Understanding Diversity

Q19. Who is credited with bringing Christianity to India?

Ans. The Apostle of Christ, St. Thomas is believed to have come here nearly 2000 years ago and he is credited with bringing Christianity to India.

Q20. Who wrote a travelogue that describes the lives of Muslims?

Ans. Ibn Battuta, who travelled here a little less than seven hundred years ago, wrote a travelogue in which he describes the lives of Muslims.

Q21. Make a list of the food that you have eaten from different parts of India.

Ans. Curry-chawal, Gatte ki Khichdi, chhole-bhature, Rajasthani Kadi, Dal Bati Churma, Idli-sambhar, Dosa, makke-ki-roti and Saraso ka saag, chicken, biriyani, etc.

Q22. Make a list of the languages besides your mother tongue that you can speak at least one or two words of.

Ans. My mother tongue is Hindi. Besides Hindi, I can also speak a few other languages such as English, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Marathi and Maithili. But I am not as much fluent in these languages as in Hindi.

Q23. While Kerala and Ladakh are quite different in terms of their geographical features, the history of both regions has seen similar cultural influences. Why?

Ans. The history of both regions has seen similar cultural influences because both regions were influenced by Chinese and Arab traders.

Q24. Make a list of the festivals that might have been celebrated by the two boys. Samir Ek:  Samir Do:

Ans. The festivals celebrated by Samir Ek- Holi, Diwali, Durgapuja, Ram Navami, etc.

The festivals celebrated by Samir Do-=Id-ul-Fttr, Id-ul Zoha, Muharram, etc.

Q25. What do you think living in India with its rich heritage of diversity adds to your life?

Ans. India is a country of diversities. We speak different languages, have various types of food, celebrate different festivals, practise different religions. However, despite all this, we unite together as Indians. We share the same national symbols, national virtues and feelings.

Q26. Name three ways in which Samir Ek and Samir Do were different? Did these differences prevent them from becoming friends?

Ans. The three ways in which Samir Ek and Samir Do were different

Despite these differences they are very close friends.

Q27. India's diversity has always been recognised as a source of its strength. How?

Ans. 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.

Q28. Draw up a list of the different festivals celebrated in your locality. Which of these celebrations are shared by members of different regional and religious communities?

Ans. List of the different festivals celebrated in our locality.

Republic Day

Independence Day

Gandhi Jayanti

Mahavir Jayanti

Budha Purnima

Christmas Day

Dussehra.

Diwali (Deepavali)

Id-ul-Fttr

Gurupurab

Ganesh Chaturthi

Krishna Janmashtmi

Navratri

RakshaBandhan

Onam

Pongal

Festivals shared by members of different regional and religious communities are: Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.

Q29. Do you think the term "unity in diversity" is an appropriate term to describe India? What do you think Nehru is trying to say about Indian unity in the sentence quoted above from his book The Discovery of India?

Ans. India is a country of diversities. We speak different languages, have various types of food, celebrate different festivals, practise different religions. But actually, if we think about it, we do many things that are similar except that we do them in different ways. Hence, term "unity in diversity" is an appropriate term to describe India.

Nehru has written in his book ''The Discovery of India", "It was something deeper and within its fold, the widest tolerance of belief and custom was practised and every variety acknowledged and even encouraged."

He means that when one look into it deeply, one finds that India is not only united, but its people also know how to accept and respect other customs and beliefs.

Q30. Underline the line in the poem sung after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which according to you, reflects India's essential unity.

Ans.  

Q31. List three different ways in which people in India do the following. One of the possible answers has been provided for you already.

Ans.