NCERT Textbook: Understanding Diversity | Indian Polity for UPSC CSE PDF Download

 Page 1


UNIT - I
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   1 14-11-2022   03:53:48 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 2


UNIT - I
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   1 14-11-2022   03:53:48 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
National Anthem of India
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha
 Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
 uchchala-jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage, tava shubha asisa mage, 
 gahe tava jaya-gatha.
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, 
 jaya jaya jaya jaya he!
Translation of the National Anthem
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, 
dispenser of India’s destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of
the Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat and Maratha,
of the Dravida and Odisha and Bengal.
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is 
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. 
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India’s destiny. 
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
Note: “Jana Gana Mana” was translated by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali to English in   
          February 1919 at Madanapalle in the District of Chittoor. (Source: www.btcollege.org)
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   2 14-11-2022   03:53:49 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 3


UNIT - I
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   1 14-11-2022   03:53:48 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
National Anthem of India
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha
 Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
 uchchala-jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage, tava shubha asisa mage, 
 gahe tava jaya-gatha.
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, 
 jaya jaya jaya jaya he!
Translation of the National Anthem
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, 
dispenser of India’s destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of
the Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat and Maratha,
of the Dravida and Odisha and Bengal.
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is 
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. 
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India’s destiny. 
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
Note: “Jana Gana Mana” was translated by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali to English in   
          February 1919 at Madanapalle in the District of Chittoor. (Source: www.btcollege.org)
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   2 14-11-2022   03:53:49 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Look around you in the classroom: do you see 
anyone who looks exactly like you do? In this 
chapter you will learn that people are different from 
each other in many ways. Not only do they look 
different but they might also belong to different 
regional, cultural or religious backgrounds. These 
differences enrich our lives in many ways and also 
make them more fun!
All these different people, who come from all kinds 
of backgrounds, and belong to all kinds of religions 
and cultures help to make India so interesting and so 
diverse. What does diversity add to our lives? How 
did India become like this? Are all kinds of difference 
a part of diversity? Can diversity also be a part of 
unity? Read this chapter to find some answers.
Chapter 1
Understanding 
Diversity
T   
hree children around your age have drawn 
the figures above. Use the empty box to  
draw your human figure. Is your drawing  
similar to any of the others? The chances 
are that your drawing is quite different from 
the other three, which you can see are quite  
different from each other. This is because each 
one of us has a unique drawing style. We not 
only don’t look exactly like each other but also 
differ in terms of the language we speak, our 
cultural backgrounds, the religious rituals we 
observe and, of course the way we draw!
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   3 14-11-2022   03:53:51 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 4


UNIT - I
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   1 14-11-2022   03:53:48 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
National Anthem of India
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha
 Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
 uchchala-jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage, tava shubha asisa mage, 
 gahe tava jaya-gatha.
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, 
 jaya jaya jaya jaya he!
Translation of the National Anthem
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, 
dispenser of India’s destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of
the Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat and Maratha,
of the Dravida and Odisha and Bengal.
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is 
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. 
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India’s destiny. 
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
Note: “Jana Gana Mana” was translated by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali to English in   
          February 1919 at Madanapalle in the District of Chittoor. (Source: www.btcollege.org)
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   2 14-11-2022   03:53:49 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Look around you in the classroom: do you see 
anyone who looks exactly like you do? In this 
chapter you will learn that people are different from 
each other in many ways. Not only do they look 
different but they might also belong to different 
regional, cultural or religious backgrounds. These 
differences enrich our lives in many ways and also 
make them more fun!
All these different people, who come from all kinds 
of backgrounds, and belong to all kinds of religions 
and cultures help to make India so interesting and so 
diverse. What does diversity add to our lives? How 
did India become like this? Are all kinds of difference 
a part of diversity? Can diversity also be a part of 
unity? Read this chapter to find some answers.
Chapter 1
Understanding 
Diversity
T   
hree children around your age have drawn 
the figures above. Use the empty box to  
draw your human figure. Is your drawing  
similar to any of the others? The chances 
are that your drawing is quite different from 
the other three, which you can see are quite  
different from each other. This is because each 
one of us has a unique drawing style. We not 
only don’t look exactly like each other but also 
differ in terms of the language we speak, our 
cultural backgrounds, the religious rituals we 
observe and, of course the way we draw!
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   3 14-11-2022   03:53:51 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
4 / Social and Political Life
Now ask your teacher to help you 
check, how many of you have similar 
answers. Is there anyone whose list 
matches yours exactly? Probably not. 
But many of you may have similar 
answers. How many like reading 
the same kind of books? How many 
different languages are spoken by the 
students in your class?
By now you must have recognised 
the many ways in which you are quite 
like some of your classmates and  
other ways in which you are different 
from them.
Making friends
Do you think it would be easy for you 
to make friends with someone who 
was very different from you? Read the 
following story and think about this.
I had meant it as a joke. A joke made 
up for a small ragged boy who sold 
newspapers at the Janpat crossing at 
the busy intersection. Every time I cycled 
past he would run after me, holding out 
the English paper and screaming out 
the evening’s headlines in a mixture of 
Hindi and English words. This time, I 
stopped by the pavement and asked for 
the Hindi paper. His mouth fell open.
“You mean you know Hindi?” he 
asked.
“Of course,” I said as I paid for the 
paper.
“Why? What did you think?”
He paused. “But you look so…so 
angrez,” he said. “You mean you can 
even read Hindi?”
“Of course I can,” I said, this time a 
little  impatiently.  “I  can  speak,  read 
and write Hindi. Hindi is one of the 
subjects I study in school.”
“Subjects?” he asked. How could I 
explain what a subject was to someone 
who had never been to school? “Well, it 
is something…” I began, but the lights 
changed,  and  the  honking  behind 
me grew a hundredfold and I let myself 
be pushed along with the rest of the 
traffic.
Fill out the following information 
about yourself
When I go out I like wearing
_____________________________________
At home I speak in
_____________________________________
My favourite sport is
_____________________________________
I like reading books about
_____________________________________
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   4 14-11-2022   03:53:53 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 5


UNIT - I
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   1 14-11-2022   03:53:48 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
National Anthem of India
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha
 Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
 uchchala-jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage, tava shubha asisa mage, 
 gahe tava jaya-gatha.
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
 Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, 
 jaya jaya jaya jaya he!
Translation of the National Anthem
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, 
dispenser of India’s destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of
the Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat and Maratha,
of the Dravida and Odisha and Bengal.
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is 
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. 
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India’s destiny. 
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
Note: “Jana Gana Mana” was translated by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali to English in   
          February 1919 at Madanapalle in the District of Chittoor. (Source: www.btcollege.org)
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   2 14-11-2022   03:53:49 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Look around you in the classroom: do you see 
anyone who looks exactly like you do? In this 
chapter you will learn that people are different from 
each other in many ways. Not only do they look 
different but they might also belong to different 
regional, cultural or religious backgrounds. These 
differences enrich our lives in many ways and also 
make them more fun!
All these different people, who come from all kinds 
of backgrounds, and belong to all kinds of religions 
and cultures help to make India so interesting and so 
diverse. What does diversity add to our lives? How 
did India become like this? Are all kinds of difference 
a part of diversity? Can diversity also be a part of 
unity? Read this chapter to find some answers.
Chapter 1
Understanding 
Diversity
T   
hree children around your age have drawn 
the figures above. Use the empty box to  
draw your human figure. Is your drawing  
similar to any of the others? The chances 
are that your drawing is quite different from 
the other three, which you can see are quite  
different from each other. This is because each 
one of us has a unique drawing style. We not 
only don’t look exactly like each other but also 
differ in terms of the language we speak, our 
cultural backgrounds, the religious rituals we 
observe and, of course the way we draw!
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   3 14-11-2022   03:53:51 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
4 / Social and Political Life
Now ask your teacher to help you 
check, how many of you have similar 
answers. Is there anyone whose list 
matches yours exactly? Probably not. 
But many of you may have similar 
answers. How many like reading 
the same kind of books? How many 
different languages are spoken by the 
students in your class?
By now you must have recognised 
the many ways in which you are quite 
like some of your classmates and  
other ways in which you are different 
from them.
Making friends
Do you think it would be easy for you 
to make friends with someone who 
was very different from you? Read the 
following story and think about this.
I had meant it as a joke. A joke made 
up for a small ragged boy who sold 
newspapers at the Janpat crossing at 
the busy intersection. Every time I cycled 
past he would run after me, holding out 
the English paper and screaming out 
the evening’s headlines in a mixture of 
Hindi and English words. This time, I 
stopped by the pavement and asked for 
the Hindi paper. His mouth fell open.
“You mean you know Hindi?” he 
asked.
“Of course,” I said as I paid for the 
paper.
“Why? What did you think?”
He paused. “But you look so…so 
angrez,” he said. “You mean you can 
even read Hindi?”
“Of course I can,” I said, this time a 
little  impatiently.  “I  can  speak,  read 
and write Hindi. Hindi is one of the 
subjects I study in school.”
“Subjects?” he asked. How could I 
explain what a subject was to someone 
who had never been to school? “Well, it 
is something…” I began, but the lights 
changed,  and  the  honking  behind 
me grew a hundredfold and I let myself 
be pushed along with the rest of the 
traffic.
Fill out the following information 
about yourself
When I go out I like wearing
_____________________________________
At home I speak in
_____________________________________
My favourite sport is
_____________________________________
I like reading books about
_____________________________________
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   4 14-11-2022   03:53:53 PM
Rationalised 2023-24
Understanding Diversity / 5 
The next day he was there again, 
smiling at me and holding out a Hindi 
paper. “Bhaiyya,” he said, “aap ka 
akhbaar. Ab Bathaaiye yeh subject kya 
cheez hai?” the English word sounded   
strange   on   his   tongue. It  sounded  
like  its  other  meaning in English – to 
be ruled by someone else.
“Oh, it’s  just something to study,” I 
said. And then because the red light had 
come on, I asked him, “Have you ever 
been to school?” “Never,” he answered. 
And he added proudly, “I began working 
when I was so high.” He measured 
himself against my cycle-seat. “First my 
mother used to come with me but I can 
do it all alone.”
“Where is your mother now?” I asked, 
but then the lights changed and I was 
off. I heard him yell from somewhere 
behind me, “She’s in Meerut with…” 
The rest was drowned out.
“My  name  is  Samir,”  he  said  the 
next day. And very shyly he asked, 
“What’s yours?” It was incredible. My 
bicycle wobbled. “My name is Samir 
too,” I said. “What?” His eyes lit up. 
“Yes,” I grinned at him. “It’s another 
name for Hanuman’s father, you 
know.” “So now you are Samir Ek and 
I’m Samir Do,” he said triumphantly. 
“Something like that,” I answered and 
then I held out my hand. “Haath milao, 
Samir Do!” His hand nestled in mine 
like a little bird. I could still feel its 
warmth as I cycled away.
The next day, he did not have his 
usual smile for me. “There is trouble 
in Meerut,” he said. “Many people are 
being killed there in the riots.” I looked 
at the headlines. Communal Riots, it 
blazed. “But Samir…” I began. “I’m a 
Muslim  Samir,”  he  said  in  answer. 
“And all my people are in Meerut.” 
His eyes filled with tears and when 
I touched his shoulder, he would not 
look up.
He was not at the crossing the day 
after. Neither the day after nor ever 
again. And no newspaper, in English or 
Hindi, can tell me where my Samir Do 
has gone.
(The Lights Changed by Poile Sengupta)
While Samir Ek is more familiar 
with English, Samir Do speaks Hindi. 
Although they both are more at 
home in different languages they still 
communicated with each other. They 
made the effort to do so because this 
was what was important to them.
Samir Ek and Samir Do also 
come from different religious and 
cultural backgrounds. While Samir 
Ek is a Hindu, Samir Do is a Muslim.  
Different religious and cultural 
backgrounds such as these are an 
aspect of diversity.
Name three ways in which Samir 
Ek and Samir Do were different?
Did  these  differences  prevent 
them from becoming friends?
Unit_I Ch 1.indd   5 14-11-2022   03:53:54 PM
Rationalised 2023-24