Discover India’s unity in diversity
through its folk tales, the National Anthem, and cultural practices that
reflect its rich history.

Chapter 8 Unity in Diversity, or Many in the One

Class 6 NCERT Social
Science Exploring Society India
and Beyond

New
Syllabus | Easy to remember solutions

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Map: 

Chapter 8: Unity in Diversity or ‘Many in the One’ (विविधता में एकता या ‘कई में एक’)

Tagore’s and Aurobindo’s Quotations (टैगोर और औरोबिंदो के उद्धरण)

National Anthem and its Symbolism (राष्ट्रीय गान और इसका प्रतीकवाद)

Folk Tales and Panchatantra (लोककथाएँ और पंचतंत्र)

Question 1.
Conduct a class discussion on the two quotations at the start of the chapter.

The first quotation is from Rabindranath Tagore – “Oh, grant me my
prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of the touch of the one in the play of
the many.”

The second quotation is from Sri Aurobindo – “… The principle of
unity in diversity which has always been normal to [India] and its fulfilment
the fundamental course of her being and its very nature, the Many in the One,
would place her on the sure foundation of her Swabhava and Swadharma.“

• Question 2. Read the National
  Anthem and its translation in the preliminary pages of this textbook.
  Where do you see the diversity? And where the unity? Write two or three
  paragraphs on this.

 

• Question 3. Select a few stories
  from the Pañchatantra and discuss how their message is still valid today.
  Do you know of any similar stories from your region?

The Pañchatantra is a collection of stories, at least 2,200 years old,
featuring animals as the main characters and teaching important life skills.
The stories have been adapted into almost every Indian language and have spread
to Southeast Asia, the Arab world and Europe.

• Question 4. Collect a few folk
  tales from your region and discuss their message.

 

• Question 5. Is there any ancient
  story that you have seen being depicted through a form of art? It could be
  a sculpture, a painting, a dance performance, a movie … Discuss with your
  classmates.

 

• Question 6. Discuss in class the
  following quotation by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru,
  when he travelled to many parts of India before Independence: “Everywhere
  I found a cultural background which had exerted a powerful influence on
  their lives. … The old epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
  and other books, in popular translations and paraphrases, were widely
  known among the masses, and every incident and story and moral in them was
  engraved on the popular mind and gave a richness and content to it.
  Illiterate villagers would know hundreds of verses by heart and their
  conversation would be full of references to them or to some story with a
  moral, enshrined in some old classic.”

Jawaharlal Nehru’s observation, quoted, highlights the pervasive
influence of India’s cultural and literary heritage, particularly the epics Ramayana
and Mahabharata, on the lives of people across different regions and
social strata. He notes that even those who were illiterate possessed a
deep familiarity with these epics, their stories, and their moral teachings.
This suggests that these texts served not merely as entertainment but as
sources of moral guidance, shared values, and a common cultural vocabulary that
connected people from diverse backgrounds.

Here are some points that could encourage discussion about Nehru’s
quotation:

• Cultural Influence of Epics: Discuss the ways in which epics
  like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have shaped Indian
  culture, values, and beliefs.
• Oral Tradition and Transmission: Explore the role of oral
  tradition in preserving and transmitting these epics across generations,
  especially among those who may not have had access to formal education.
• Relevance to Contemporary
  Society: Discuss
  whether these epics continue to hold relevance in modern Indian society
  and how their themes might resonate with contemporary issues.
• Diversity of Interpretations: Consider the possibility of
  diverse interpretations of these epics across different regions,
  communities, or social groups.
• Comparison with Other Cultures: Compare and contrast the
  cultural influence of epics in India with that of similar texts in other
  cultures, such as the Homeric epics in ancient Greece or the Epic of
  Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia.

By examining Nehru’s observation and engaging in these discussion points,
students can gain a deeper appreciation for the enduring legacy of India’s
cultural heritage and its impact on the lives of its people.