Class 6 chap 1: Diversity

DIVERSITY : historical and geographical factors influence the diversity of a region.

 GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS : diversity comes about when people adapt their lives to the
geographical area in which they live.
 HISTORICAL FACTORS : they began to make their homes in new places, people began to
change a little and at other times they managed to do things in the old ways. So their
languages, food, music, religions became a mix of the old and the new, and out of this
intermixing of cultures, came something new and different. The history of many places
show us how many different cultural influences have helped to shape life and culture
there. Thus regions became very diverse because of their unique histories.
DIVERSITY IN INDIA
India is a country of many diversities. We speak different languages, have various types of
food, celebrate different festivals, practise different religions. But actually, if you think
about it, we do many things that are similar except that we do them in different ways.

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.

INEQUALITY : Inequality comes about when a person does not have the resources and
opportunities that are available to other persons. The caste system is another example of
inequality.

 Tibetan national epic the Kesar Saga are performed and sung by both Muslims and Buddhists.
 India's national anthem, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, is another expression of the unity of
India.
 'disabled' this term has been changed and now the term used is 'children with special needs'.

The term ‘diversity’ emphasizes differences rather than inequalities. It means collective
differences, that is, differences which mark off one group of people from another. These
differences may be of any sort: biological, religious, linguistic etc. Thus, diversity means
variety of races, of religions, of languages, of castes and of cultures.
Various forms of diversity in India:
 Religious diversity: population consists of the Hindus (82.41%), Muslims (11.6%),
Christians (2.32%), Sikhs (1.99%), Buddhists (0.77%) and Jains (0.41%).
 Linguistic diversity: Languages spoken in India belong to several language families, the
major ones being the Indo-Aryan languages spoken by 75% of Indians and the Dravidian
languages spoken by 20% of Indians. Other languages belong to the Austroasiatic, Sino-
Tibetan, Tai-Kadai, and a few other minor language families and isolates. India has the
world’s second highest number of languages, after Papua New
 Racial diversity: 1931 census classified India’s racial diversity in the following groups-
The Negrito, The Proto-Australoid, The Mongoloid, The Mediterranean, The Western
Brachycephals and the Nordic.
 Caste diversity: India is a country of The term caste has been used to refer to both varna
as well as jati. Varna is the four-fold division of society according to functional
differentiation. Thus, the four varnas include Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and
Shudras and an outcaste group.
 Cultural diversity: Cultural patterns reflect regional variations. Because of population
diversity, there is immense variety in Indian culture as it is a blend of various cultures.
Different religion, castes, regions follow their own tradition and culture. Thus, there is
variation in art, architecture, dance forms, theatre forms, music
 Geographical diversity: Spanning across an area of 3.28 million square kilometre, India is
a vast country with great diversity of physical features like dry deserts, evergreen
forests, lofty mountains, perennial and non-perennial river systems, long coasts and
fertile plains.
Factors Leading to Unity amidst Diversity in India:
 Constitutional identity: The entire country is
governed by one single Even, most of the states DIVERSITY INEQUALITY
follow a generalised scheme of 3-tier 1. Inequality is
government structure, thus imparting uniformity 1. Diversity is
the unequal
in national governance framework. Further, the the presence of
treatment given to
different people
Constitution guarantees certain fundamental people because of
with different
rights to all citizens regardless of their age, their socio-
skills,
gender, class, caste, religion, etc. economic
preferences and
 Religious co-existence: conditions,
background in a
 Inter-State mobility: The Constitution guarantees gender or
group or society.
ethnicity.
freedom to move throughout the territory of India
under Article 19 (1) (d) 2. Inequality often
2. Diversity
leads to
 Institution of pilgrimage and religious practices: provides us the
discrimination
 Climatic integration via monsoon: opportunities to
against people
 Sports and Cinema: learn new things
who have lesser
Factors that threaten India’s unity: and makes us
resources and
more tolerant.
 Regionalism: privileges.
 Divisive politics:
 Development imbalance: Uneven pattern of
socio-economic development, inadequate economic policies and consequent economic
disparities can lead to backwardness of a region
 Ethnic differentiation and nativism: Ethnic differentiation has often led to clashes
between different ethnic groups especially due to factors such as job competition, limited
 resources, threat to identity E.g. frequent clashes between Bodos and Bengali speaking
Muslims in Assam.
 Geographical isolation: Geographical isolation too can lead to identity issues and
separatist The North-East is geographically isolated from the rest of the country as it is
connected with the rest of the country by a narrow corridor i.e the Siliguri corridor
(Chicken’s neck).
 Inter-state conflicts:
 Inter-religious conflicts

Class 6 chap 2: Diversity and Discrimination

There are eight major religions in the world. Every single one of them is practised in
India. We have more than 1600 (780) languages that are people's mother tongues, and
there are more than a hundred dance forms.

Yet this diversity is not always celebrated.

Sometimes when we meet people who are very different from us we may find them
strange and unfamiliar.

Prejudice means to judge other people negatively or see them as inferior. When we think
that only one particular way is the best and right way to do things we often end up not
respecting others, who may prefer to do things differently. For example, if we think
English is the best language and other languages are not important, we are judging these
other languages negatively. As a result, we might not respect people who speak
languages other than English.

e.g. :

 people's religious beliefs,  the accent they speak in,

 the colour of their skin,  the clothes they wear
 the region they come from,

At times, we may even act in ways that hurt them.

Stereotypes :
When we fix people into one image we create a stereotype. When people say that those
who belong to a particular country, religion, sex, race or economic background are "stingy,"
"lazy," "criminal" or "dumb," they are using stereotypes.

Stereotypes stop us from looking at each person as a unique individual with his or her own
special qualities and skills that are different from others. They fit large numbers of people
into only one pattern or type. Stereotypes affect all of us as they prevent us from doing
certain things, that we might otherwise be good at.
e.g. :
 Boys don't cry.  Boys are good at sport.
 Girls are soft spoken and gentle.  Girls are emotional.
This are typical stereotypes. Boys can cry if they feel . Girls can be good
at sports and boys can be emotional.

A common stereotype about Muslims is that they are not interested in

educating girls and therefore do not send girls to school. However, studies
have now shown that poverty amongst Muslims is an important reason why
Muslim girls do not attend school or drop out from school after a few years .

Inequality and Discrimination

Discrimination happens when people act on their prejudices or stereotypes. If
you do something to put other people down, if you stop them from taking part
in certain activities and taking up jobs, or stop them from living in certain
neighbourhoods, prevent them from taking water from the same well or hand
pump, or not allow them to drink tea in the same cups or glasses as others,
you are discriminating against them.

Discrimination can take place because of several reasons.

 Religion, Cast, Tribal diversity can also be a source of discrimination.
 Economic backgrounds can also be a source of discrimination.
Occupation Based discrimination (Activities like cleaning, washing, cutting
hair, picking garbage are seen as tasks that are of less value and people who
do this work are seen as dirty or impure.)
Dalit is a term that people belonging to so-
called lower castes use to address
So these leaders set out a vision and goals in the
themselves. They prefer this word to
Constitution to ensure that all the people of India 'untouchable'. Dalit means those who have
were considered equal. This equality of all been 'broken'. This word according to
persons is seen as a key value that unites us all Dalit’s shows how social prejudices and
as Indians. Everyone has equal rights and discrimination have 'broken' the Dalit
opportunities. people. The government refers to this
group of people as Scheduled Castes (SC).

The Constitution also placed responsibility on the government to take specific

steps to realise this right to equality for poor and other such marginal
communities.

The writers of the Constitution also said that respect for diversity was a
significant element in ensuring equality. They felt that people must have the
freedom to follow their religion, speak their language, celebrate their festivals
and express themselves freely. They said that no one language, religion or
festival should become compulsory for all to follow. They said that the
government must treat all religions equally.

Therefore, India became a secular country where people of different religions

and faiths have the freedom to practise and follow their religion without any
fear of discrimination. This is seen as an important element of our unity – that
we all live together and respect one other.

Class 6 chap 3: Government

Government : When human beings live and work together, there needs to be
some amount of organisation so that decisions can be made. Some rules have
to be made that apply to everyone. For example, there is a need to control
resources and protect the territory of a country, so people can feel secure.
Governments do this on behalf of their people by exercising leadership, taking
decisions and implementing these among all the people living in their territory.
Level of government : Government and Work:

1. Local level ( Panchayet/ word)  The government makes laws and everyone who lives in the
2. State level country has to follow these.( by legislature)
 Just like the government has the power to make decisions,
3. National level
similarly it has the power to enforce its decisions.( by
executive)
 Government Can punish if the low not followed.( by
Types of Government :
judiciary)
 In a democracy it is the people who give the government this power.
They do this through elections in which they vote for particular persons
and elect them. In a democracy the government has to explain its
actions and defend its decisions to the people.
 In monarchy, The monarch (king or queen) has the power to make
decisions and run the government. The monarch may have a small
group of people to discuss matters with, but the final decision-making
power remains with the monarch. kings and queens do not have to
explain their actions or defend the decisions they take.
India As A Democracy : main feature of a democracy is that the people
have the power to elect their leaders. So in a sense a democracy is rule by the
people. Democratic governments in our times are usually referred to as
representative democracies. In representative democracies people do not
participate directly but, instead, choose their representatives through an
election process.

 Constitutional Monarchy:
o Constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a
monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized
government.
o The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a purely
ceremonial leader, who only performs the formalities but does not
have real power as the Prime Minister.
o The constitution allocates the rest of the government’s power
to the legislature and judiciary.
 Countries with Constitutional monarchies
include England, Belgium, Cambodia, Jordan, the
Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Thailand.
 Absolute Monarchy:
o An absolute monarchy is a form of government in which a
single person—usually a king or queen—holds absolute,
autocratic power.
o In absolute monarchies, the succession of power is typically
hereditary, with the throne passing among members of a ruling
family.
o In a monarchy, state authority is held by a single family,
which passes down the throne from generation to
generation.
o Arising during the Middle Ages, absolute monarchy prevailed in
much of western Europe by the 16 th century. Along with France,
as epitomized by King Louis XIV, absolute monarchs ruled
other European countries, including England, Spain, Prussia,
and Austria.
 Countries with Absolute Monarchies include, Brunei,
Eswatini, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Vatican City, United Arab
Emirates

 Democracy:
o People in democracies can vote for their preferred
representatives or political parties during elections and thus
citizens can elect members to legislatures such as the Parliament.
o Democracy refers to governance that is run by, for, and for
the people.
 Countries follow democracy include, India, Norway,
Iceland, Sweden, The USA etc.
 Republic:
o Republics and democracies both provide a political system in
which citizens are represented by elected officials who are
sworn to protect their interests.
 o In a pure democracy, laws are made directly by the voting
majority leaving the rights of the minority largely unprotected.
o In a republic, laws are made by representatives chosen by
the people and must comply with a constitution that specifically
protects the rights of the minority from the will of the majority.
 The United States, Mexico, India, France, Kenya, South
Korea, Peru, and Indonesia are only a few to republics.
 Aristocracy:
o An aristocracy is a government-administered by members of
the ruling class, who are generally from affluent families,
families with a specific set of ideas, or individuals from a specific
location.
o Aristocracy differs from nobility in that nobility refers to a
single lineage ruling, whereas aristocracy refers to a few or
more bloodlines ruling, or rulers selected differently.
 Dictatorship:
o A dictatorship is when a country's government is governed by a
single individual who has complete authority over its
citizens.
 Originally, dictators were appointed by the Roman
Republic to rule during times of war.
o A dictator's control in contemporary times is unaffected by
laws, constitutions, or other social and political institutions, and
can persist for years, if not decades.
 Many Latin American nations became dictatorships when
the Spanish Empire fell apart.
o Parts of World War II were fought between dictators, and
dictators eventually controlled new countries in Asia and Africa.
Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and other tyrants are examples.
 Republic of the Congo, North Korea, Cameron are a few of
the Dictating Countries.
 Oligarchy:
o A government dominated by a small number of influential people
is known as an oligarchy. Oligarchy is also considered to be
the distorted form of Aristocracy.
o These individuals may or may not distribute power
equitably. Rather than one person making all of the choices or
instructing others what to do, as in a dictatorship, a
democratic monarchy is one in which everyone makes decisions
collectively.
o Because only a few individuals are allowed to alter things, an
oligarchy differs from a real democracy.
o It is not necessary for an oligarchy to be hereditary or passed
down from father to son.
o An oligarchy is ruled by a group of influential people rather
than a single king.
 In modern times, “oligarchy” is generally applied to China
and Iran. China describes itself as a communist “people's
 republic,” but leadership of the country has been
maintained by a select few for several decades.

Democracy Parliamental Democracy

Constitutional Monarchy

Monarchy Absolute Monarchy

Democratic Republic

Republic
Presidential republic
Government

Semipresidential republic
Fascism

Totalitarianism Communism Parliamrntial republic

Oligarchy

Anarchy Dictatorship

Class 6 chap 4: Key Elements of a Democratic Government

South Africa was earlier governed by apartheid laws. Apartheid means

separation on the basis of race. In 1994 South Africa became a democratic
country.
Democratic government means:
 Participation by voting in election or Criticising the government when
needed by means of peaceful rallies, Dharnas etc
 The government is responsible for helping to resolve conflicts among
various group and community to maintain peace and harmony.
 One of the key ideas of a democratic government is its commitment to
equality and justice.

Class 6 chap 5: