UNITY AND DIVERSITY Tnthis lesson you will leam about the basic characteristics of Indian society. For this, you should know about the concepts like cultural and national unity, diversity, pluralism and integration etc. Indiaisa vast country, having a geographical area of 3287263 sq.km. and population of little more than one billion people. Based on the generous concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam (the world is one family), we have a great cultural heritage. This has accommodated and integrated many communities and their ways of life from time to time. Human settlement in India had begun from early Stone Age and so far ithas been the homeland of many communities who have contributed to its rich cultural heritage. Indiaharboured a g7eat civilization, popularly knowns the Indus Valley Civilization, which produced continuum between rural and urban cultures. Further, India produceda universally respected compendium (collection) ofknowledge in the form of Vedas, Upanishads and great epics. It provided a suitable atmosphere for a number of religion and religious ideas to flourish, different languages to develop and diverse ideologies to take root. India shelters many religions coming from outside its boundaries. All thesé, over millennia, interacting with each other have produced a cultural fabric that is unique in its characteristics and exclusively Indian in nature. Bom ‘After reading this lesson, you will be able to: © explain the main characteristics of Indian Society; © explainthediversitiesin termsofregion, language, religion, cultureandcaste; and © describe the nature of socio-cultural unity in ancient, medieval and modem IndiaOur society has been projected as a traditional society based on spititualism, Biving less importance to materialistic growth. But this has been only the opinion of others. Today things are changing fast and we are marching ahead towards a strong, secular and modern nation. Undoubtedly the Hindu way of life with its tolerance and non-violent attitude ‘shaped the nation to its present form. There have been impact of many external forces and religions like Islam, Christianity and ‘Wester society, but the Indian way of life continues. The traditional Hindu society believed in ascribed status, it was hierarchical in nature where upward mobility was difficult and slow. The concept of Purusharthas (goals of fe) guided the life, They are dharma (morality, the path of righteousness, duties of the individual, ete.), Archa (pursuit of wealth and well-being), Kama (Pursuit of bodily desires, particulary sex), and Moksha (salvation). The Hindus believed in four Ashrams or ‘stages of life’ which are related to the above four goals of life. They are Brahmacharya (student life), Grihastha (the householder’s life, caming livelihood and wealth, falfiling sexual desires and reproducing children), Vanprastha (the hermit’ s life with gradual detachments), and Sanyas (renunciation from family and worldly things). Besides these, there is a notion of ‘Rina’, i.e. owing debt to the gods, to the sages, to ancestors and to the society. Onc has to repay these debts through performance of duties. Further there was the doctrine of Karma, which is mainly based on the notion of ‘rebirth’. It means one’s deeds in: the past life influence the ‘present life, ‘The above aspects are found more inthe ideals and less in practice today. Today ifwe look at tradition, we find certain features are still continuing, They are ritualized way oflife, ic. rituals are observed not in arigid manner but in a flexible manner. Ttisnot only limited to the Hindu rituals but also extended to the rituals of other ‘communities, The secular doctrine can be found from the fact that all major rituals ofall religions have been declared as national holidays. Today Holi, Deepawali, Dussera, Eid, Eid-ul-zuha, Good Friday, Christmas Day, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Mahavir Jayant and Budh Poornima etc. are all occasions of celebrations forall of us. Even these can be compared to Republic Day celebrationsand Independence Day celebrations. The point here is that any flexible and modern Indian is not bothered about the rigidity in observance of ritual, bts more interested in enjoying itwith the community. Today India finds a place in the world in every aspect including dance, music, movies, sports, philosophy and astrology etc. Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakal, Odisi, Manipuri, Mohini Attam, Kathak and many other folk dances like Bhangra Mm soc101 064ern and Garba, etc, have become globalised phenomena. ‘Yoga and transcendental meditation have a great appeal in the western countries. Infact, Maharishi Yogi has built the first Vedic city inNew York. Ayurveda, the science of life and other types of herbal and aromatherapy has influenced the world widely. Thus retaining our Indianess we are marching ahead witha modem outlook. Ourmodemity isnot simply the imitation of the west butis an integration between the indigenous tradition (like the emotional family bond, spiritualism, alternative medicine) with the modem goal-oriented and rational outlook. Asnany as six Indians have received Noble Prize. They are Rabindra Nath Tagore, Sir C.V Raman, $. Chandrashekhar, Mother Teresa, H.G.Khuranaand Amartya Sen. Besides this, several Indians have won Booker’ s Prize and other intemational Awards, Diversity in Indiais found in terms of race, religion, language, caste and culture. Sociologists say that Indian unity has been both politico- geographic and cultural in nature. The diversities have remained, but simultaneously provided a mainstream, culture. It is estimated that there are 4635 communities found in India. Out of which 751 are scheduled caste communities and 461 are scheduled tribe communities, The highest number of Scheduled castes is found in Uttar Pradesh. ‘Scheduled caste communities are not found in Nagaland, Arenachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Scheduled tribe communities are tot found in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Goa and Pondicherry. There is tremendous diversity of communities in living inal the states. ‘As youalready know, the Indus valley civilization is one of the earliest known civilizations of the world, a part of which is now foundin Pakistan. With rich material culture it was having, developed variety of art and craft, planned cities with underground drainage system, Port Township, agriculture and religious organisations. It also had a script, which is yet to be deciphered (unreadable). Booms Answer in Truc or False 1. Indus Valley civilization i partly found in Bangladesh... 2. Highest number of Scheduled Caste is found in Uttar Pradesh .... SOCIOLOGY nu3. InIndia about 600 Scheduled Tribes are found ... . 4. Highest number of communities in India is found in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh .. 5. Indus Valley civilization script has already been read ee 24.2.1 Religion undin India. Populationwise Hindus are found in majory ic about 83 per cent followed by Muslims (11.8 per cent), Christians (2.6 per cent), Sikhs (2 per ent), Buddhists (0.7 per cent), Jains(0.4 per cent), Zoroastrians (0.3 per cent) and Jews(0. ren Besides these eight religions, some tribal communitieshave a ofthe eight major religions, Hinduism, Skhion, Buddhism and lsinismarindigenens gions, ‘whereas Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Jew came from outside India. Al the eight religions are furthcr sub-divided into different sects. Shipers: Vaishna i we Ss (worsiper of Shakti or mother Goddess in different atributes like Kale D etc.) and Smarta (worshiper of all the above three gods). Besides these, of Gurus and saints are widely prevalent among the Hindus (such as Shivanand, (Chinmayanand, Anandmayi etc.) Brahmo Samaj and Arya samaj are also a part of Hinduism. In this manner Hinduism provides a broad canvas for all types of believers. sare (denominations: Catholics and Protestants; ¥ Ls Huddhion two divisions: Mahayana and Hinayana which are based on doctrinal differenced Jains afe of two types: Digi nc) an Seas otto) SEE cameo beings rots guns he Brahmin upemacy an thcase sytem zi and their generous tradition of Gurudwara and Tangar (free food to ai) have become pan-Indic today (Gurudwaras are found in almost all owns, cities and big villages throughout India). SocioLocy24.2.2 Language Uns dvi val io. A grils have srpt. At present there are five language files foundin India: Andamnanes, Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian, Indo-Aryan (and Dardic) and Tibeto-Burman. Sanskrit is one of the oldest and important languages of India. To a greater extent it has i.e, Hindi, English and one of the regional languages, languages Hindi has een oat pop tary spleens India 43 percent followed by Bengali, Teleguand Marathi (eight percent each), Tamil & Urdu (six percent), Gujarati (five per cent), Malayalam, Kannada and Oriya (four per cent each), Punjabi (three per cent) and other languages (Assamese and Kashmiri amounting to one percent each). 24.2.3 Caste Caste system is unique in India and originally found with the Varna-Vyavastha during the Vedic peri B.C). There were four vamas: Brahmin, Khatriya, Vaish, and Shudra. They ‘were broadly divided into the four strata in terms of their occupations. Purity and * pollution have been the main bases of vama vyavastha and it applied to all spheres including cocpaton, fo habits, clothing and language (You will have the details in subsequent chapter), During the Vedic period untouchab phenomenon, it came into being during the later Vedic eta Later on occupational diversities eave birth to various ais. There are about 3500 jatis found in India, out of which 751 are Scheduled Caste communities. The Jati system provided a unique system of cooperation through the economic system of, jajmani. Jajmani provided the bases of social structure. It means exchange of ‘goods and services between various jatis. Itis based on apatron-client relationship. ‘The patron is known as Jajman who used to be a landlord (economically well off). The client is known as Kamin (from the service castes). The Kamin used to provide services to the Jajman and in return was given rewards in terms of kind (food grains, and many other considerations like free residential plot, free food, aid in litigation, use of animal and instruments, ete.). However, jaimani system is gradually fading away with the advent of market and monetary economy. Jati: system is gradually becoming less rigid in the urban areas in terms ofits norms. SOCIOLOGY. =- Howmany world religions are found in India? * 2. Why Hindus are called a majority community? we 3. Howmany languages are found in the eighth schedule of the constitution? ee 4. Howmany Vamasare found in India? eee 5. What is jaimani system? See eo HISTORY AND TRADITION OF UNITY Indian society in ancient, rhedieval and modern times always exhil tedan underlying ‘unity that created a composite culture, whichis: decisively pan-Indian in nature. It produced a mainstream culture, which rulers in different Periods of time never interfered particularly in their intemal dynamics. The: ‘cultural system has always maintained its own status independent of the political ‘system. Various kingdoms were frequently involved in wars at the regional level, but the aspect of cultural unity at the country level remained intact. The notion of Chakravarti Raja and ‘Aswamedhayagna indicative of political unity. Many kings extended their empires to cover large geographical territories. Kaniska, Kharavela, Ashoka and ‘Samudragupta were powerful monarchs who controlled extensive empires, Ashoka’s greatness is well known. He ruled from Pataliputra. He conquered Kalinga. The bloodshed in the Kalinga war tumed him into a! benign Buddhist. The kingdoms in the south such as Cholas, Chera, Pandya Rastrakuta, Chalukya, Pallava, Vijay Nagar and the Sunga, Satvahana, Kushan, Gupta, and Vakatakas inthe north, worked towards the promotion of regional cultures. Most of them. ‘were great builders. Due to their patronage, temple architecture reached to glorious heights in South India, Laterin the medieval times, Islam made its inroads into the Indian culture. Bengal, Lucknow and Hyderabad, besides many other places, provide testimony of Ea SOCIOLOGYintegration of slamic cultures and traditions into the Indian culture. Islam does not believe in idol worship. It is a monotheistic and non-hierarchical religion, The impact of Islam on Hindu traditions has been analysed in three stages: (a) During the Muslim rule, (b) During the British rule upto 1930, and (c) Between 1930- 1947. In the first phase the Mustim rulers destroyed the Hindu temples and tried to spread Islam and converted the Hindus. This was a period marked by conflict and tensions well as some type of cultural adaptation. Fore.g, Sufism influenced the Hindus. Akbar’s Din-c-llahi wasamixture of many religions, which promoted national integration, During the British rufe several reforms are found which largely influenced the Hindus. Islam lostits liberal tendencies and gradually the Islamic tradition washighly politicized. Ultimately inthe tid phase, ic. during the fag end of freedom movement, sharp divisions were drawn between the two religions, which gave rise to the birth ofa separate Islamic nation ie, Pakistan, Inthe modem period, British rule brought in the western’culture into India. Westem institutions like banking system, administration, military organization and modem medicine, etc. brought in several changes, The western education system broadened the outlook particularly the rational and secular spirits in the people. The westem science and technology, transport and communication influence the people to raise their style of life in terms of material development. A sense of entrepreneurship and development paved the way for India to become an industrialized nation. The democratic form of government, adult suffrage and human rights, etc. gave India ‘opportunities to face the challenges of the world. In this manner through out ancient, medieval and modem times cultural unity was of paramount: importance. Bboy Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the brackets: 1. The Indian rulers did not interfere in the sphere (cultural, religious, psychological). 2. Ashoka conquered (Pataliputra, Kalinga, Vijay Nagar) 3. Themodern educational system in Indiahasthe impactof___ (Muslim, British, French). 4. ‘The Chola, Chera and the Pandyas belong to. part of India (South, East, West, North).Unity ce) eae ‘The process of unity in India can be viewed from two angles: (a) unity inherent, and (b) unity threatened. The latter is found largely after the partition of the country in 1947 into India and Pakistan. Communal forces, fundamentalists and vested interest have strengthened this process. Communalism is the result of inter- ‘community intolerance and suspicion. Such conflicting situations are not conducive tothenation building process. They called for mass awareness programmes and proper educational programmes. On the other hand unity has been the main focus of the nation building process. ‘The idea of unity is attached to concepts like the “melting pot”, “cultural mosaic” and “plural society”. The above three concepts came from the westem thinking. Melting pot indicates autonomous cultures juxtaposed in a particular area and have autonomy but melt into a single national culture. In other words, they melt into a composite whole in a “pot” that symbolizes the nation, It meas different ‘cultures sink their differences and project single identity, with a common language (this concept can not be applied tothe Indian situation where diversities persist.) The concept of cultural mosaic is woven around the idea of coexistence and projecting a single national identity despite cultural differences. This can be very well applied to India. But the critics point out that India is not a cultural mosaic since it has not produced a mainstream culture. Finally the conceptof plural society indicates pluralism in all primordial (fundamental) aspects like food habits, culture, dress pattem, language, region and religion, yet a shared political identity. However, India is only integrated politically and not otherwise, can not be accepted. Thisis the thinking of the westemers. ‘The reality as perceived by Indiansis that India has a distinct national identity in spite of'ts composite culture. The process of integration telisus for a larget goal, i.e. attaining nationhood, various cultures in spite of autonomy integrate into a composite whole. The composite whole projects the Indian Mainstream Culture, symbolically resembling a spread out banyan tree whose branches are named as the Bengali culture, Oriya culture, South Indian culture and Awadhi culture etc. ‘Various religions have coexisted in India peacefilly for centuries together. Village studies by prominent sociologists show that in village India the Muslimsare a part of the well-knit socio-economic system. The instance of Mool Dwaraka can be cited here. In Moo! Dwarka (in Gujarat), one of the four chief religious centres of Hindus, five gravesare found. The Muslim regard them as panch pirs (five saints) and offer green chadar (shawl) and the Hindus regard them as panch bir (five warriors) and offer yellow chadar. SOCIOLOGY‘There are several local Muslim deities, which have both Hindu and Muslim followers. Examples of such deities are Saiyad Baba in old Delhi, Deva Sharif in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh and Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan ete. ‘The widely accepted traditions that great religious meritaccrue out ofa pilgrimage ‘made on foot covering the four Dhams located in four directions of the country (Badrinath in Uttaranchal in north, Dwaraka in Gujarat in west, Rameswaram in ‘Tamilnadu in south, and Puri in Orissa in east) project the oneness of the great land mass now called India or Bharat. The twelve Shiva lingas (Jyotirlingas) are distributed throughout India. Other prominent centres like Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Kamakhyapitha in Assam, Gaya in Bihar, Vaishnow Devi in Jammu, Pushkarin Rajasthan, attracting people from every comer of the county, personify the integration process. Satya Saibaba in Puttipurthy, Sai Baba of Shirdi, Maharashtra, Srimaa and Aurobindo in Pondicherry have become the rallying pointof Indians in spite of the differences ofreligion, language and region. The architectural wonders such as Taj Mahal of Agra, Jama Masjid, and Lal Quila of Delhi, Charminar of Hyderabad, Bada Imambaraof Lucknow drawa large number of visitors fromall walks of life. In thismanner, India’s unity isnot only politico- geographic, butalso cultural in nature. Somes Match the following: @ Ajmer Sharif @ Imambara (i Sindi (iv) Kanyakumari (v) Puri ‘+ Inthis lesson you have leamt about unity and diversity of'agreat nation called India. * Despite several diversities in term of religion, language, culture, caste, and communities, India has maintained unity in the past, present as well as will continue to be united in the future. YOLOGY Lucknow Orissa Andhra Pradesh Rajasthan ‘TamilnaduTTT © Thehistory shows that variouskingdoms have always promoted and maintained this processes of unity by creating a rich architectural and cultural heritage. ‘+ Today our varicties of cultures and language maintain their identities within the all-India framework. ‘© The whole world has started recognizing the progress of India in various fields, ‘ot by imitating the west but by retaining our Indianness. Ammen 1, Whatis meant by unity in diversity? 2. Discuss the diversities found in India in terms of religion. 3. Describe briefly the concept of melting pot. 4. Discuss the nature of coexistence of various communities with examples. 5. How unity is maintained in India? 241 @ False @ Tr Gi) False @) Tne (False 24.2 @ — Hight (i) 83% peoplein India are Hindu Gi) Eighteen , (s) Four (¥) Exchange of goods & services between various jatis, 243 @ — Cuhural @ Kalinga @i) British -@) South 244° () Rajasthan @ Lucknow @ © AndhraPradesh = (iv) Tamilnadu (v) Orissa SOCIOLOGY