORDED
SO FAR IS 55 DEGREE CELCIUS!!

THE TAJ MAHAL IS LOCATED IN AGRA WHICH IS VERY CLOSE TO DELHI.

IT IS CONSIDERED AS 1 OF THE 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD! IT WAS BUILT
BY SHAHJAHAN , A MUGHAL EMPEROR IN MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED WIFE
MUMTAJ! IT WAS BUILT IN 22 YEARS BY 22,000 PEOPLE AND IT CONTAINS
22 TOMBS! IT IS CONSIDERED AS A SYMBOL OF LOVE IN INDIA AND ALL
OVER THE WORLD!
INDIA IS GIFTED WID RICH AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND!
MAJOR CITIES ARE
DELHI(CAPITAL),MUMBAI,CHENNAI,MUMBAI,BANGALORE,KOLKATA.
THE COUNTRY'S LITERACY RATE IS 52.11% AND KERALA HAS THE HIGHEST
LITERARY PERCENTAGE. UTTAR PRADESH IS THE LARGEST POPULATED STATE
FOLLOWED BY MAHARASHTRA AND BIHAR. INFO ABOUT EACH STATE WILL BE
PROVIDED!