AID TO VOCABULARY
1. Peculiarity - strangeness, uniqueness
2. Assimilate- to fully understand an idea or some information
3. Affiliation- a person's connection as a member of a religious political party
4. Multifarious- many and various
5. Fabric- structure
6. Strive- to try hard to achieve something
India is a big country. Her civilisation is around 6000 years old. She has given rise to the world's most renowned cultures and religions. She has also accepted the different cultures of the world. People of many races have come to India and settled here. India has absorbed different faiths, cults. beliefs, sects, religions, languages, manners, lifestyles, etc., in the course of time. Unity and synthesis are the defining characteristics of Indian culture.
India's fundamental unity rests upon the peculiarity of her culture. Culture, as defined, is not a singular entity but a conglomeration of attributes embodied in language, literature, religion, philosophy, customs, traditions, beliefs, art and architecture. India has achieved cultural unity through the fusion of many cultures. She has assimilated the good qualities from all cultures that she has been exposed to. Various cultural groups exist side by side in India. This has made Indian society a multi-cultural society, a heterogeneous yet harmonised group.
In India, people of different religions live together. Hence, She has a multi-religious society. Besides Hinduism, other religions like Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism have a large following in India. According to the 2001 census, Hinduism is practised by more than 80.4 per cent of the people, there are 13.4 per cent Muslims, 2.3 per cent Christians and 1.8 per cent Sikhs. The rest of the people follow Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Bahai and other religions.
India is famous for the fervour with which people celebrate religions festivals Hindu festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, Holi, etc., are celebrated all over the world by the Indian diaspora. The festival of Eid of the Muslim, the festivals of Easter and Christmas of the Christians, Guru Nanak Jayanti festival of the Sikhs, Buddha Purnima of the Buddhists and Mahavir Jayanti of the Jains are all celebrated with great enthusiasm. During these festivals people exchange greetings, forgetting their religious affiliations India is a secular nation as sworn in the preamble to our Constitution.
We find a kind of emotional unity in our country. The very name of our country, India, brings us emotionally close. We may be in any part of the world but we will always be called Indians, irrespective of the religion we follow and the region we belong to India's diversity has always been recognised as a source of its strength. When the British ruled India, women and men from different cultural, religious and regional backgrounds came together, as a united force, to oppose them. In his book, "The Discovery of India'. Jawaharlal Nehru says that Indian unity is not something imposed from outside but something inherent within its folds, whereby, tolerance of multifarious beliefs and customs is practised and every variety is acknowledged and encouraged by the State as well as the society.
Independent India inherited a conservative community that followed the rigidities of the caste system and had diverse religions. The Indian Constitution gave paramount importance to secularism. It declared that there would be no state religion in India. The State will neither establish a religion of its own nor confer any special patronage upon any particular religion. The typical Indian doctrine of secularism is defined as Sarva Dharma Samabhava.
The Indian civilisation has always been based on religious and moral values. Herein lies its unity and strength. In all parts of the country, cultural unity. the unity of the way of life and outlook transcends the vast diversity in faiths and beliefs at times bordering on superstition, magic, charms and other practices. One may travel from one corner of the country to another and yet recognise a common spirit underlying some aspect of life which may make him feel at home. This is because the Indian culture has preserved its fundamental character through the ages. We have experienced revolutionary changes, economic and political, in recent times but our past remains very much with us. Our rich cultural heritage has passed from one generation to another and in this process, it has got Indian culture has remained alive and dynamic because it has always been tolerant of different cultures. It imbibed the good qualities of other cultures and constantly updated and upgraded itself. The influence of various cultures has made it rich and vibrant. Significant contributions have been made to it by the Dravidians, Aryans, Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Mughals and Europeans. The Persian and Western influences on our art, literature, painting and dress have now become an integral part of our own culture.
At times, we have witnessed conflicts and disturbances. Certain anti-national and external forces try to disrupt the unity of the country by inciting communal feelings and sentiments. The demolition of Babri Masjid, Mumbai blasts, the massacre of innocent Sikhs in the 1984 riots, Gujarat riots of 2002, blasts in the capital of the country, terror attack in Mumbai, etc., resulted in the loss of thousands of lives. The militancy problem in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East have further weakened the secular fabric of India. Terrorism should not be allowed to raise its ugly head and destroy our basic unified structure. We can overcome this problem if we bury our differences, and work unitedly, for the unity and integrity of the country.
In recent times, there has been a cultural awakening of the educated youth who have become aware of the beauty of our art forms and crafts. They have started taking interest in educating themselves on their rich cultural traditions. The government has also started organising big cultural events to promote national integration. It has set up four regional cultural centres in different parts of the country. Now, National Youth Festivals are celebrated from 8th to 12th January every year. This is a major activity under the programme of National Integration Camp (NIC). The idea behind this Youth Festival is to organise a gathering of the youth so that the concept of National Integration and spirit of communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure may be propagated. It is the effort of the government to strengthen the common bond of unity that ties the people together, in spite of the diversity in their religions and beliefs. The heart of India is one. We have inherited a common and rich culture. So, we should strive to maintain the relationship of common brotherhood. We should hold aloft the torch of unity irrespective of our different faiths and creeds nurtured and renewed.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
1. Unity and synthesis are characteristics of Indian culture.
2. India has achieved cultural unity by the fusion of many cultures.
3. Customs, traditions and beliefs associated with all religions promote
tolerance and brotherhood.
4. The Constitution declares that there would be no state religion in India.
5. Our rich cultural heritage has passed from one generation to another.
6. Indian culture has remained alive and dynamic.
7. India's diversity has always been recognised as a source of its strength.
8. India's freedom movement brought thousands of people of different backgrounds together.
9. At times, we face regional and religious conflicts that threaten unity.
10. We should strive to maintain the spirit of common brotherhood.
0 Comments