Very Short Answer Questions: India, a Home to Many

Q1: Who are Jews, and what religion are they traditionally linked to?

Ans: Jews are members of a people and cultural community originating from ancient Hebrews of Israel. They are traditionally linked to the religion of Judaism.

Q2: Where did the Bene Israel Jewish community settle in India?

Ans: The Bene Israel settled on the Konkan coast, south of Mumbai. They came around 175 BCE when their ship was shipwrecked near the Indian coast.

Q3: What gift did the Raja of Kochi give to the Cochin Jews?

Ans: The Raja of Kochi granted the Cochin Jews land free of cost "as long as the world, sun, and moon endure" so they could settle.

Q4: What did Swami Vivekananda say about India at the World Parliament of Religions in 1893?

Ans: Swami Vivekananda said he was proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and refugees of all religions and nations of the Earth.

Q5: Why did Syriac Christians face difficulties in West Asia?

Ans: Under the Roman Empire, Syriac Christians were treated as heretics holding beliefs contrary to dominant views. In the Persian Empire, they faced persecution and violence.

Q6: Where did Syriac Christians settle when they came to India?

Ans: Syriac Christians reached the Malabar coast, which is present-day Kerala, where they could live and worship freely without facing persecution from other empires.

Q7: Who founded Zoroastrianism, and what is the religion based on?

Ans: Zoroastrianism was founded by the prophet Zarathushtra in Central Asia. It is based on worship of one God, Ahurā Mazdā, and choosing good over evil.

Q8: Why did Parsis leave Persia and come to India?

Ans: Parsis came to escape religious persecution in Persia after the Islamic conquest in the seventh century. They faced forced conversions, religious taxes, and destruction of fire temples.

Q9: What does the legend of milk and sugar symbolise about the Parsis?

Ans: The legend symbolises that just as sugar dissolves in milk and sweetens it without overflowing, Parsis would blend into Indian society and enrich it without problems.

Q10: Where does the ancient Parsi sacred fire continue to burn in India?

Ans: The ancient sacred fire continues to burn in Udvada in south Gujarat, near where the Parsis first arrived. India has the largest Zoroastrian population today.

Q11: Name two similarities between Zoroastrianism and Vedic thought.

Ans: Both share the concept of a cosmic order holding the universe together. Both also give importance to fire worship in their religious rituals and ceremonies.

Q12: When did Arab merchants start coming to India, and what did they trade?

Ans: Arab merchants came to India from the seventh century onwards. They traded spices and other goods, settling along the west coast in Kerala, Gujarat, and Karnataka.

Q13: Who are the Siddis, and how did they come to India?

Ans: The Siddis are of African origin. They were enslaved in Africa and brought to India as slaves by Arab, Portuguese, and British traders between the seventh and nineteenth centuries.

Q14: What is unique about Siddi cultural traditions in India?

Ans: Their cultural identity represents a fusion of African and Indian traditions. They have distinctive dance accompanied by African-style drumming and integrated African religious practices with Indian religions.

Q15: Who was Hirabai Lobi, and what award did she receive?

Ans: Hirabai Lobi belonged to the Siddi community in Gujarat. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2023 for working towards the upliftment of women in her community.

Q16: What important role did Abdul Hai play during the Mughal period?

Ans: Abdul Hai, an Armenian, was the Chief Justice in Emperor Akbar's court. Armenians played important roles in the Mughal royal household, army, and administration during that period.

Q17: Where did Armenians build important settlements and structures in India?

Ans: Armenians settled in Surat, Kolkata, and Chennai. They built schools, churches, and cemeteries. Kolkata became a major Armenian hub with the eighteenth-century Armenian College and Mother Mary Church.

Q18: Who founded the Baha'i religion, and what were its core teachings?

Ans: Baha'i began in Persia in the mid-1800s and was led by Baha'u'llah. His teachings spoke of unity among all people and harmony between different religions worldwide.

Q19: Why did Baha'is come to India in the late nineteenth century?

Ans: The ruling religious leadership in Iran branded them as heretics because of different beliefs. They were persecuted and looked for safer places to live, so they came to India.

Q20: How did the Maharaja of Nawanagar help Polish children during World War II?

Ans: Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja mobilised the Red Cross to rescue Polish orphans. He brought them to Jamnagar and saved around 1,000 Polish orphans between 1942 and 1946, providing food and care.

Q21: When and why did the fourteenth Dalai Lama flee to India?

Ans: In 1959, following a popular uprising in Lhasa against Chinese presence, the fourteenth Dalai Lama fled across the Himalaya. He took refuge in India, where the government granted asylum.

Q22: What are the four commitments of the Dalai Lama?

Ans: His four commitments are promotion of human values like compassion, promotion of religious harmony, preservation of Tibetan culture, and revival of India's civilisational heritage, including compassion and nonviolence.

Q23: What is Sowa Rigpa, and when was it codified?

Ans: Sowa Rigpa is the traditional Tibetan medicine system, also called 'Art of Healing'. It was codified in the eighth century by a medical council near Lhasa, Tibet.

Q24: What does the Sanskrit phrase "vasudhaiva kutumbakam" mean?

Ans: "Vasudhaiva kutumbakam" means "the whole world is family". It expresses the idea of universal brotherhood and is a core civilisational value of India that has been practised.

Q25: Why did India become a haven for persecuted communities from around the world?

Ans: India developed core teachings including compassion, "May all creatures be happy," and "A guest is like God." India developed a culture of peaceful coexistence whilst religious persecution existed elsewhere.