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UNIT- 1
CHPT– 1 :NatureofIndiansociety
Indiahasalonghistoryanditsculturaltraditionisquiteoldandextremelycomplex.India's culturaldivisionisnotonlyoneofthemostancient,butalsoitisoneofthemostwidespread andvaried.TraditionalfeaturesofIndiaareverystrong.French,Britishandotherculturesare seeninIndia,butIndianvaluesystemsstillremain.Itissecondmostpopulatedcountryinthe world.Ithasitsowngeographic,ethnic,religious,andlinguisticbackground.
- GeographicalFactor: ThenaturalboundariesprovideIndiaageographicalunity. ItisacountryinSouthAsiathatliesentirelyonIndianPlateinthenorthernportionof IndoAustralianPlate. TheareaofIndiansocietywassovast.Thelandareais 33 millionsquarekilometer. Indiaisthe 7 thlargestcountryintheworld. ItliesnorthEquator.
- UnityandDiversity: Ithas 2. 4 percentofworld’slandareaandabout 16 percentofworld’spopulation. Indiaisthesecondmostpopulousandseventhlargestcountryoftheworld. Ithasahistoryspanningover 5000 yearsofhumanhabitation, 3000 yearsbeforeChrist and 2000 yearsafterChrist. Ithasaculturalheritagehanded down bytheimmigrantAryansfrom acrossthe Himalayas,thenatives–thepre-AryansettlerscalledDasyusorDasasbytheAryans andinvadingcivilizations. Itssocial,economicandculturaldiversitiesarealsoreflectedinhabitalconditionsin rural,urbanandsemi-urbanareas. Despitethesediversities,whatisobservedaboutIndiaisthatthereisunityindiversity. ThisunityindiversityhasbecomeapartofIndia’sselfidentity.
- ReligiousFactor: India,beingademocratic,socialisticandsecularrepublic,hasnostatereligion. Indiaisthebirthplaceofmanyworldreligionsandalmostallmajorworldreligionsare practicedbytheirrespectivefollowers. Indiaisalandwherepeopleofdifferentreligionsandculturesliveinharmony.This harmonyisseeninthecelebrationoffestivals.Themessageofloveandbrotherhoodis expressedbyallthereligionsandculturesofIndia. ThemajorreligionsofIndiaareHinduism (majorityreligion),Islam (largestminority religion),Sikhism,Christianity,Buddhism,Jainism,Zoroastrianism,Judaism andthe Bahá'íFaith.
- Language: ThelanguagesofIndiabelongtoseverallanguagefamilies,themajoronesbeingthe Indo-Aryanlanguages(abranchofIndo-European)spokenby 74 % ofIndiansandthe Dravidianlanguagesspokenby 24 %ofIndians. OtherlanguagesspokeninIndiabelongtotheAustro-Asiatic,Tibeto-Burman,andafew
minorlanguagefamiliesandisolates. TheprincipalofficiallanguageoftheRepublicofIndiaisStandardHindi,whileEnglishis thesecondaryofficiallanguage. TheconstitutionofIndiastatesthat"TheofficiallanguageoftheUnionshallbeHindiin Devanagariscript". IndividualmothertonguesinIndianumberseveralhundred;the 1961 censusrecognized 1 , 652. AccordingtoCensusofIndiaof 2001 , 30 languagesarespokenbymorethanamillion nativespeakers, 122 bymorethan 10 , 000. Threemillenniaoflanguagecontacthasledtosignificantmutualinfluenceamongthe fourlanguagefamiliesinIndiaandSouthAsia. TwocontactlanguageshaveplayedanimportantroleinthehistoryofIndia:Persianand English. 5 .RacesandEthnicity: Indianpopulationispolygeneticandisamixtureofvariousraces. TherearemanydiverseethnicgroupsamongthepeopleofIndia. The 6 mainethnicgroupsareasfollows: a. Negrito: TheNegritosweretheearliestpeopletocometoIndia. TheyhavesurvivedintheiroriginalhabitatinAndamanandNicobarIslands. TheJarawas,Onges,SentineleseandtheGreatAndamanesearesomeoftheexamples. SomehilltribeslikeIrulas,Kodars,PaniyansandKurumbasarefoundinsomepatches inSouthernpartofmainlandIndia. b. Proto-AustraloidsorAustrics: ThesewerethenextethnicgrouptoarriveinIndiaaftertheNegroids. Theywerepeoplewithwavyhairdistributedallovertheirbrownbodies,longfaceswith low foreheadsandprominenteyeridges,thickjaws,noseswithlow andbroadroots, largeteethandpalatesandsmallchins. c. Mongoloids: TheMongoiloidsarefoundmainlyintheNortheasternpartsofIndiainthestateslike Assam,Nagaland,ArunachalPradesh,Manipur,andTripura. TheyarealsofoundinpartsofWestBengal,Sikkim,andLadakh. Theyarepeoplewithhighlyyellowishcomplexion,obliqueeyes,highcheekbones,thin hairandofamedium height. d. MediterraneanorDravidian: ThesearethepeopleofSouthIndia. TheyhavebeenbelievedtocomebeforetheAryans. Theyhavedifferentsub-groupslikethePaleo-Mediterranean,thetrueMediterranean, andtheOrientalMediterranean. TheyappeartobepeopleofthesamestockasthepeoplesofAsiaMinorandCreteand pre-HellenicAegean'sofGreece. TheyarereputedtohavebuiltupthecitycivilizationoftheIndusvalley,whoseremains
Indiaisademocraticcountrywhichhasawrittenconstitution. Indiansenjoycertainfundamentalrightsandduties. Indiabeingdemocratic,socialisticrepublicisbasedonequality,justice,libertyand secularism. Indianlawsapplyallpeoplewithoutanydiscrimination.
CHPT– 2 :GEOGRAPHICALANDHISTORICALFEATURES
GeographicalfeaturesofIndia
GeographicallyIndiaisdividedintofourphysicaldivisions Thegreatmountainwalls ThegreatIndogangeticplain ThegreatDeccanplateau Thecoastalghats 1 .ThegreatmountainwasatthemountainrangesoftheHimalayas: NotthemightyHimalayaswithitsloftymountainrangesandmajesticpeaks stretchingfrom easttowestisprotectingthecountryfrom externalaggressionlikea giganticsentinel.thegreatmountainwhatisabout 2500 kilometrelonganditswidth variesfrom 240 km to 320 km.MountEverestisthehighestpeakknowntobethe highestintheworldwiththeheightof 29142 feet. TherangesofHimalayascanbedividedintotwogroups.Thehighmountainportions arecoveredwithsnowaroundtheyear.ThewholeuniverselikeGangaJamunaand theBrahmaputrahaveoriginatedfrom thesnowmountainstostoptheWestern offshootsoftheHimalayasconsistingofHinduKush,thesafedkoh,theSulaimankoh, andthekirtharranges. Theheightofthemountainintheseregionsarecorporatelylow,theareaistrywith scantyrainfall.InthisbeltthereareseveralfamousplacesnamedKhyber,the kuuram,thetochi,thegomalandthebolanpasses.Mostofthesepulsesaresituated
inlowlyinggroundandtherebyhasmadethecountryaccessibletotheforeign invaders. Theeasternoffshootsincludethekhasi,thelushai,thejaintia,andthemagahills handareextendeduptothebayofBengal.Thehillyareaandaroundarecovered withbeautifulforestwithabundantrainfalltostopitsfertilearea,richforestand forestproductshavemadetheareahighlyattractive.theproductivecharacterofthe HimalayashasconsiderablyguidedthecourseofIndianhistory.Theinsurmountable heightoftheHimalayawellfortifiedbytechnoandimpossibilitytoestablishedany AndroidhasmadetheHimalayasafarmertablebarriertostopsuchanatural obstructionautomatically,forwardingtheinvaderstocrossthecolossalmountain andembarkupononexpedition. SimultaneouslyitisprotectingIndiafrom coldwindsandadversitiesoftheSiberian desert.shivanahalliineasternsidedenseforest,incongenialclimateandcontinuous rainfallisequallypreventingtheoutsidersfrom crossingtheboundary.Thisnatural FrontierofIndiaversisisgivingsecuritybutnotimmunityfrom invasionseparating Indiafrom restofAsiabuywellmarkedboundarylines. Thelow-lyingmountainsituatedintheNorthwestwithseveralconvenientpassesout therapaciousinvadersandmercenariesfrom Centralistheretocrosstheborder andinviteIndia.Throughtheserules,thegreeks,thepersians,thekhushanas,the hunasandtheMughalscameandindulgedinbloodywarfareandinvasions.resultof fusionwiththeexistingcultureofthelandandthealienculturehavefurtherenriched theIndianculture. ThetheHimalayasisthesourceofmanyusefulandholdingriversliketheIndus,the Ganga,Jamuna,theBrahmaputra,andtheirtributaries.Thesnowofthemountain andheavyrainfallareresponsibletoensuredflowofsufficientwaterthroughoutthe yearthroughtheseriverstostoptheriversanygreatplains,makelandfertilethat ultimatelyattotherichnessinagricultureandabundantfoodsupply.themonsoon risingfrom theIndianOceanmovingtowardsnortheast,checkedbyeastern offshootsoftheHimalayascauseofheavyrainfallaroundAssam hillsandbeing checkbyinstitutethatgivessufficientrainfallontheIndogangeticplain. Thus,cannotbedeniedthatthefertilityofthenorthernplainofIndiaismainlydueto theimpactoftheHimalayanregiononthemonsoon. 2 .ThegreatIndogangeticplainonNorthernplain: ItembracesthevaluesoftheIndusanditstributaries,theSandydesertofSindhand RajputanaaswellasthefertileregionwateredbytheGanges,theJamunaandthe Brahmaputra.ithasalwaysbeenthecoreoftheIndiancontinent.Theplaneformed bythedepositofrichsoilwasheddownduringcountlesscountriesforthevast Himalayanrangesonthenorthandfrom thehillsanduplandsoftheDeccanofthe south.
naturalbarrierswhichdeniedeasyandsmoothAxisfrom northtosouth.The VindhyachalandtheSatpurarange,thedenseforestaroundithavevirtually preventedfreeentryintotheplateau. Seasonthethreesidesactedasstronghurdleforbiddinguninterruptedintercourse from outside.Thustheplateaupracticallyremainedisolatedfrom thenorthand countries.Howeveritenjoyedaspecialsignificanceandproveusefulinmanyways inbuildingIndianhistory. AtatimewhentheonslaughtoftherepeatedforeigninvasionsriseofJainism and Buddhism inonestageatacornertheHinduism andbroughtitdown,theSouth cameforwardasasevereandextendedallpossiblepatronage.Infactinspiteofthe numerousartstheHindureligionandcultureremindintactinthisregionand flourishedtremendouslytostopincidentallybothJainism andBuddhism failedtoget decideresponsefrom thesouthandevidentlytheimperviousdeccanfirmlyheldthe blessingsofHindureligionandcultureandovershadowedthereligiousimperialism oftheJainism andBuddhism. OnthearrivaloftheAryansintheNorthernplaintheexistingpopulationwas compelledtomigratetowardstheDeccanplateau.Withoutenteringorembracing thenewcultureisthemigrantsmaintaintheirculturalidentity.EventheAryan civilizationappearedvulnerablegettheevidencemaintainedthereoncultural heritageandsurvivedundisturbed. Deccanisfullofhills,mountainsandforeststhatprovidedopportunitytobuildmany hillyunaccessiblefortsandhideoutsandroundpatrioticspiritofthepeopleto defendthemotherland.Ithasmadetheinhabitantshardeningandexpertinjungle warfarestrongenoughtooutwittheinvadersbythetacticsofguerrillawarfare.In thegeographicalconditionslastlyinfluencedthepeopletotakeuparmsagainstthe invadersandfightfortheirlibertyandterritorialintegrity. Thenaturaloutletofseasonthreesideshasgivenscopetoexploresearouteswith othercountriesanddevelopsocialeconomicandculturaltieswiththem.The Portuguese,theDutch,thePersians,theArabiansallutilisedtheseaportsand hastunedtothelandfortradeandcommerce. Simultaneouslythecoutletsgiveawayincentivestothepeopletosailacrossthe seaandestablishedprosperouscoloniesinJava,BurmaandCambodiaetc.The geographicaldemarcationbetweenthenorthandtheSouthwasalsoresponsible partlyforgeneratingtodistinctlyseparateandindependenttypesofcivilizations. InfactwhenChristisprovidedinthenorththeHinduism anditscultureunder suppressiontheSouthextendedhergenerousarmsandimpressedthediscomfited Hinduism anditscultureandsavethem from sureruin.ThustheSouthplayedavital roleinpreservingIndia'soriginalityandreligiousfervourofHinduism.
4 .Coastalghats: ThecoastalghatsbroadleafformsthecostbeltsofEastandWestoftheDeccan plateaustopontheeasternsideoftheDeccanplateauthehillrangerunningfrom thenorthtotheSouthalmostparalleltothecoastlineisknownastheeasternghats. OnthewestmountainrangerunningparalleltotheArabianseaisknownasthe Westernghats. Thelengthisabout 1120 kilometreand 3000 to 8000 feetabovesealevel.Thelast leafhasgivenpositiveadvantagestobuildupastrongandformertabledefenceto stopthisnaturalgiftofnaturehasvirtuallyhelptheMarathastodefinethefears Mughalsandasserttheirsuperiorit.Thenarrowstripoflandsometimesnotmore than 32 kilometreinwidthstretchingbetweencostandfootoftheghatsisknownas konkanMalabar. ithasarichsoilandisevergreenwithriceplantsandcoconuttrees.Itishighly productiveandthicklypopulated.Intheabsenceofmoderncommunicationfacilities isremainedisolatedforalongtimefrom therestoftheDeccan.Iwantnowsomeof them cactuscustomsfoundnowhereelseinIndia. OntheotherhandinthefarNorthontheWestcoasttheNarmadaandtaptihave brokenthroughtheWesternscrapandcutwidewellisacrossthem,makingeasy partsleadingtothenorth.Itisinthisregionthatgreatkingdomsandcivilizedpeople havelivedfrom earlyages. Easternsidecommandthecoastalbandwhichliesbelowtheeasternghatsismuch broader.TheeasternscrapitselfisafloorelevationmuchlessDeepanditisbroken inmanyplacesbythevalueofDeccanriversflowingeastwards.Thismade communicationoftheeastcoastwiththeplantsontheDeccaneasytostopthis resultedinbuildingmanycities,flourishingcivilizationsandpowerfulKingdom to exhibitthecourageandgallantryoftheIndiancommunity. TheHistoricalDevelopmentofIndianSociety: TheIndusvalleycivilization,India'searliestknowncivilizationisidentifiedbhaiit's interestingcultureaswellasitsartefacts.ThestrengthandbasesofHinduism is attributedtothevediccultureaswellastheoriginofcastesystem. TheIndiahashadmanydifferentinfluencesthroughoutitshistoryduetothe migration,innovation,expansionofotherNationstostopsomeofthesenationsare peoplewhoinfluencedIndiaincludethemongols,thegreeksandtheBritish. Indiawasawealthycountry,economicallyandculturallyupuntilBritishcolonization. EuropeanswouldtradewithIndiaforspicesforcottontextiles,butwhentheBritish colonizedthecountrytheeconomydeclined.thiswasdueinparttoexploitationand destructionofIndia’sindustriesandwealth.
inthesubcontinent.TheBritishIndianarmyplayedavitalroleinbothWorldwars. NonviolentresistanttoBritishrule,ledbyMohandasGandhiandJawaharlalNehru, eventuallybroughtaboutindependencein 1947 tostopcommunalviolenceledtothe subcontinentbloodypartitionwhichresultedinthecreationoftoseparatestatesof IndiaandPakistanthetwocountrieshavefought 3 warsinceindependence,theLast ofwhichis 1971 resultedinEastPakistanbecomingtheseparatenationof BangladeshtostopIndia’snuclearweaponstestin 1998 costPakistantoconductits owntestthatsameyear.inNovember 2008 terroristallegedlyoriginatedfrom PakistanconductedaseriesofcoordinatedattacksinMumbai,India’sfinancial capital.Despitepressingproblem switchesinsignificantoverpopulation, environmentaldegradation,extensivepovertyandwidespreadcorruption,economic developmentisfuellingIndia'sriseontheworldstage.InJanuary 2011 ,India resumedanonpermanentseatintheUNsecuritycouncilofthe 2011 - 12 terms. ImportanceofstudyofIndiansociety: o Indiaisoneofthelargestdemocracyintheworld: ThestudyofIndiansocietyasagreatimportanceasitisthelargestdemocratic countryintheworldinthewakeofglobalisation,Indiacommandsconsiderable attentionintheworldeconomyandintheworldmarket.ThestudyofIndiansociety helpinthenationalaswellasinternationalplanning.Secondmostpopulousand seventhlargestcountryintheworld.almost 2. 4 %ofworld’slandareathecountry coversandconstitutesabout 16 %ofworldpopulation. o Duetoitsuniquefeatureofunityindiversity: IndiaoffersarichCanvastoanysocialresearcherwhoisinterestedinstudyinggreat massofhumanity.inIndiadressingstyle,foodhabits,language,dance,artform,and culturechangesfrom regiontoregion.Indiaprovidesamplescopeforresearchin democraticstudy. o OfficersAPwholeintosociallifewhichhasbeeninexistencesinceancienttimes: IndiancivilizationdatesbacktoVedicperiod.Thatissocio-culturalcontinuityever since.somanyofthecustoms,practicesusesthatprevailedinthevedicperiodis stillbefollowedinIndia.Hencethestudywillplayanimportantroleinprovidingthe historicalperspectiveofIndiansociety.Ithasahistoryspanningof 5000 yearsof humanhabitation, 3000 yearsbeforeChristand 2000 yearsafterChrist o Diversityinreligion: Indiapossessesalmostalltheworldreligiousaswellasinnumerabletribalreligion prevailingintheworld.Henceduetoitsvastdiversityisinreligiousfollowingcountry providesgreatscopeforsociologytocarryouttheirstudies.ManyAnthropologists andsociologistshavedonesignificantworksonreligionofIndiaandhave contributedforthegrowthofsociologyofIndia.
Philosophicalcontribution: TheIndianphilosophyhasbeenagreatsourceofattractionfortheWesternworld.Many afterwesternersareembracingIndianwayoflifebyadoptingHinduism,Buddhism,etc., Thestudyofyogahasbecomeextremelypopularallovertheworld.Duetoitsgreat culturalheritageIndiaisattractinggreatnumbersoftouristworldover.Andstudyof Indiansocietyresumesnewdimension. Thedemographicdividend: InthenextdecadeIndiawillgettoprocessthemaximum numberofyoungpeopleand itstotalpopulation.Isthisdemographicadvantageisusedintherightway,definitely countrycanachieveprogressinleavesandbounds.Thisadvantageneedstobeproperly utilisedwithmeticulousplanningandorganisation.SearchstudyofIndiansocietyisof nationalpriority. Tribalpopulationandsocialanthropologicalrelevance: Indiahasthesecondlargesttribalpopulationintheworld.OnlynextAfrica.Accordingto 1981 censusreportthetribalpopulationofIndiawas 2. 47 croreanditisnowestimated tohaveincreasedto 5. 20 croresin 1991 .Itforms 7. 8 %ofcountriespopulation.about two-thirdsoftribalpopulationinIndiaarefoundinfivestatesofMadhyaPradeshOrissa, Bihar,GujaratandMaharashtra.Morethan 20 lacsoftribalpopulationarefoundinwhich stateofRajasthan,WestBengalandAndhraPradesh.InMizoram,Nagaland,Meghalaya, ArunachalPradeshandTripuratribalsconstituted 70 %to 95 %ofthepopulationofthe states/territories.Thisisyetanotheruniqueaspectofthecountryalsorequiresthe socialstudyofIndia. Forsocialplanningandadministration: forthedevelopmentofcountryandtoformulateappropriatestrategiestothe governmentrequiresminuteandscientificstudyofthenation.Thedatacollectedbythe socialscientistarehumansutilitytothepolicymakers.EverestcountrylikeIndiawhere thereissomuchofdiversity,thepolicymakersrequireminutedetailsofthesociety. Findingremediesforsocialproblems: Thenationisfacingmultipleproblemslikepoverty,overpopulation,drugaddictionand dowryharassment,delinquency,casteconflicts,increasingcrimerate,domestic violence,etc.TocombatallthesocialevilsstudyofIndiabecomesimportant.
(ii)LinguisticDiversities, (iii)ReligiousDiversities, (iv)CulturalandEthnicDiversities. 1 .RegionalDiversities: WefindinIndiasomeextremeregionaldiversitiesinitsgeographicalfeatures:Weseehere formidablemountains,thickforests,countlesshills.steepvalleys,innumerablerivers,vast seas,desertland,fertileareasdrought-hitplaces,flood-proneareasandsoon.OnlyinIndia onecanfindtheworld'stallestmountains[theHimalayas]coveredwithsnowthroughout theyear.Theriversthatflowdownfrom theHimalayashavegivenplacetoavastfertile deltaarenAtthesametime,theStatelikeRajasthanhasitsdesertwherewaterisascarcity. Indiaisavastcountrywithhugepopulation.From theHimalayasintheNorthtotheIndian OceanintheSouth,itcoversatotalareaof 32 , 87. 263 Sq.Km.Itslandmassmeasures about 3200 Km from NorthtoSouthand 2933 Km from EasttoWest.Ithasalandareaof 15000 Km andacoastallineof 7516 Km.Apparentdifferencesarealsothereinaltitude, temperature,rainfall,resources,floraandfauna. ItisonlyinIndiaonencountersinitsdifferentregions,differenttypesofclimatesthecold, thetemperateandthetropical.TheclimateofKashmirwhichiscoldeveninsummer, contrastswiththatofKeralawhichishotandhumideveninmidwinter.Wideclimatic differencesdoexistbetweentheNorth-EastStatesandRajasthan.Rainfallisveryheavyin theNorth-Eastwhichexceedseven 500 inchesayearwhereasitisinsignificantinplacesof RajasthanlikeJaisalmerandBarmer 2 .LinguisticDiversities: Languageisyetanothersourceofdiversity.Itcontributestocollectiveidentitiesaswellas conflicts.AsA.R.Desairemarks"Indiapresentsaspectacleofmuseum oftongues.The ConstitutionofIndiarecognises[upto 1992 )asmanyas 28 majorlanguagesinthe 8 th scheduleforofficialpurpose.Theyare-Assami.Bengali,Gujarati,Hindi,Kannada,Kashmiri. Malyalam,Marathi,Oriya,Punjabi,Sanskrit.Sindi,Tamil,Telugu.Urdu,Manipuri,Nepali, Konkani,Santhali,Bodo,MaithiliandDogri.ButIndiansspeak,asreportedin 1971 Census, asmanyas 1652 languagesanddialects.Manyofthem representtheirmothertonguesalso. Newspapersarepublishedinmorethan 100 languagesandmothertongues.Theexistence ofseverallanguagesmakeslanguageplanningandpromotiondifficult.Asaresult,thereis considerablebilingualism andadministrationhastousemorethanonelanguage. Hindi,spokenbythemajorityofpeopleinIndiaasmanyas 247. 85 millionasper 1991 report thoughisconstitutionallyacceptedasthenationallanguage,ithasnotbeenabletoreplace English.Existenceofdifferentlanguageshasoftenledtoconflictsbetweenlinguistic groups.Thelanguageproblem thushasposedamajorthreattonationalintegration. FiveMainLinguisticFamiliestoWhichIndianLanguagesBelong:
MostoftheIndianlanguagesbelongtofivelinguisticfamilies. i. TheIndo-AryanLanguageswhichincludeAsNami,Bengali,PunjabiRajasthani. Marathi,Gujarati,Oriya,Sanskrit,Hindi,SindhiKashmirlanguagesspokenbyalmost 3 / 4 thofIndianpopulation ii. TheDravidianLanguageswhichcomposeofTamilKannada,TeluandMalayalam iii. TheAustricLanguageswhichconsistofMundari,Maithili,SanthalDogri,etc. iv. Tibeto-BurmanLanguageswhichencompasstriballanguagesdialectsofNorthand NorthEastIndiabelongtothiscategory.TheincludeManipuri,Bodo.Ladki,Kuki,etc. v. TheEuropeanLanguageswhichembraceEnglish,PortugueseandFrench.Thelast twolanguagesarespokenmostlybypeopleinGoaandPondicherryrespectively. 3 .ReligiousDiversities: Indiaisnotatheocraticstate.Ithasnostatereligion.Itguaranteesfreedom tothe peopletopracticeorfollowreligionsoftheirchoice"SarvaDharmaSamaBhava"-equal respecttoallreligions-hasbeenthecherishedvalueoftheIndiansocietysincetime immemorial. Indiaisalandwhichhasgivenplaceandprotectiontoseveralmajorreligionsofthe world.Thereare 8 majorreligiouscommunitiesinIndianamely. 1 .theHindus( 82. 7 %). 2. Muslims( 11. 8 %), 3 .Christians( 2. 6 %). 4 .Sikhs( 2 %), 5 .Buddhists( 0. 7 %), 6 .Jains( 0. 4 %). 7 .ZoroastriansorPersians( 0. 3 %),and 8 .theJews( 0. 7 %)-asper 1991 census.Asper 2011 census,theHindupopulationisreducedto 78. 35 %,whereastheMuslim population hasincreasedto 14. 2 %(. 8 %increaseover 2001 censusfigureof 13. 4 %).Hindus constituted 84. 1 %in 1951 andby 2011 ,theirpercentagedecreasedby 5. 75 %in 2011 .In additiontotheabovementionedreligiousgroups,thetribalsfollowtheirowntribalfaiths. Eachofthemajorreligionshasitsownsub-divisionsandsects.(Sourceofthesefigures
- Udayavani,Dated 25. 01. 2015 ) ReligionsthatCoexistinIndia; Hinduism :Thisisthereligionofthemajority.Hindusconstitute 82. 7 %ofthe population.Hinduism issobroadthatitincludesinitspurviewvarioussectsand sub-sectssuchas-Shaivites[WorshippersofShiva).VaishnavasWorshippersof VishnuandHisIncarnationsorAvataras).ShakteyasWorshippersofMother Goddessinvariousmanifestations).AryaSamajist,BrahmaSamajists, Charvakas,Tantrics,followersofdiverseBhaktiCults,[Ex:AyyappaBabaCult, RaghavendraSwamyCult)andsoon.Cult,Sal.
Intheculturalfieldalsowefindinnumerablevarietiesdottedoverthelengthandbreadth ofthiscountry.Traditionalculturalwaysandmodernthoughtsareintermixedhere.The foodhabits,dressstylesfolkways,mores,customsandtraditions,norms,values,rituals andbeliefsFamilyandmaritalsystemsandsuchothersocio-culturalpracticesofthe peopleareneverthesamealloverIndia.Ifonetravelsfrom onestatetoanotherorfrom oneendofthenationtoanotheronefindssuchvastdiversities.Dr.R.K.Mukherjirightly said."Indiaisamuseum ofcultsandcustoms,creedsandculture,faithsandtongues, racialtypesandsocialsystems EthnicDiversity: referstoawidevarietyofracial,culturalandlinguisticcharacteristics.Ethnic groupisdefinedashavingcharacteristicsofasizeablegroupofpeoplesharing acommonanddistinctiveracial,national,religious,linguisticorculturalheritage". AsitisalreadystatedthattheIndiancommunityisanadmixtureofdifferent races[suchas-Negrito,Nordic,Mediterranean,Proto-Austroloid,Mongoloidand WesternBrachycephals)invaryingdegrees. IndiaisConsideredasaSub-ContinentofAsia: DiversitiesfoundinIndiaaresodiversethatitisoftencalledthesub-continentof Asia".Therearecastes,sectsandcommunitiesinIndiathathaveanindividual ethics.Theyalsohaveorganiclinkswithotherelementsofthepopulationofthe region.Thepeopleinsuchregionmayshareethnicorigins,languageandcultural traits.Theirsharedhistoricalexperiences,aswellasecologyandenvironment areequallyimportant.Powerfulkingdomsandalsomajordynastieshavedirectly anddirectlycontributedtotheshapingofculturalregions.Thegreatempireshad centralculturalzonebuttheirinfluencewasextendedinadiluredform tofar awayplaces.Itisinthiscontext.Indiaisoftenconsideredasasub-continentof Asia. THENATUREOFUNITYORBONDSOFUNITYININDIA DespitethewidespreaddifferenceswhichonefindsinIndia,itremainsasonesinglenation. Indiahasneverlostitsidealofunity.Indianculturepossessesafundamentalunitywhich remainedundisturbedinitspoliticalhistoryofriseandfall.TheimprintofIndianunitycanbe foundintheliteraturesandthoughtsofdifferentcommunitiesofthecountryThefundamental approachtoliterature,philosophy,traditionandcustomsistypicallyIndian.Thebasisofthe socialandculturalunityofthecountryiscommontoeverygroup. MeaningofUnity: Theterm "unity"impliesonenessorasenseofwe-ness'orbelongingness.Itdenoteshigher levelsofco-operation,mutualunderstandingsharedvalues,commonidentitybothhistoricaland culturalandnationalconsciousnessonthepartofthepeopleinspiteofthedifferences.Ofthe variousfactorswhichmanifesttheunityofIndia,thefollowingareofgreatimportance.
(i) RegionalUnity (ii) LinguisticUnity (iii) ReligiousUnity (iv) CulturalUnity 1 .RegionalorGeographicalUnityofIndia: ThephysicalorregionalorgeographicalfactorshaveprovidedIndia,ageographicalunity. Thename"Bharatavarsha"or"BharataKhanda"[the"landofBharata",thefoundingfatherof theland]symbolisesitshistoricalaswellasphysicalidentity.Thistraditionalnamealso figuresinourEpicsandPuranas.Ithasoccupiedanimportantplaceinthemindsofpoets, politicalphilosophersandreligiousthinkers.Thisnameindicatesthegeographicalaswell asthepoliticalunityofIndia.Aslokain"VishnuPurana,alsomentionsofthephysical boundariesofIndia.Inancienttimes,Indiawasalsoknownas'Aryavartha'and Jambudweepa'. ItwasbelievedbymostoftheancientwritersthatthephysicalboundariesofIndia consistedoftheHimalayasintheNorth,KanyakumariintheWestintheSouth, BrahmaputraintheEast,andtheriverSindhuinthewTheHindurulerswhoruledIndiaafter theruleofkingBharata,usecherishthisidealandtheambitionofestablishingavast empireexpressions"BharathMata","VandeMataram""MotherIndiaalsodenoteinan emotionalmannerthegeographicunityofIndia.
- LinguisticUnity: DespitethepresenceofanumberoflanguagesIndiapossessesalinguisticunity.The Sanskritlanguagewasagreatunifyingfactor.Itwnotonlythelanguageofreligionand scholarship,butalsooftheroyalcourtsandthelawcourts.Itwasthecommonlanguagein allpartsofthecountryinthepast.Sanskritlanguageandliteraturereachedtheirheight undertheGuptaswhomaintainedpoliticalunityinmostoftheplacesofIndiafor 200 years. Sanskritisthemotherofthelanguages.Ithasbeenthesourceofinspirationformostof theDravidianlanguagesalso.SanskritwastherootofbothPaliandPrakritthetwo languageswhichwereusedforspreadingBuddhism.Sanskritlanguageservedas"avehicle ofnoblethoughtandexpression,andasarepositoryofourculture"formorethan 3000 years.Itisindeedanintegralforceofunity.WhatSankrithaddonepreviouslytoweld IndiansintoaunitythepresentlanguagessuchasHindiandEnglish(oneIndianand anotherforeign]aretryingtodoatpresent.Thus,peoplemayspeakdifferentlanguagesin differentregionsbuttheyhavecommonlanguagessuchasHindiandEnglishto communicatewitheachother. TheStatusof"ClassicalLanguage TheGovernmentofIndiadeclaredin 2004 thatitwouldaccordthestatusofa"Classical LanguagetothoseIndianlanguageswhichmeetcertainrequirements.Languagessuchas
differencestheimprintofculturalunityandincertainrespectsuniformity,istobefoundin severalaspectsofpeople'slife.Thisunityfindsitsexpressioninliteratureandthoughtin art,architectureandsculpture,inphilosophyandspirituality,indance,dramaandmusic. Thecastesystem hasalsoprovidedacommonculturalideologytothepeople. Religiousritesandceremoniesarealsoheldinmoreorlessthesamewayeverywhere. Festivalssuchas-Dasara,Deepavali,HoliRakshaBandhan,GaneshChaturthi,Makara Sankramana,Ram NavamiYugadi,etc.,arealsoobservedthroughoutthenationwiththe samereligiousfervour.Suchfestivatsalsoreceiveinternationalrecognitionespeciallywhen theleadingartistsgivetheirperformancesonsuchoccasionsinforeigncountries.As regardsthenatureoffamily,sentimentswovenaroundmarriage,respecttowardsthe elders,kitchennorms,sanctityosamskaras(likenamakarana,upanayana,vivaha, anthyakriya,etc.)casterulesetc.-allthegroupsseem tohavebeenunanimousintheir acceptance. Conclusion: TheunityofIndiaisessentiallyemotionalorpsychologicalNationalisticfervoursand patroticsentimentsbindIndianstogetherSloganssuchas VandeMataramBharathamatakiJaiJaiHind',etc.getre-echoedonoccasionsindifferent cornersofIndia.TheconceptsofMotherIndiaMotherland"etc.,havefurther strengthenedsuchsentiments.Moderneducation,thedevelopmentofanetworkof transportandcommunications,industrialisationandurbanisationhaveprovidednew basesforunity."UnityofIndia"-isindeed,amuchcherishedgoalofIndians.
CHPT- 4 :NATIONALINTEGRATION:MEANINGCHALLENGES
MeaningofNationalIntegration ‘NationalIntegration’referstonationalunityandasenseofbelongingtothenation.Itisan essentialaspectinthemakingofanation.Promotionofnationalintegrationisregardedasa partandparcelofthepolicyofanycountry.IntheIndiancontext,itisamuchtalked phenomenonforalmostallnationallevelleadersgavetoitutmostimportance.Whenthenation becameindependent,theyfeltthenecessityofsuppressingthedivisiveforcesandencouraging theunifyingfactors.Theywantedtocreateconditionswhichwouldhelppeopletoforgettheir differencesandunitetogether.Itisinthiscontext,theconceptof“nationalintegration”has assumedimportance. DefinitionofNationalIntegration 1 .Benjamin:Nationalintegration 1 referstothe“assimilationoftheentirepeopleofacountry toacommonidentity.” 2 .Insimplewords,nationalintegrationreferstotheprocesswhereinafeelingoftogetherness, asenseofnationalunityandaboveall,a–senseofnationalbelongingnessaredeveloped
amongpeople. EssentialElementsofNationalIntegration: Anationisnotjustagroupofpeoplelivingoverapieceofland.Apartfrom theterritorialbond, therearemanyotherelementsthatbindthem togethertomakethem anation.Acommon language,commonhistorictradition,commonculturalheritage,commonnationalvaluesand ideologiessupremenationalloyalty,patriotism,nationalistattitude,suppressionofanti-national forces–arealltheimportantelementswhichplaytheirroleinweldingpeopleintoaunity. NEEDFORNATIONALINTEGRATION Nationalintegrationisnothingbutnationalunity.Italsodenotesemotionalunityorintegration. Itcontributestothementalmake-upofthepeopletofeelthattheyareoneandhaveastrong senseofbelonging.Itisanessentialneedofastrongandstablenation.Thereisaneedto developandstrengthenit. 1 .NationalIntegrationDoesNotEmergeAutomatically:Nationalunitydoesnotautomatically developjustbecauseitscitizenslivewithinthesamegeographicboundaries.Itrequires deliberateeffortstoattainnationalunity.Itisonlywhenconditionsarecreatedinwhichpeople seem toforgettheirdifferencesandunitetogether,thatnationalintegrationemerges. 2 .DifferencesShouldNotbeAllowedtoCreateConflicts:Indiaisawonderlandknownfor widedifferences.Onefindsheremarkeddifferencesinthelivingstandards,foodhabits,dress styles,spokenlangauges,customarypractices,religiousbeliefs,culturalelementsofthe variouspeoplelivingindifferentpartsofcountry.Wefindextremepovertyononeside,andon theother,asmallsectionofthepopulacerollinginprosperity.Therearebelieversandnon- believersinreligion,therearehighlyeducatedpeopleandalsotheilliteratemasses,thereare themostmodernisedpeopleandatthesametime,therearepeopleawayfrom theworldof civilizationandsoon.Lefttothemselves,thesedifferencesmaycreatesocio-culturalgap betweenthepeopleandfinallyitmayleadtolotofinternalconflicts.Thus,plannedand purposefulattemptsarerequiredtoavoidsuchconflictsandnoteunity. 3 .NationalIntegrationisEssentialtoFulfilNationalGoals:Everynationhasitsownsetof goalsoraimswhichittriestofulfilinitsownway.IntheIndiancontext,-socialjustice,liberty, equality,fraternity,secularism (orsarvadharmasamabhava),nationalism,democracy,national integrity–assumeimportanceasournationalgoals.Nationalunityorintegrationisverymuch neededfortherealisationofthesegoals.Justlikeemotionalidentificationkeepsmembersofa familyunited,nationalintegrationhelpsthecitizensofanationtogetorganisedandunitedto achievenationalpurposes. CHALLENGESFORNATIONALINTEGRATION Amongthevariousfactorsthatposeseriouschallengestothepromotionofnationalintegration inIndia,thefollowingmaybenoted. 1 .RiseofCommunalism “Theantagonism practisedbythemembersofonecommunityagainstthepeopleof
