CBSE Notes For Class 6 Civics Chapter 1 Understanding Diversity
- Human beings are quite diverse or different from each other. There are many ways in which people differ from each other. They look different, may speak different languages, belong to different cultural backgrounds, practice different religious rituals, etc.
- Apart from these differences, inequality is prevalent in the society. Inequality exists when a person does not have resources and opportunities that are available to other persons.
- The caste system is a type of inequality according to which, society was divided into different groups depending upon the work that people did and they were supposed to remain in those groups.
- In some cases, diversity is important as it gives us the opportunity to eat different kinds of foods, celebrate different festivals, wear different clothes, and learn different languages.
Diversity In India
- India is a diverse country with differences in religion, types of food, languages festivals, etc. Despite these differences, people do many things that are similar but they do them in different ways.
- In the early times, people traveled from one part of the world to another for different reasons.
- For example, they traveled in search of people to trade with, in search of new places to settle in, to escape hunger due to famines and drought at their original place, in search of work, or because of war.
- When they settled down in the new place, they started to change a little and also retain some of their own cultures. This intermixing of cultures led to new and different cultures.
- It is evident from the history of many places that its culture has been influenced by many different cultures.
- Diversity also develops when people adapt their lives to the geographical area in which they live. For example, living near the sea is quite different from living in a mountainous area.
- Hence, the diversity of a region is influenced by the historical and geographical factors. This can be understood through the examples of two different parts of the country Ladakh and Kerala.
Ladakh: Ladakh is a desert in the mountains of the Eastern part of Jammu and Kashmir where very little agriculture is possible. This is because this region does not receive any rain and is covered with snow for most part of the year.
- There are very few trees that can grow in the region. For drinking water, people depend on the melting snow during the summer months.
- People in Ladakh rear sheep and goats. The goats in this region produce pashmina wool which is valued. Pashmina shawls are mainly woven in Kashmir.
- Ladakh was considered a good trade route because it had many passes through which caravans traveled to Tibet. The caravans carried textiles, spices, raw silk and carpets.
- Ladakh is also called Little Tibet. Mostly, Muslim and Buddhist people live in Ladakh. Ladakh has a very rich oral tradition of songs and poems.
- Local versions of the Tibetan national epic, the Kesar Saga, are performed and sung by both Muslims and Buddhists.
Kerala: Kerala is located in the South-West corner of India. It is surrounded by the sea on one side and hills on the other side.
- On the hills of Kerala, a number of spices such as pepper, cloves cardamoms, etc are grown. These spices attracted traders.
- Jewish and Arab traders were the first to come here. It is believed that St. Thomas, the Apostle of Christ, came here nearly 2000 years ago and he is credited with bringing Christianity to India.
- Ibn Battuta, who traveled to Kerala about seven hundred years ago, wrote a travelogue in which he describes the lives of Muslims and says that they were a highly respectful community.
- The Portuguese discovered the sea route to India when Vasco da Gama landed with his ship in Kerala.
- People in Kerala practice different religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, etc because of historical influences.
- The main occupation in Kerala is fishing. The nets used for fishing are similar to the Chinese fishing nets and are called cheena-vala.
- The utensil which is used for frying fish is called cheenachatti and it is believed that the word ‘cheen’ could have come from China.
- The famous festival celebrated in Kerala is Onam and the boat race is an important part of this festival.
Differences and Similarities between Ladakh and Kerala
- Ladakh and Kerala are different in terms of their geography, however, the history of both regions was influenced by similar cultures because both the regions were influenced by Chinese and Arab traders.
- It was the geographical condition of both states that allowed for the cultivation of spices in Kerala and the rearing of sheep for wool in Ladakh. Thus, the history and geography of a place are linked to its cultural life.
CBSE Notes For Class 6 Civics Chapter 1 Unity In Diversity
- India is a perfect example of unity in diversity where diversity has been recognized as a source of the country’s strength.
- When the British ruled over India, men and women both participated in the Indian struggle for freedom even though they were from different religions, cultures, castes, etc.
- Songs and symbols that emerged during the freedom struggle represent the rich tradition of India’s respect for diversity.
- The Britishers thought that they would continue to rule over Indians by dividing them because of their differences.
- However, Indians showed that though they were different, they were united in their fight against the Britishers.
- In his book ‘The Discovery of India’, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru coined the phrase ‘Unity in diversity’ to describe India.
- Rabindranath Tagore composed India’s National Anthem which is an expression of the unity of India.