UNITY IN DIVERSITY
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.
Don't forget the days of blood,
O friend, In the midst of your happiness remember to shed a tear for us
The hunter has torn away every single flower
Do plant a flower in the desert garden dear friend
Having fallen to bullets we slept in Jallianwala Bagh
Do light a lamp on this lonely grave
O friend,
The blood of Hindus and Muslims flows together today,
Do soak your robe in this river of blood dear friend,
Some rot in jails while others lie in their graves
Do shed a few tears for them O friend.
This song was sung after the Jallianwala Baghdad massacre in Amritsar in which a British general opened fire on a large group of unarmed, peaceful people killing many and wounding even more.Men and women, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, rich and poor had gathered to protest against the British. This song was composed and sung to honour the memory of those brave people.
Songs and symbols that emerged during the freedom struggle serve as a constant reminder of our country's rich tradition of respect for diversity. Do you know the story of Indian flag? It was used as a symbol of protest against the British by people everywhere.
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, the widest tolerance of belief and custom was practised and every variety acknowledged and even encouraged."
It was Nehru, who coined the phrase, 'unity in diversity ' to describe the country.
DIFFERENCE AND PREJUDICE
There are many things that make us what we are - how we live, the languages we speak, what we eat, wear, the games we play and the things we celebrate. All of these are influenced both y the geography and history of the place where we live.
There are eight major religions in the world. Every single one of them is practiced in India. We have more than 1600 languages that are people 's mother tongue, and there are more than a hundred dance forms.
Yet this diversity is not always celebrated. This is because we feel safe and secure with people who look, talk and think like us.
Sometimes when we meet people who are very different from us we may find them strange and unfamiliar. At times we may not understand or know the reasons why they are different from us.People also form certain attitudes and opinions about others who are not like them.
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