NCERT Textbook: India, a Home to Many

 Page 1


125
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
CHAPTER
India,  
a Home to Many
ayam nijah paro veti ga??an?? laghucetas??m
ud??racharit??n??m tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam
“This is mine, that is not mine,” so think the narrow-minded.
For the noble-minded, the whole world is family.
— Hitopade??ha
Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger , 
my child; the whole world is your own.
— Last message of Sri Sarada Devi  
(spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa)
5
The Big 
Questions
1. What has made India a home 
for people from di??erent parts 
of the world?
2. Why did oppressed or 
persecuted people from other 
countries seek refuge in India?
3. What is it about the nature 
of Indian society that enables 
people to assimilate here?
Chapter 5.indd   125 Chapter 5.indd   125 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
Page 2


125
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
CHAPTER
India,  
a Home to Many
ayam nijah paro veti ga??an?? laghucetas??m
ud??racharit??n??m tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam
“This is mine, that is not mine,” so think the narrow-minded.
For the noble-minded, the whole world is family.
— Hitopade??ha
Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger , 
my child; the whole world is your own.
— Last message of Sri Sarada Devi  
(spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa)
5
The Big 
Questions
1. What has made India a home 
for people from di??erent parts 
of the world?
2. Why did oppressed or 
persecuted people from other 
countries seek refuge in India?
3. What is it about the nature 
of Indian society that enables 
people to assimilate here?
Chapter 5.indd   125 Chapter 5.indd   125 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 2
In the chapter “Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ ” 
(Grade 6 Social Science textbook), we read that “many Indians 
may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near 
their birthplace or with their original community.” In this 
chapter, we will explore another type of migrants — people 
who came to India from other parts of the world and settled 
here, adding another dimension to the diversity. There have 
been many such migrant communities in India’s history, up 
to recent times. We cannot cover them all in this chapter and 
have selected only a few representative examples. 
  THINK ABOUT IT
 Æ Imagine this scenario — A stranger knocks at your 
door at midnight. It is raining heavily outside, and the 
stranger seeks shelter for the night claiming that his 
car broke down while he was driving in the vicinity. 
Your family goes into a huddle to discuss the pros and 
cons of letting a stranger into the house at night. Form 
two groups to discuss the arguments for and against 
in this scenario.
 Æ Now extend this scenario to a country like India — 
when refugees seek shelter in India, will similar 
arguments apply?
Jews: 
Jews are 
members of 
the people 
and the 
cultural 
community 
originating 
from the 
ancient 
Hebrews of 
Israel and 
traditionally 
linked to the 
religion of 
Judaism. A 
Jew may be 
identi??ed 
either by 
descent 
from Jewish 
ancestry 
or through 
conversion. 
Jewish 
identity may 
therefore 
be de??ned 
on the basis 
of religion, 
culture, 
history, or 
ethnicity.
The Story of Indian Jews
Jews sought sanctuary in India in several waves. The 
persecution of Jews in various countries led to them having to 
??ee their homes. India has proved to be a safe haven where 
they can practise their faith without fear.      
The Bene Israel are a Jewish community that lived on the 
Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai. According to some 
scholars, they came around 175 BCE, from the ancient 
Kingdom of Israel. On their journey, their ship was caught 
in a storm and shipwrecked near the coast. The survivors 
Chapter 5.indd   126 Chapter 5.indd   126 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
Page 3


125
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
CHAPTER
India,  
a Home to Many
ayam nijah paro veti ga??an?? laghucetas??m
ud??racharit??n??m tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam
“This is mine, that is not mine,” so think the narrow-minded.
For the noble-minded, the whole world is family.
— Hitopade??ha
Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger , 
my child; the whole world is your own.
— Last message of Sri Sarada Devi  
(spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa)
5
The Big 
Questions
1. What has made India a home 
for people from di??erent parts 
of the world?
2. Why did oppressed or 
persecuted people from other 
countries seek refuge in India?
3. What is it about the nature 
of Indian society that enables 
people to assimilate here?
Chapter 5.indd   125 Chapter 5.indd   125 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 2
In the chapter “Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ ” 
(Grade 6 Social Science textbook), we read that “many Indians 
may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near 
their birthplace or with their original community.” In this 
chapter, we will explore another type of migrants — people 
who came to India from other parts of the world and settled 
here, adding another dimension to the diversity. There have 
been many such migrant communities in India’s history, up 
to recent times. We cannot cover them all in this chapter and 
have selected only a few representative examples. 
  THINK ABOUT IT
 Æ Imagine this scenario — A stranger knocks at your 
door at midnight. It is raining heavily outside, and the 
stranger seeks shelter for the night claiming that his 
car broke down while he was driving in the vicinity. 
Your family goes into a huddle to discuss the pros and 
cons of letting a stranger into the house at night. Form 
two groups to discuss the arguments for and against 
in this scenario.
 Æ Now extend this scenario to a country like India — 
when refugees seek shelter in India, will similar 
arguments apply?
Jews: 
Jews are 
members of 
the people 
and the 
cultural 
community 
originating 
from the 
ancient 
Hebrews of 
Israel and 
traditionally 
linked to the 
religion of 
Judaism. A 
Jew may be 
identi??ed 
either by 
descent 
from Jewish 
ancestry 
or through 
conversion. 
Jewish 
identity may 
therefore 
be de??ned 
on the basis 
of religion, 
culture, 
history, or 
ethnicity.
The Story of Indian Jews
Jews sought sanctuary in India in several waves. The 
persecution of Jews in various countries led to them having to 
??ee their homes. India has proved to be a safe haven where 
they can practise their faith without fear.      
The Bene Israel are a Jewish community that lived on the 
Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai. According to some 
scholars, they came around 175 BCE, from the ancient 
Kingdom of Israel. On their journey, their ship was caught 
in a storm and shipwrecked near the coast. The survivors 
Chapter 5.indd   126 Chapter 5.indd   126 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
127
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
settled in India and started a new life. Although they lost their 
holy books, they remembered their prayer, which says there is 
only one God. Over time, the Bene Israel grew to become the 
largest Jewish community in India, numbering over 25,000 
shortly after India gained independence.
Several groups arrived much later, between the 12th and 19th 
centuries, again facing persecution in their respective countries. 
Some Jews settled near Cochin (present-day Kochi). The Raja of 
Kochi granted them land free of cost “as long as the world, sun, 
and moon endure.” The Jews built a synagogue, which enabled 
them to practise their faith even as they became part of the 
Indian society.
Synagogue:
A place of 
worship for Jews 
where religious 
services 
and special 
ceremonies like 
weddings are 
held.
Fig. 5.1. Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda, in 
his speech delivered at 
the World Parliament of 
Religions held at Chicago in 
1893, had these memorable 
words:
I am proud to belong to a 
nation which has sheltered 
the persecuted and the 
refugees of all religions and 
all nations of the Earth. I 
am proud to tell you that 
we have gathered in our 
bosom the purest remnant 
of the Israelites, who came 
to Southern India and took 
refuge with us in the very 
year in which their holy 
temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. 
I am proud to belong to the religion which has 
sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the 
grand Zoroastrian nation. 
Chapter 5.indd   127 Chapter 5.indd   127 29-11-2025   10:34:19 29-11-2025   10:34:19
Page 4


125
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
CHAPTER
India,  
a Home to Many
ayam nijah paro veti ga??an?? laghucetas??m
ud??racharit??n??m tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam
“This is mine, that is not mine,” so think the narrow-minded.
For the noble-minded, the whole world is family.
— Hitopade??ha
Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger , 
my child; the whole world is your own.
— Last message of Sri Sarada Devi  
(spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa)
5
The Big 
Questions
1. What has made India a home 
for people from di??erent parts 
of the world?
2. Why did oppressed or 
persecuted people from other 
countries seek refuge in India?
3. What is it about the nature 
of Indian society that enables 
people to assimilate here?
Chapter 5.indd   125 Chapter 5.indd   125 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 2
In the chapter “Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ ” 
(Grade 6 Social Science textbook), we read that “many Indians 
may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near 
their birthplace or with their original community.” In this 
chapter, we will explore another type of migrants — people 
who came to India from other parts of the world and settled 
here, adding another dimension to the diversity. There have 
been many such migrant communities in India’s history, up 
to recent times. We cannot cover them all in this chapter and 
have selected only a few representative examples. 
  THINK ABOUT IT
 Æ Imagine this scenario — A stranger knocks at your 
door at midnight. It is raining heavily outside, and the 
stranger seeks shelter for the night claiming that his 
car broke down while he was driving in the vicinity. 
Your family goes into a huddle to discuss the pros and 
cons of letting a stranger into the house at night. Form 
two groups to discuss the arguments for and against 
in this scenario.
 Æ Now extend this scenario to a country like India — 
when refugees seek shelter in India, will similar 
arguments apply?
Jews: 
Jews are 
members of 
the people 
and the 
cultural 
community 
originating 
from the 
ancient 
Hebrews of 
Israel and 
traditionally 
linked to the 
religion of 
Judaism. A 
Jew may be 
identi??ed 
either by 
descent 
from Jewish 
ancestry 
or through 
conversion. 
Jewish 
identity may 
therefore 
be de??ned 
on the basis 
of religion, 
culture, 
history, or 
ethnicity.
The Story of Indian Jews
Jews sought sanctuary in India in several waves. The 
persecution of Jews in various countries led to them having to 
??ee their homes. India has proved to be a safe haven where 
they can practise their faith without fear.      
The Bene Israel are a Jewish community that lived on the 
Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai. According to some 
scholars, they came around 175 BCE, from the ancient 
Kingdom of Israel. On their journey, their ship was caught 
in a storm and shipwrecked near the coast. The survivors 
Chapter 5.indd   126 Chapter 5.indd   126 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
127
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
settled in India and started a new life. Although they lost their 
holy books, they remembered their prayer, which says there is 
only one God. Over time, the Bene Israel grew to become the 
largest Jewish community in India, numbering over 25,000 
shortly after India gained independence.
Several groups arrived much later, between the 12th and 19th 
centuries, again facing persecution in their respective countries. 
Some Jews settled near Cochin (present-day Kochi). The Raja of 
Kochi granted them land free of cost “as long as the world, sun, 
and moon endure.” The Jews built a synagogue, which enabled 
them to practise their faith even as they became part of the 
Indian society.
Synagogue:
A place of 
worship for Jews 
where religious 
services 
and special 
ceremonies like 
weddings are 
held.
Fig. 5.1. Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda, in 
his speech delivered at 
the World Parliament of 
Religions held at Chicago in 
1893, had these memorable 
words:
I am proud to belong to a 
nation which has sheltered 
the persecuted and the 
refugees of all religions and 
all nations of the Earth. I 
am proud to tell you that 
we have gathered in our 
bosom the purest remnant 
of the Israelites, who came 
to Southern India and took 
refuge with us in the very 
year in which their holy 
temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. 
I am proud to belong to the religion which has 
sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the 
grand Zoroastrian nation. 
Chapter 5.indd   127 Chapter 5.indd   127 29-11-2025   10:34:19 29-11-2025   10:34:19
128
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 2
LET’S EXPLORE
Look at the two pictures below. Is the place shown in both the 
photographs the same? Why is the Maharaja of Travancore 
(the name of the kingdom in and around Kochi at that time) 
giving such an expensive gift to the Jewish synagogue for the 
Torah (religious book of the Jews)?     
Fig. 5.2. A plaque in the Kochi synagogue.
Fig. 5.3. The interior of the synagogue at Kochi.  
Chapter 5.indd   128 Chapter 5.indd   128 27-11-2025   11:12:04 27-11-2025   11:12:04
Page 5


125
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
CHAPTER
India,  
a Home to Many
ayam nijah paro veti ga??an?? laghucetas??m
ud??racharit??n??m tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam
“This is mine, that is not mine,” so think the narrow-minded.
For the noble-minded, the whole world is family.
— Hitopade??ha
Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger , 
my child; the whole world is your own.
— Last message of Sri Sarada Devi  
(spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa)
5
The Big 
Questions
1. What has made India a home 
for people from di??erent parts 
of the world?
2. Why did oppressed or 
persecuted people from other 
countries seek refuge in India?
3. What is it about the nature 
of Indian society that enables 
people to assimilate here?
Chapter 5.indd   125 Chapter 5.indd   125 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
126
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 2
In the chapter “Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ ” 
(Grade 6 Social Science textbook), we read that “many Indians 
may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near 
their birthplace or with their original community.” In this 
chapter, we will explore another type of migrants — people 
who came to India from other parts of the world and settled 
here, adding another dimension to the diversity. There have 
been many such migrant communities in India’s history, up 
to recent times. We cannot cover them all in this chapter and 
have selected only a few representative examples. 
  THINK ABOUT IT
 Æ Imagine this scenario — A stranger knocks at your 
door at midnight. It is raining heavily outside, and the 
stranger seeks shelter for the night claiming that his 
car broke down while he was driving in the vicinity. 
Your family goes into a huddle to discuss the pros and 
cons of letting a stranger into the house at night. Form 
two groups to discuss the arguments for and against 
in this scenario.
 Æ Now extend this scenario to a country like India — 
when refugees seek shelter in India, will similar 
arguments apply?
Jews: 
Jews are 
members of 
the people 
and the 
cultural 
community 
originating 
from the 
ancient 
Hebrews of 
Israel and 
traditionally 
linked to the 
religion of 
Judaism. A 
Jew may be 
identi??ed 
either by 
descent 
from Jewish 
ancestry 
or through 
conversion. 
Jewish 
identity may 
therefore 
be de??ned 
on the basis 
of religion, 
culture, 
history, or 
ethnicity.
The Story of Indian Jews
Jews sought sanctuary in India in several waves. The 
persecution of Jews in various countries led to them having to 
??ee their homes. India has proved to be a safe haven where 
they can practise their faith without fear.      
The Bene Israel are a Jewish community that lived on the 
Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai. According to some 
scholars, they came around 175 BCE, from the ancient 
Kingdom of Israel. On their journey, their ship was caught 
in a storm and shipwrecked near the coast. The survivors 
Chapter 5.indd   126 Chapter 5.indd   126 27-11-2025   11:11:59 27-11-2025   11:11:59
127
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
settled in India and started a new life. Although they lost their 
holy books, they remembered their prayer, which says there is 
only one God. Over time, the Bene Israel grew to become the 
largest Jewish community in India, numbering over 25,000 
shortly after India gained independence.
Several groups arrived much later, between the 12th and 19th 
centuries, again facing persecution in their respective countries. 
Some Jews settled near Cochin (present-day Kochi). The Raja of 
Kochi granted them land free of cost “as long as the world, sun, 
and moon endure.” The Jews built a synagogue, which enabled 
them to practise their faith even as they became part of the 
Indian society.
Synagogue:
A place of 
worship for Jews 
where religious 
services 
and special 
ceremonies like 
weddings are 
held.
Fig. 5.1. Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda, in 
his speech delivered at 
the World Parliament of 
Religions held at Chicago in 
1893, had these memorable 
words:
I am proud to belong to a 
nation which has sheltered 
the persecuted and the 
refugees of all religions and 
all nations of the Earth. I 
am proud to tell you that 
we have gathered in our 
bosom the purest remnant 
of the Israelites, who came 
to Southern India and took 
refuge with us in the very 
year in which their holy 
temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. 
I am proud to belong to the religion which has 
sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the 
grand Zoroastrian nation. 
Chapter 5.indd   127 Chapter 5.indd   127 29-11-2025   10:34:19 29-11-2025   10:34:19
128
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 2
LET’S EXPLORE
Look at the two pictures below. Is the place shown in both the 
photographs the same? Why is the Maharaja of Travancore 
(the name of the kingdom in and around Kochi at that time) 
giving such an expensive gift to the Jewish synagogue for the 
Torah (religious book of the Jews)?     
Fig. 5.2. A plaque in the Kochi synagogue.
Fig. 5.3. The interior of the synagogue at Kochi.  
Chapter 5.indd   128 Chapter 5.indd   128 27-11-2025   11:12:04 27-11-2025   11:12:04
129
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions
5 – India, a Home to Many
LET’S EXPLORE
Observe the picture Fig. 5.4. What clues do you get about 
the integration of the Jewish community into Indian society  
over time?
The Syriac Christian Community
From the 4th centuries CE, some Christian groups who used the 
ancient Syriac language in their worship and traditions faced 
di??culties in West Asia. Under the Roman Empire, they were 
sometimes treated as heretics because some of their beliefs 
about Christ were di??erent from those of the o??cial Church. 
In the Persian Empire, they were suspected of secretly helping 
the Romans, who were enemies of Persia, and were persecuted 
as a result.  To escape such persecutions, some Syriac Christians 
travelled eastward along trade routes and reached the Malabar 
coast of India (present-day Kerala), where they could live and 
worship freely. In India, Syriac Christians are also called ‘Syrian 
Christians’; they are divided into several sects.
Heretic:
A person 
considered 
to be holding 
beliefs 
(especially 
religious 
ones) 
contrary to 
those of the 
dominant 
view.
Persecution:
Hostility, 
generally 
arising from 
religious, 
ethnic, social 
or political 
motives, 
often 
accompanied 
by 
harassment 
or violence.
Fig. 5.4. A Jewish family in Mumbai, late 19th century.
Chapter 5.indd   129 Chapter 5.indd   129 27-11-2025   11:12:05 27-11-2025   11:12:05