Institute of Integrated Learning in Management Graduate School of ManagementIndian Society and Culture Assignment INDIA UNITY IN DIVERSITY Submitted to: Vinay Srivastava Submitted By: 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 Jump to: navigation, search 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 (26001900 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!