NCERT Textbook: Unity in Diversity, or `Many in the One` | Social Studies (SST) Class 6 PDF Download

 Page 1


125
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Unity in Diversity, or 
‘Many in the One’
CHAPTER
8
 
Oh, grant me my prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of 
the touch of the one in the play of the many.
— Rabindranath Tagore
… 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.
— Sri Aurobindo
1. What is meant by ‘unity 
in diversity’ in the Indian 
scenario?
2. What aspects of India’s 
diversity are the most striking?
3. How do we make out the unity 
underlying the diversity?
The Big 
Questions
8_100724_v8.indd   125 8_100724_v8.indd   125 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM
Page 2


125
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Unity in Diversity, or 
‘Many in the One’
CHAPTER
8
 
Oh, grant me my prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of 
the touch of the one in the play of the many.
— Rabindranath Tagore
… 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.
— Sri Aurobindo
1. What is meant by ‘unity 
in diversity’ in the Indian 
scenario?
2. What aspects of India’s 
diversity are the most striking?
3. How do we make out the unity 
underlying the diversity?
The Big 
Questions
8_100724_v8.indd   125 8_100724_v8.indd   125 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond 
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
A Rich Diversity
If you travel through India by train, you will notice not 
only changing landscapes but also many different types of  
dresses and food; you will hear different languages, familiar 
and unfamiliar, and see different scripts on the way. Even 
within your own region, you will often come across people 
from other parts of India with different customs and 
traditions. This is India’s rich diversity, and it is usually the 
first thing that strikes visitors to our country.
With over 1.4 billion inhabitants (about 18 percent of the 
world’s population), such diversity is not surprising! In the 
late 20
th
 century, the Anthropological Survey of India, a 
national organisation, conducted a massive survey called 
‘People of India project’ of 4,635 communities across all 
States of the country. It counted 325 languages using 25 
scripts; it also observed that many Indians may be called 
migrants, in the sense of people not living near their 
birthplace or with their original community.
LET’S EXPLORE
As a class activity, make lists of (1) the birthplaces of at least 5 
classmates and the birthplaces of their parents; (2) the students’ 
mother tongues and other languages known to them. Discuss 
the results in terms of diversity.
While diversity is indeed beautiful, making sense of it is not 
so easy. Over a century ago, the British historian Vincent 
Smith wondered,
“How, in the face of such bewildering diversity, can a 
history of India be written? … The answer to the query 
is found in the fact that India offers unity in diversity.”
What is meant by ‘unity in diversity’? How shall we perceive 
and express this unity, or the ‘Many in the One’? To answer 
this question, we will explore a few dimensions of Indian life.
8_100724_v8.indd   126 8_100724_v8.indd   126 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM
Page 3


125
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Unity in Diversity, or 
‘Many in the One’
CHAPTER
8
 
Oh, grant me my prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of 
the touch of the one in the play of the many.
— Rabindranath Tagore
… 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.
— Sri Aurobindo
1. What is meant by ‘unity 
in diversity’ in the Indian 
scenario?
2. What aspects of India’s 
diversity are the most striking?
3. How do we make out the unity 
underlying the diversity?
The Big 
Questions
8_100724_v8.indd   125 8_100724_v8.indd   125 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond 
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
A Rich Diversity
If you travel through India by train, you will notice not 
only changing landscapes but also many different types of  
dresses and food; you will hear different languages, familiar 
and unfamiliar, and see different scripts on the way. Even 
within your own region, you will often come across people 
from other parts of India with different customs and 
traditions. This is India’s rich diversity, and it is usually the 
first thing that strikes visitors to our country.
With over 1.4 billion inhabitants (about 18 percent of the 
world’s population), such diversity is not surprising! In the 
late 20
th
 century, the Anthropological Survey of India, a 
national organisation, conducted a massive survey called 
‘People of India project’ of 4,635 communities across all 
States of the country. It counted 325 languages using 25 
scripts; it also observed that many Indians may be called 
migrants, in the sense of people not living near their 
birthplace or with their original community.
LET’S EXPLORE
As a class activity, make lists of (1) the birthplaces of at least 5 
classmates and the birthplaces of their parents; (2) the students’ 
mother tongues and other languages known to them. Discuss 
the results in terms of diversity.
While diversity is indeed beautiful, making sense of it is not 
so easy. Over a century ago, the British historian Vincent 
Smith wondered,
“How, in the face of such bewildering diversity, can a 
history of India be written? … The answer to the query 
is found in the fact that India offers unity in diversity.”
What is meant by ‘unity in diversity’? How shall we perceive 
and express this unity, or the ‘Many in the One’? To answer 
this question, we will explore a few dimensions of Indian life.
8_100724_v8.indd   126 8_100724_v8.indd   126 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM
127
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Food for All
Some of you will have eaten food from different regions of 
India. The number of different dishes and preparations you 
can taste in India must be in their thousands, if not lakhs! 
Yet certain food grains are common to almost every part 
of the country — cereals such as rice, barley and wheat; 
millets such as  pearl millet (bajra), sorghum (jowar), finger 
millet (ragi); and pulses such as various kinds of dals and 
Fig. 8.1. A few examples of cereals and pulses from different regions of India
rajma
millet
pigeon pea
jawar
kollam rice
rajma
arhar dal
white lobia
millet
basmati
moong 
dal
chana dal
chickpea
ponni rice
rice
rice
masoor dal
maize
maize
gram
sona masuri
rice
8_100724_v8.indd   127 8_100724_v8.indd   127 11-Jul-24   4:24:38 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:38 PM
Page 4


125
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Unity in Diversity, or 
‘Many in the One’
CHAPTER
8
 
Oh, grant me my prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of 
the touch of the one in the play of the many.
— Rabindranath Tagore
… 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.
— Sri Aurobindo
1. What is meant by ‘unity 
in diversity’ in the Indian 
scenario?
2. What aspects of India’s 
diversity are the most striking?
3. How do we make out the unity 
underlying the diversity?
The Big 
Questions
8_100724_v8.indd   125 8_100724_v8.indd   125 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond 
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
A Rich Diversity
If you travel through India by train, you will notice not 
only changing landscapes but also many different types of  
dresses and food; you will hear different languages, familiar 
and unfamiliar, and see different scripts on the way. Even 
within your own region, you will often come across people 
from other parts of India with different customs and 
traditions. This is India’s rich diversity, and it is usually the 
first thing that strikes visitors to our country.
With over 1.4 billion inhabitants (about 18 percent of the 
world’s population), such diversity is not surprising! In the 
late 20
th
 century, the Anthropological Survey of India, a 
national organisation, conducted a massive survey called 
‘People of India project’ of 4,635 communities across all 
States of the country. It counted 325 languages using 25 
scripts; it also observed that many Indians may be called 
migrants, in the sense of people not living near their 
birthplace or with their original community.
LET’S EXPLORE
As a class activity, make lists of (1) the birthplaces of at least 5 
classmates and the birthplaces of their parents; (2) the students’ 
mother tongues and other languages known to them. Discuss 
the results in terms of diversity.
While diversity is indeed beautiful, making sense of it is not 
so easy. Over a century ago, the British historian Vincent 
Smith wondered,
“How, in the face of such bewildering diversity, can a 
history of India be written? … The answer to the query 
is found in the fact that India offers unity in diversity.”
What is meant by ‘unity in diversity’? How shall we perceive 
and express this unity, or the ‘Many in the One’? To answer 
this question, we will explore a few dimensions of Indian life.
8_100724_v8.indd   126 8_100724_v8.indd   126 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM
127
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Food for All
Some of you will have eaten food from different regions of 
India. The number of different dishes and preparations you 
can taste in India must be in their thousands, if not lakhs! 
Yet certain food grains are common to almost every part 
of the country — cereals such as rice, barley and wheat; 
millets such as  pearl millet (bajra), sorghum (jowar), finger 
millet (ragi); and pulses such as various kinds of dals and 
Fig. 8.1. A few examples of cereals and pulses from different regions of India
rajma
millet
pigeon pea
jawar
kollam rice
rajma
arhar dal
white lobia
millet
basmati
moong 
dal
chana dal
chickpea
ponni rice
rice
rice
masoor dal
maize
maize
gram
sona masuri
rice
8_100724_v8.indd   127 8_100724_v8.indd   127 11-Jul-24   4:24:38 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:38 PM
128
Exploring Society: India and Beyond 
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
grams. All these are called ‘staple grains’ because they 
are the basic food for most Indians (Fig. 8.1 on page 127).  
Similarly, some common spices such as turmeric, cumin, 
cardamom and ginger, are also used throughout the 
country. We could continue this list with some common 
vegetables, common oils etc. 
So we see how the same ingredients (unity) can be used in 
a number of combinations (diversity) to prepare an endless 
variety of dishes!
LET’S EXPLORE
 Æ As a class activity, make a list of ingredients (grains, spices, 
etc.) that are used in your home. 
 Æ Take any one vegetable and think of the number of different 
dishes you can prepare with it.
Textiles and Clothing
Every region and community in 
India has developed its own styles of 
clothing and dresses. Yet, we notice 
a commonality in some traditional 
Indian dresses, irrespective of the 
material used. An obvious example 
is the plain length of cloth called 
the sari, a type of clothing worn in 
most parts of India and made from 
different fabrics — mostly cotton or 
silk, but nowadays synthetic fabrics 
too. Banarasi, Kanjivaram, Paithani, 
Patan Patola, Muga or Mysore are some 
of the famous types of silk saris. There 
are many more kinds of cotton saris. 
Altogether, this unstitched piece of cloth 
comes in hundreds of varieties. They are 
Fig. 8.2.  Stone relief of a  
woman in a sari from 
Vaishali (today in Bihar)
8_100724_v8.indd   128 8_100724_v8.indd   128 11-Jul-24   4:24:39 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:39 PM
Page 5


125
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Unity in Diversity, or 
‘Many in the One’
CHAPTER
8
 
Oh, grant me my prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of 
the touch of the one in the play of the many.
— Rabindranath Tagore
… 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.
— Sri Aurobindo
1. What is meant by ‘unity 
in diversity’ in the Indian 
scenario?
2. What aspects of India’s 
diversity are the most striking?
3. How do we make out the unity 
underlying the diversity?
The Big 
Questions
8_100724_v8.indd   125 8_100724_v8.indd   125 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:25 PM
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond 
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
A Rich Diversity
If you travel through India by train, you will notice not 
only changing landscapes but also many different types of  
dresses and food; you will hear different languages, familiar 
and unfamiliar, and see different scripts on the way. Even 
within your own region, you will often come across people 
from other parts of India with different customs and 
traditions. This is India’s rich diversity, and it is usually the 
first thing that strikes visitors to our country.
With over 1.4 billion inhabitants (about 18 percent of the 
world’s population), such diversity is not surprising! In the 
late 20
th
 century, the Anthropological Survey of India, a 
national organisation, conducted a massive survey called 
‘People of India project’ of 4,635 communities across all 
States of the country. It counted 325 languages using 25 
scripts; it also observed that many Indians may be called 
migrants, in the sense of people not living near their 
birthplace or with their original community.
LET’S EXPLORE
As a class activity, make lists of (1) the birthplaces of at least 5 
classmates and the birthplaces of their parents; (2) the students’ 
mother tongues and other languages known to them. Discuss 
the results in terms of diversity.
While diversity is indeed beautiful, making sense of it is not 
so easy. Over a century ago, the British historian Vincent 
Smith wondered,
“How, in the face of such bewildering diversity, can a 
history of India be written? … The answer to the query 
is found in the fact that India offers unity in diversity.”
What is meant by ‘unity in diversity’? How shall we perceive 
and express this unity, or the ‘Many in the One’? To answer 
this question, we will explore a few dimensions of Indian life.
8_100724_v8.indd   126 8_100724_v8.indd   126 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:26 PM
127
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
Food for All
Some of you will have eaten food from different regions of 
India. The number of different dishes and preparations you 
can taste in India must be in their thousands, if not lakhs! 
Yet certain food grains are common to almost every part 
of the country — cereals such as rice, barley and wheat; 
millets such as  pearl millet (bajra), sorghum (jowar), finger 
millet (ragi); and pulses such as various kinds of dals and 
Fig. 8.1. A few examples of cereals and pulses from different regions of India
rajma
millet
pigeon pea
jawar
kollam rice
rajma
arhar dal
white lobia
millet
basmati
moong 
dal
chana dal
chickpea
ponni rice
rice
rice
masoor dal
maize
maize
gram
sona masuri
rice
8_100724_v8.indd   127 8_100724_v8.indd   127 11-Jul-24   4:24:38 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:38 PM
128
Exploring Society: India and Beyond 
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
grams. All these are called ‘staple grains’ because they 
are the basic food for most Indians (Fig. 8.1 on page 127).  
Similarly, some common spices such as turmeric, cumin, 
cardamom and ginger, are also used throughout the 
country. We could continue this list with some common 
vegetables, common oils etc. 
So we see how the same ingredients (unity) can be used in 
a number of combinations (diversity) to prepare an endless 
variety of dishes!
LET’S EXPLORE
 Æ As a class activity, make a list of ingredients (grains, spices, 
etc.) that are used in your home. 
 Æ Take any one vegetable and think of the number of different 
dishes you can prepare with it.
Textiles and Clothing
Every region and community in 
India has developed its own styles of 
clothing and dresses. Yet, we notice 
a commonality in some traditional 
Indian dresses, irrespective of the 
material used. An obvious example 
is the plain length of cloth called 
the sari, a type of clothing worn in 
most parts of India and made from 
different fabrics — mostly cotton or 
silk, but nowadays synthetic fabrics 
too. Banarasi, Kanjivaram, Paithani, 
Patan Patola, Muga or Mysore are some 
of the famous types of silk saris. There 
are many more kinds of cotton saris. 
Altogether, this unstitched piece of cloth 
comes in hundreds of varieties. They are 
Fig. 8.2.  Stone relief of a  
woman in a sari from 
Vaishali (today in Bihar)
8_100724_v8.indd   128 8_100724_v8.indd   128 11-Jul-24   4:24:39 PM 11-Jul-24   4:24:39 PM
129
8 – Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
produced by different methods 
of weaving (Fig. 8.3 on the 
right) and designing. Some 
designs are part of the cloth, 
while others are printed after 
the cloth is woven. Finally, 
there are endless variations 
in the colours, which are 
produced from many kinds  
of pigments. 
The sari has a long history. 
This stone relief (Fig. 8.2 on  
page 128) from Vaishali (today 
in Bihar) goes back a few 
centuries BCE.
LET’S EXPLORE
Explain how the example of 
the sari reflects both unity and 
diversity (in 100-150 words).
   DON’T MISS OUT
For a very long time, India produced the finest cotton in the 
world and Indian textiles were exported as far away as Europe. 
One beautiful type of printed cotton called ‘chintz’ became so 
popular in 17
th
-century Europe that the sale of some European 
dresses dropped sharply. Eventually, to protect their own 
products, England and France decided to ban the import of 
chintz from India!        
There are many ways of wearing the sari, as they vary from 
one region to another or from one community to another. 
In fact, new ways of draping it are still being invented. But 
in the end, it is a single dress — the sari. In past centuries, 
Relief: 
A design 
that stands 
out from 
the surface 
of a panel 
(which may 
be of stone, 
wood, 
ceramic or 
another 
material).
Fig. 8.3. A few specimens of colourful traditional 
Indian textiles.
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