Civics Class 6 Textbook PDF

SOCIAL SCIENCE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE – I Textbook for Class VI Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 1 18-11-2022 09:52:10 AM  0658 – Social and Political Life-I...

SOCIAL SCIENCE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE – I Textbook for Class VI Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 1 18-11-2022 09:52:10 AM  0658 – Social and Political Life-I ISBN 81-7450-511-3 Textbook for Class VI First Edition ALL RIGHTS RESERVED February 2006 Phalguna 1927  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, Reprinted photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. December 2006, December 2007  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade, be lent, December 2009, January 2011 re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of without the publisher’s consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. February 2012, November 2012  The correct price of this publication is the price printed on this page, Any November 2013, January 2015 revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should be unacceptable. January 2017, January 2018 February 2019, January 2020 March 2021, August 2021 OFFICES OF THE PUBLICATION November 2021, and February 2022 DIVISION, NCERT NCERT Campus Sri Aurobindo Marg Revised Edition New Delhi 110 016 Phone : 011-26562708 November 2022 Kartika 1944 108, 100 Feet Road Hosdakere Halli Extension PD 525T RSP Banashankari III Stage Bengaluru 560 085 Phone : 080-26725740 © National Council of Educational Navjivan Trust Building Research and Training, 2006, 2022 P.O.Navjivan Ahmedabad 380 014 Phone : 079-27541446 CWC Campus Opp. Dhankal Bus Stop Panihati Kolkata 700 114 Phone : 033-25530454 CWC Complex Maligaon Guwahati 781 021 Phone : 0361-2674869 ` 65.00 Publication Team Head, Publication : Anup Kumar Rajput Division Chief Production : Arun Chitkara Officer Chief Business : Vipin Dewan Manager Chief Editor (In charge)  : Bijnan Sutar Printed on 80 GSM paper with NCERT Production Assistant : Om Prakash watermark Published at the Publication Division by the Cover and Illustrations Secretary, National Council of Educational Vishakha Prakash Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Layout Marg, New Delhi 110 016 and printed at Sohan Pal, Mrityunjay Chatterjee Saraswati Offset Printers (P.) Ltd., A-5, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, Naraina, New Delhi-110 028 Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 2 18-11-2022 09:52:10 AM  Foreword The National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005, recommends that children’s life at school must be linked to their life outside the school. This principle marks a departure from the legacy of bookish learning which continues to shape our system and causes a gap between the school, home and community. The syllabi and textbooks developed on the basis of NCF signify an attempt to implement this basic idea. They also attempt to discourage rote learning and the maintenance of sharp boundaries between different subject areas. We hope these measures will take us significantly further in the direction of a child-centred system of education outlined in the National Policy on Education (1986). The success of this effort depends on the steps that school principals and teachers will take to encourage children to reflect on their own learning and to pursue imaginative activities and questions. We must recognise that given space, time and freedom, children generate new knowledge by engaging with the information passed on to them by adults. Treating the prescribed textbook as the sole basis of examination is one of the key reasons why other resources and sites of learning are ignored. Inculcating creativity and initiative is possible if we perceive and treat children as participants in learning, not as receivers of a fixed body of knowledge. These aims imply considerable change in school routines and mode of functioning. Flexibility in the daily time-table is as necessary as rigour in implementing the annual calendar so that the required number of teaching days is actually devoted to teaching. The methods used for teaching and evaluation will also determine how effective this textbook proves for making children’s life at school a happy experience, rather than a source of stress or boredom. Syllabus designers have tried to address the problem of curricular burden by restructuring and reorienting knowledge at different stages with greater consideration for child psychology and the time available for teaching. The textbook attempts to enhance this endeavour by giving higher priority and space to opportunities for contemplation and wondering, discussion in small groups, and activities requiring hands-on experience. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) appreciates the hard work done by the textbook development committee responsible for this book. We wish to thank the Chairperson of the advisory committee for Social Science textbooks at the Upper Primary Level, Professor Hari Vasudevan and the Chief Advisor for this book, Sarada Balagopalan, for guiding the work of this committee. Several teachers contributed to the development of this textbook; we are grateful to their principals for making this possible. We are Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 3 18-11-2022 09:52:10 AM  iv indebted to the institutions and organisations which have generously permitted us to draw upon their resources, material and personnel. We are especially grateful to the members of the National Monitoring Committee, appointed by the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development under the Chairpersonship of Professor Mrinal Miri and Professor G.P. Deshpande, for their valuable time and contribution. As an organisation committed to the systemic reform and continuous improvement in the quality of its products, NCERT welcomes comments and suggestions which will enable us to undertake further revision and refinement. Director New Delhi National Council of Educational 20 December 2005 Research and Training Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 4 18-11-2022 09:52:11 AM  Rationalisation of Content in the Textbooks In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to reduce content load on students. The National Education Policy 2020, also emphasises reducing the content load and providing opportunities for experiential learning with creative mindset. In this background, the NCERT has undertaken the exercise to rationalise the textbooks across all classes. Learning Outcomes already developed by the NCERT across classes have been taken into consideration in this exercise. Contents of the textbooks have been rationalised in view of the following: Overlapping with similar content included in other subject areas in the same class Similar content included in the lower or higher class in the same subject Difficulty level Content, which is easily accessible to students without much interventions from teachers and can be learned by children through self-learning or peer-learning Content, which is irrelevant in the present context This present edition, is a reformatted version after carrying out the changes given above. Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 5 18-11-2022 09:52:11 AM  Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 6 18-11-2022 09:52:11 AM  Textbook Development Committee Chairperson, Advisory Committee for Social Science Textbooks at the Upper Primary Level Hari Vasudevan, Professor, Department of History, University of Calcutta, Kolkata Chief Advisor Sarada Balagopalan, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Rajpur Road, Delhi Members Anjali Noronha, Eklavya – Institute for Educational Research and Innovative Action, Madhya Pradesh Arvind Sardana, Eklavya – Institute for Educational Research and Innovative Action, Madhya Pradesh Dipta Bhog, Nirantar – Centre for Gender and Education, Sarvodaya Enclave, New Delhi Jaya Singh, Lecturer, DESSH, NCERT Krishna Menon, Reader, Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi. Latika Gupta, Consultant, DEE, NCERT Mohan Deshpande, Coordinator, Aabha (Arogya Bhan), Aundh, Pune M.V. Srinivasan, Lecturer, DESSH, NCERT Sanjay Dubey, Reader, DESSH, NCERT Shobha Bajpai, Government Middle School, Uda, District Harda, Madhya Pradesh Swati Verma, Heritage School, Sector-23, Rohini, Delhi Member-Coordinator W. Themmichon Ramson, Lecturer, DESSH, NCERT Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 7 18-11-2022 09:52:11 AM  Constitution of India Part IV A (Article 51 A) Fundamental Duties It shall be the duty of every citizen of India — (a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem; (b) to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom; (c) to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India; (d) to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so; (e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women; (f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture; (g) to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures; (h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform; (i) to safeguard public property and to abjure violence; (j) to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement; * (k) who is a parent or guardian, to provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years. Note: The Article 51A containing Fundamental Duties was inserted by the Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976 (with effect from 3 January 1977). *(k) was inserted by the Constitution (86th Amendment) Act, 2002 (with effect from 1 April 2010). Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 8 18-11-2022 09:52:11 AM  Acknowledgments The collective effort that this textbook represents extends beyond the formal writing team. Several friends and colleagues were involved with this book in many ways. As members of our self-initiated internal review committee Mary John, S. Mohinder, Aditya Nigam and C.N. Subramaniam provided us with detailed feedback and inputs. In addition, Solly Benjamin, Rajeev Bhargav, Anu Gupta, Sarah Joseph, Prakash Kant, Prabhu Mahapatra, Farah Naqvi, Awadhendra Sharan, Sujit Sinha, Bhupendra Yadav and Yogendra Yadav read particular chapters and commented on them. Alex M. George played multiple roles in terms of providing us with ideas, feedback and information. Keshab Das helped us think through one of our chapters with his detailed draft. Sumangala Damodaran provided us the wording of the IPTA song that we have used in the first chapter. Ben eagerly worked at providing us with information on rice cultivation in Chizami, Nagaland. We specially would like to thank Urvashi Butalia who generously agreed to edit the book at short notice. Her detailed editing and comments greatly enriched the quality of the book, its presentation of ideas and our writing style. We would like to thank R.K. Laxman (The Times of India), Sheila Dhir, Poile Sengupta and Anjali Monteiro for permitting us to use their work and writings. We duly acknowledge, Penguin, Tulika and the Government of Maharastra for allowing us to use their publications. Some of the illustrations in this book have been done by children. The children of Government Middle School, Uda, District Harda have drawn the pictures used in the collage on rural livelihoods. Aditi, Aishwarya, Anisha, Bali, Meenakshi and Sahar also provided us with their drawings. Saswati Chaudhury has painted two of the illustrations that we have used in the first chapter. The photographs were generously provided by Down to Earth, Hindustan Times and Nehru Memorial Library. We specially thank Outlook for the help and understanding extended to us and to Jan Breman and Parthiv Shah for their Photographs. The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS); Eklavya; Nirantar – Centre for Gender and Education and Ankur Society for Alternatives in Education played an important institutional role in the evolution of the book by being patient with our constant absences, our excessive demands and lending their help in whichever way we required. Mr. Adhikari, Vikas, Sachin and Ghanshyam at CSDS, Dinesh Patil at Eklavya and Shalini Joshi, Purwa Bhardwaj, Malini Ghosh, Prasanna and Anil Hasda at Nirantar have helped us a great deal. All of the above individuals – as parents, teachers or students – have a knowledge of textbooks and became involved in this process out of a commitment to bettering the ways in which we introduce children to new ideas. Special thanks are due to Savita Sinha, Professor and Head, DESSH, NCERT for her support during the development of this book. The Council also gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Arvind Sharma, DTP Operator during the preparation of the book. The efforts of the Publication Department, NCERT in bringing out this book are also highly appreciated. This textbook is a reflection of all of our efforts. Suggestions and critical feedback on this book are welcome. The contribution of M.V.S.V. Prasad, Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum Studies, NCERT, in reviewing and updating the current edition is appreciated. The Council acknowledges the valuable inputs for analysing syllabi, textbook and the content proposed to be rationalised for this edition by Kavita Jain, PGT, Political Science, Ashok Vihar; Maneesha Pandey, Professor, Department of Political Science, Hindu College, University of Delhi; Shankaran Sharan, Associate Professor, DESS, NCERT; Vanthangpui Khobung, Assistant Professor, RIE, Bhopal, NCERT; and Sunita Kathuria, PGT, Political Science, MCL Saraswati Bal Mandir, Hari Nagar, New Delhi. Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 9 18-11-2022 09:52:11 AM  ON USING THIS BOOK Why ‘Social and Political Life’? Members of the team that drew up the National Curriculum Framework 2005 were of the opinion that the subject ‘Civics’ grew out of a certain colonial past and therefore required to be changed. In addition, members of the curriculum committee felt that civics had been focused only on describing government institutions and programmes and needed to develop a critical outlook. “Social and Political Life” is the new subject that emerged out of this exercise. This new subject has also simultaneously expanded its scope by including within its purview topics that deal with various aspects of social, political and economic life. What is different about ‘Social and Political Life’? A great deal of effort has gone into consciously devising a different approach while writing this textbook. The textbook incorporates a mix of the following three elements: 1) Recognising that children learn best through concrete experiences. We have tried to discuss institutions and processes through incorporating these either in the form of fictional narratives, or case-studies or exercises that draws on the child’s experiences. 2) Introducing concepts with a view to enabling comprehension rather than the retention of facts. Some of the ways in which we have done this is through minimising a listing of information, through asking questions that encourage the child to think, and through avoiding definitions wherever possible. 3) Keeping in mind that the child is already deeply enmeshed within familial and social networks, we have tried to balance the ideal with the real in our discussion of topics. Children bring in a lot of what happens in the outside world to the classroom. The discussion of topics draws upon as well as interrogates these understandings. The reality is portrayed along with an analysis of how we could move towards the ideal. This ideal is emphasised through the values that are enshrined in the Constitution and through people’s struggles to achieve these. This book is divided into four sections that focus on different concepts i.e. diversity, government, local government and administration and livelihoods. Each section contains chapters that elaborate and expand on these concepts. Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 10 18-11-2022 09:52:11 AM  xi I. Beginning Each Chapter Each Chapter begins with two In the previous chapter you have discussed the meanings elements that have been introduced to of diversity. Sometimes people Chapter 2 create an interest in the child to find who are ‘different’ from others are teased, laughed at or not out what the Chapter is about. The first of these is the Introductory Box that Diversity and included in a certain activity or group. We feel hurt, angry, Discrimination helpless or sad when friends provides a brief glimpse into the contents or others treat us in such ways. Have you ever wondered why of what that Chapter will deal with. At this happens? times it has questions that are designed In this chapter we will try and both to generate curiosity as well as explore how such experiences are related to the society we to elicit the child’s experiences on the live in. We will look at how particular topic. We have also begun each they are connected to the inequalities that exist around Chapter with a large visual. The reason us. behind this is once again to enable the child to conjecture, with the help of the picture provided, what the particular Chapter seeks to get across. Teachers are encouraged to come up with their own questions and visuals in addition to using those provided in this book. II. In-text Questions and Exercises You will notice that all of the Chapters include What were Hector and his classmates protesting about? List five ways in which the non-whites were boxes that contain in-text questions, discussion discriminated against: boxes or exercises. These serve several purposes. 1. 2. One is to help the teacher gauge the extent to 3. which the student has understood what has been discussed earlier in the Chapter. 3. Talk to a vegetable vendor or hawker and find out how do they organise their Second is to expand on the student’s understanding work, their way of preparing, purchasing, selling etc. of concepts by attempting to locate these within a 4. Bachchu Manjhi has to think twice before taking a day off from work. Why? child’s own experiences. Exercise: Look at the statements in the column on the left. Can you identify which level they belong to? Place tick marks allow the student The third is to to recall and make connections with what has been taught earlier. allow the student Local State Central to recall and make The decision of the Indian government to maintain peaceful relations with Russia connections with what has been The decision of the West Bengal Government on whether to have Board exam in Class 8 for all government schools. taught earlier. Introduction of two new train connections between Jammu and Bhubaneswar. Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 11 18-11-2022 09:52:12 AM  xii The discussion boxes are meant for discussion Discuss in small groups which then later gets shared Why do you think Samir Do did not attend school? with the whole class. These discussion boxes are Do you think it would have been easy for him to central to the student experientially expanding attend school if he wanted to? In your opinion is upon their understanding of particular concepts it a fair situation that some children get to go to school and others don’t? and should therefore in no way be ignored for the sake of time constraints. III. End-Text Questions In drafting the end-text questions, care has been taken to encourage the student to understand rather than to blindly memorise the contents of the book. Students should be encouraged to write the answers in their own words. Various types of questions have been used. A brief explanation of three different types of questions are provided: QUESTIONS »» One type requires the child to specifically recall 1. What is the work of the police? some of the main ideas of the Chapter. 2. List two things that the work of a Patwari includes. 5. Fill in the following table to show the services provided by people in the markets which you visit frequently. Name of the Nature of the shop or office service provided »» Another type asks the student to answer based on their own experiences. 6. Compare the situation of Sekar and Ramalingam by filling »» There are compare and contrast out the following table: questions that ask the student to think SEKAR RAMALINGAM through the information presented to them Land cultivated Labour required Selling of harvest 6. Read the following news item....The incident came to light when some villagers brought a badly injured Lad to hospital for treatment. In the FIR recorded by the police Lad said that he was attacked when he insisted that the water in the tanker must be emptied into the storage tanks constructed as »» Questions also ask the part of the water supply scheme by Nimone Gram Panchayat so student to imagine a that there would be equal distribution of water. However, he alleged that the upper caste men were against this and told him that the situation that they have tanker water was not meant for the lower castes. Adapted from Indian Express, May 1, 2004 read about and react to a. Why was Bhagvan beaten? the issues it throws up. b. Do you think that the above is a case of discrimination? Why? Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 12 18-11-2022 09:52:12 AM  xiii 7. Discuss: In the two photographs »» Another type has used you see different ways of collecting and disposing visuals/ photos to ask the garbage. student to describe what they i) Which way do you see and how it relates to what think provides safety they have read in the Chapter. to the person disposing garbage? These various types of questions will allow the teacher to evaluate whether the child has not only understood a concept but that this learning includes an ability to relate to the concept meaningfully. The teacher is encouraged to set questions of various types, like the ones described above, when evaluating the student. It is important that we formulate new questions, similar to the end-text questions. We must try to abandon the practice of students ‘learning’ answers to a fixed set of questions. Expressing opinion, or debating on certain issues is part of engaging with or learning a concept. IV. Use of Narratives I meant it as a joke. This book uses several narratives, both fiction and non- fiction, A joke for the small ragged boy who sold to enable the child to understand ideas and institutions. These newspapers at the narratives should be used to encourage introspection as well traffic light at the busy intersection. Every time as discussion, with the effort being to have the student identify I cycled past he would as much as possible with the story. In some Chapters we run after me, holding out the English paper have asked students to write narratives of their own based on their experiences of and screaming out the evening’s headlines in a mixture of Hindi and similar situations. English. This time, I stopped by the Bachchu Manjhi – A Cycle-Rickshaw Puller pavement and asked for the Hindi The student should paper. His mouth fell open... I come from a village in Bihar where I worked as a mason. be encouraged to My wife and three children live in the village. We don’t own land. In the village I did not get masonry work regularly. The be as creative as possible while writing and income that I earned was not sufficient for our family. narrating these stories. The teacher is also After I reached this city, I bought an old cycle rickshaw and paid for it in instalments. This was many years ago... encouraged to look for linkages that can be made with concepts that are being taught in the other subjects. Imagine that you are a writer or an artist who lives in the place described above. Either write a story or draw a picture of your life here. Do you think you would enjoy living in a place like this? List five different things that you would miss the most if you lived here. Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 13 18-11-2022 09:52:13 AM  xiv V. Use of Images This book contains several illustrations and photographs. These are as integral to the Chapter as the narrative is and the teacher is encouraged to use these in explaining the narrative contents of this book. In addition pictures help the child visualise a situation even if the child is not familiar with it. The teacher is encouraged to use relevant visual material in the classroom in addition to what is provided here. The library, newspaper, magazines, the internet are all a potential source of visuals and should be used whenever possible. VI. Use of other Sources Letters to the editor A textbook is important but only one among many sources that can be used in a classroom. Students should be encouraged to read outside their textbooks. One way would be to find out answers to some of the questions raised in the class in other sources like Not bad! One of the taps in the the newspaper, magazines, nearby village must be getting books etc. water! Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 14 18-11-2022 09:52:14 AM  CONTENTS xv Foreword iii Rationalisation of Content in the Textbook v On Using this Book vii UNIT I DIVERSITY Chapter 1 Understanding Diversity 3 Chapter 2 Diversity and Discrimination 13 UNIT II GOVERNMENT Chapter 3 What is Government 26 UNIT III LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION Chapter 4 Panchayati Raj 36 Chapter 5 Rural Administration 42 Chapter 6 Urban Administration 50 UNIT IV LIVELIHOODS Chapter 7 Rural Livelihoods 60 Chapter 8 Urban Livelihoods 69 References 79 Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 15 18-11-2022 09:52:15 AM  Rationalised 2023-24 Prelims.indd 16 18-11-2022 09:52:16 AM  Urban Livelihoods / 79 References List of Sources Chapter 1 Sengupta, Poile. 1997. ‘The Lights Changed’ in Githa Hariharan and Shama Futehally (Eds.) Sorry, Best Friend! Tulika Books, Chennai. Chapter 2 Dhir, Sheila. 2005. Why Are You Afraid to Hold My Hand? Tulika Books, Chennai. Moon, Vasant (Ed.). 1993. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. 12. Education Department, Government of Maharashtra, Bombay. Chapter 3 Laxman, R.K. 2002. ‘The Common Man Goes to the Village’ in The Best of Laxman. Penguin, Delhi. Laxman, R.K. 2005. ‘The Common Man Casts his Vote’ in The Best of Laxman, Penguin, Delhi. Chapter 6 Monteiro, Anjali. 1994. Reflections on My Family, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Chapter 9 Breman, Jan and Parthiv Shah. 2004. Working in the Mill No More. Oxford University Press, Delhi. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_IV Ch 9 Reference.indd 79 14-11-2022 04:34:51 PM  Notes Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_IV Ch 9 Reference.indd 80 14-11-2022 04:34:51 PM  UNIT - I Diversity Div ity Div e i t y r Diversityr s ers v e s ity ers D i Div ity Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 1 14-11-2022 03:53:48 PM  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) Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 2 14-11-2022 03:53:49 PM  Chapter 1 Look around you in the classroom: do you see Understanding anyone who looks exactly like you do? In this chapter you will learn that people are different from Diversity 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. 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! Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 3 14-11-2022 03:53:51 PM  4 / Social and Political Life the evening’s headlines in a mixture of Fill out the following information Hindi and English words. This time, I about yourself stopped by the pavement and asked for When I go out I like wearing the Hindi paper. His mouth fell open. _____________________________________ “You mean you know Hindi?” he At home I speak in asked. _____________________________________ “Of course,” I said as I paid for the My favourite sport is paper. _____________________________________ “Why? What did you think?” I like reading books about He paused. “But you look so…so _____________________________________ angrez,” he said. “You mean you can even read Hindi?” Now ask your teacher to help you “Of course I can,” I said, this time a check, how many of you have similar little impatiently. “I can speak, read answers. Is there anyone whose list and write Hindi. Hindi is one of the matches yours exactly? Probably not. subjects I study in school.” 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 “Subjects?” he asked. How could I following story and think about this. explain what a subject was to someone I had meant it as a joke. A joke made who had never been to school? “Well, it up for a small ragged boy who sold is something…” I began, but the lights newspapers at the Janpat crossing at changed, and the honking behind the busy intersection. Every time I cycled me grew a hundredfold and I let myself past he would run after me, holding out be pushed along with the rest of the the English paper and screaming out traffic. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 4 14-11-2022 03:53:53 PM  Understanding Diversity /5 The next day he was there again, The next day, he did not have his smiling at me and holding out a Hindi usual smile for me. “There is trouble paper. “Bhaiyya,” he said, “aap ka in Meerut,” he said. “Many people are akhbaar. Ab Bathaaiye yeh subject kya being killed there in the riots.” I looked cheez hai?” the English word sounded at the headlines. Communal Riots, it strange on his tongue. It sounded blazed. “But Samir…” I began. “I’m a like its other meaning in English – to Muslim Samir,” he said in answer. “And all my people are in Meerut.” be ruled by someone else. His eyes filled with tears and when “Oh, it’s just something to study,” I I touched his shoulder, he would not said. And then because the red light had look up. come on, I asked him, “Have you ever He was not at the crossing the day been to school?” “Never,” he answered. after. Neither the day after nor ever And he added proudly, “I began working again. And no newspaper, in English or when I was so high.” He measured Hindi, can tell me where my Samir Do himself against my cycle-seat. “First my has gone. mother used to come with me but I can (The Lights Changed by Poile Sengupta) do it all alone.” “Where is your mother now?” I asked, Name three ways in which Samir but then the lights changed and I was Ek and Samir Do were different? off. I heard him yell from somewhere Did these differences prevent behind me, “She’s in Meerut with…” them from becoming friends? The rest was drowned out. “My name is Samir,” he said the While Samir Ek is more familiar next day. And very shyly he asked, with English, Samir Do speaks Hindi. “What’s yours?” It was incredible. My Although they both are more at bicycle wobbled. “My name is Samir home in different languages they still too,” I said. “What?” His eyes lit up. communicated with each other. They “Yes,” I grinned at him. “It’s another made the effort to do so because this name for Hanuman’s father, you was what was important to them. know.” “So now you are Samir Ek and Samir Ek and Samir Do also I’m Samir Do,” he said triumphantly. come from different religious and “Something like that,” I answered and cultural backgrounds. While Samir then I held out my hand. “Haath milao, Ek is a Hindu, Samir Do is a Muslim. Samir Do!” His hand nestled in mine Different religious and cultural like a little bird. I could still feel its backgrounds such as these are an warmth as I cycled away. aspect of diversity. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 5 14-11-2022 03:53:54 PM  6 / Social and Political Life Here, we’re talking not of difference Make a list of the festivals that but of inequality. Inequality comes might have been celebrated by the about when a person does not have the two boys. resources and opportunitites that are Samir Ek: available to other persons. Samir Do: The caste system is another Can you think of a situation in example of inequality. According to which you made friends with this, society was divided into different someone who was very different groups depending upon the work that from you? Write a story that people did and they were supposed describes this. to remain in those groups. So if your parents were potters you could only In addition to their become a potter, nothing else. This diverse religious and system was considered irreversible. cultural backgrounds, And because you were not supposed there are other ways to change your profession, it was not in which Samir Ek considered necessary for you to know and Samir Do are anything more than what you needed different from each in your profession. This created a other. For example, situation of inequality. You will read while Samir Ek goes to more about this and other inequalities school, Samir Do sells in the following chapters. newspapers. What does diversity add to our Discuss lives? Why do you think Samir Do did Just like Samir Ek and Samir Do not attend school? Do you think became friends, you might have friends it would have been easy for him to who are very different from you. You attend school if he wanted to? In have probably eaten different kinds your opinion is it a fair situation of food in their homes, celebrated that some children get to go to different festivals with them, tried out school and others don’t? the clothes they wear, and learnt some of their languages as well. Samir Do did not have the opportunity to attend school. Perhaps Make a list of the food that you you’ve noticed that there are several have eaten from different parts of people in the area where you live who India. are poor and who don’t have enough to Make a list of the languages besides eat or wear and sometimes not even a your mother tongue that you can place to live. This difference is not the speak at least one or two words of. same as the one we have seen earlier. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 6 14-11-2022 03:53:54 PM  Understanding Diversity /7 far were forced to live in a place where all people wore the same two colours red and white, ate the same food (maybe potatoes!), took care of the same two animals, for example, the deer and the cat, and to entertain themselves played snakes and ladders. What kind of stories do you think they would write? You probably like reading and Imagine that you are a writer or hearing stories and adventures about an artist who lives in the place different animals, people and even described above. Either write a ghosts. Perhaps you even enjoy making story or draw a picture of your up stories yourself ! Many young people life here. feel happy when they read a good story Do you think you would enjoy because it gives them lots of ideas to living in a place like this? List five make up more stories. People who write different things that you would stories get their ideas from all sorts of miss the most if you lived here. different places – from books, and real life and from their imagination. DIVERSITY IN INDIA Some may have lived in forests close India is a country of many diversities. to animals and chosen to write of their We speak different languages, have fights and friendships. Others read various types of food, celebrate real accounts of kings and queens and different festivals, practise different wrote stories about love and honour. religions. But actually, if you think Some dipped into their own childhood about it, we do many things that are similar except that we do them in memories of school and friends and different ways. wrote stories of adventure. Imagine How do we explain Diversity? if all the A little more than two hundred years storytellers ago or long before the train, aeroplane, and writers bus or car became a part of our lives, that you people travelled from one part of the have heard world to another, in ships, on horses, and read so on camels or on foot. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 7 14-11-2022 03:53:54 PM  8 / Social and Political Life List at least three different ways in which people in India do the following. One of the possible answers has been provided for you already. Different ways in Through singing a which people pray hymn Different ways in Through signing a which people get register in the court married Different ways in In Manipur women which people dress wear a phanek Different ways in In Jharkhand many which people greet adivasis say “johar” each other to greet each other Different ways in By making Biriyani which people cook with meat or rice vegetables Often, they went in search of new music, religions became a mix of the lands, or new places to settle in, or old and the new, and out of this inter- for people to trade with. And because mixing of cultures, came something it took so long to travel, once they got new and different. to a place, people stayed there, often The history of many places shows for a long time. Many others left their us how many different cultural homes because there were famines influences have helped to shape life and drought and they could not get and culture there. Thus regions enough to eat. Some went in search of became very diverse because of their work while others left because there unique histories. was a war. Similarly diversity also comes Sometimes, as they began to make about when people adapt their lives to their homes in new places, people the geographical area in which they began to change a little and at other live. For example living near the sea times they managed to do things in is quite different from living in a the old ways. So their languages, food, mountainous area. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 8 14-11-2022 03:53:55 PM  Understanding Diversity /9 Not only do people have different clothing and eating habits, but even the Ladakh is a desert in the mountains in the east of Jammu kinds of work they do are different. In and Kashmir. Very little agriculture cities it is often easy to forget how closely is possible here since this region people’s lives are tied to their physical does not receive any rain and is surroundings. This is because in the city covered in snow for a large part of people seldom grow their own vegetables the year. There are very few trees and grain. Instead they depend on the that can grow in the region. For market to buy all the food and other goods drinking water, people depend that they need. on the melting snow during the Let us try to understand what we summer months. mean when we say that historical and People here keep sheep and geographical factors influence the diversity goats. The goats in this region of a region. We can do this by reading about are special because they produce life in two different parts of the country, pashmina wool. This wool is prized Kerala and Ladakh. and pashmina shawls cost a lot of money. The people in Ladakh Look at the map of India in an Atlas and carefully collect the wool of the locate Kerala and Ladakh. Can you goats and sell this to traders from list three ways in which the different Kashmir. Pashmina shawls are geographical location of these two chiefly woven in Kashmir. regions would influence the following? 1. The food people eat: The people eat meat and milk 2. The clothes they wear: products like cheese and butter. 3. The work they do: Each family owns some goats, cows and dzos (yak-cows). Being a desert did not mean that Ladakh did not attract its share of traders. It was considered a good trade route as it had many passes through which caravans travelled to what is today called Tibet. These caravans carried textiles and spices, raw silk and The dry barren landscape of the mountainous carpets. desert of Ladakh. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 9 14-11-2022 03:53:55 PM  10 / Social and Political Life Buddhism reached Tibet via Ladakh. Ladakh is also called Little Tibet. Islam was introduced in this region more than four hundred years ago and there is a significant Muslim population here. Ladakh has a very rich oral tradition of songs and poems. Local versions of the Tibetan national epic the Kesar Saga are performed and sung by both Muslims and Buddhists. Woman weaving a pashmina shawl Kerala is a state in the 2000 years ago and he is credited with south-west corner of India. bringing Christianity to India. It is surrounded by the sea Many Arab traders also came and settled on one side and hills on the down here. Ibn Battuta, who travelled other. A number of spices here a little less than seven hundred like pepper, cloves and years ago, wrote a travelogue in which he cardamoms are grown on the describes the lives of Muslims and says hills. It is spices that made this region that they were a highly respected community. The Portuguese discovered the sea route to India from Europe when Vasco da Gama landed with his ship here. Because of all these various historical influences, people in Kerala practise different religions such as Judaism, Islam, Chris- tianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. The fishing nets used here look exactly like the Chinese fishing Chinese Fishing Nets nets and are called cheena-vala. Even the utensil used for frying is an attractive place for traders. Jewish called the cheenachatti, and it is believed and Arab traders were the first to come that the word cheen could have come here. The Apostle of Christ, St. Thomas from China. The fertile land and climate is believed to have come here nearly are suited to growing rice and a majority of people here eat rice, fish and vegetables. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 10 14-11-2022 03:53:57 PM  Understanding Diversity / 11 While Kerala and Ladakh are quite because they were so different, and different in terms of their geographical then continue to rule them. But the features, the history of both regions people showed how they could be has seen similar cultural influences. different and yet be united in their Both regions were influenced by battle against the British. Chinese and Arab traders. It was the geography of Kerala which allowed for Don’t forget the days of blood, O friend the cultivation of spices and the special In the midst of your happiness remember geographical location of Ladakh and its to shed a tear for us wool that drew traders to these regions. Thus history and geography are often The hunter has torn away every single flower tied in the cultural life of a region. Do plant a flower in the desert garden The influence of diverse cultures dear friend is not merely a thing of the past. Our Having fallen to bullets we slept in present lives are all about moving Jallianwala Bagh from place to place for work and with each move our cultural traditions and Do light a lamp on this lonely grave O friend way of life slowly become part of the new place we are in. Similarly in our The blood of Hindus and Muslims flows own neighbourhoods we live close together today to people from several communities. Do soak your robe in this river of blood Our daily lives are about the ways dear friend in which we do things together and Some rot in jails while others lie in their hear stories about each other’s lives, graves customs and traditions. Do shed a few tears for them O friend. UNITY IN DIVERSITY Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) India’s diversity has always been recognised as a source of its strength. This song was sung after the When the British ruled India, women Jallianwala Bagh massacre in and men from different cultural, Amritsar in which a British general religious and regional backgrounds opened fire on a large group of came together to oppose them. India’s unarmed, peaceful people killing freedom movement had thousands of many and wounding even more. people of different backgrounds in it. Men and women, Hindus, Sikhs and They worked together to decide joint Muslims, rich and poor had gathered actions, they went to jail together, and to protest against the British. This they found different ways to oppose song was composed and sung to the British. Interestingly the British honour the memory of those brave thought they could divide Indians people. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 11 14-11-2022 03:53:57 PM  12 / Social and Political Life In his book The Discovery of India Jawaharlal Nehru says that Indian unity is not something imposed from the outside but rather, “It was something deeper and within its fold, the widest tolerance of belief and custom was practised and every variety acknowledged and even encouraged.” Pt. Nehru delivering an Independence Day speech It was Nehru, who Songs and symbols that emerged coined the phrase, “unity in diversity” during the freedom struggle serve as to describe the country. a constant reminder of our country’s India’s national anthem, rich tradition of respect for diversity. composed by Rabindranath Do you know the story of the Indian Tagore, is another expression flag? It was used as a symbol of of the unity of India. In protest against the British by people what way does the national everywhere. anthem describe this unity? QUESTIONS 1. Draw up a list of the different festivals celebrated in your locality. Which of these celebrations are shared by members of different regional and religious communities? 2. What do you think living in India with its rich heritage of diversity adds to your life? 3. Do you think the term “unity in diversity” is an appropriate term to describe India? What do you think Nehru is trying to say about Indian unity in the sentence quoted above from his book The Discovery of India? 4. Underline the line in the poem sung after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which according to you, reflects India’s essential unity. 5. Choose another region in India and do a similar study of the historical and geographical factors that influence the diversity found there. Are these historical and geographical factors connected to each other? How? Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 1.indd 12 14-11-2022 03:53:58 PM  Chapter 2 In the previous chapter you have discussed the Diversity and meanings of diversity. Sometimes people who are ‘different’ from others are teased, laughed at or Discrimination not included in a certain activity or group. We feel hurt, angry, helpless or sad when friends or others treat us in such ways. Have you ever wondered why this happens? In this chapter we will try and explore how such experiences are related to the society we live in. We will look at how they are connected to the inequalities that exist around us. Difference and Prejudice than 1600 languages that are people’s mother tongues, and there are more T here are many things that make us what we are – how we live, the languages we speak, what we eat, wear, than a hundred dance forms. Yet this diversity is not always the games we play and the things we celebrated. This is because we feel safe celebrate. All of these are influenced and secure with people who look, talk, both by the geography and history of dress and think like us. the place where we live. Sometimes when we meet people You will get an idea of how diverse who are very different from us we may India is if you look even briefly at the find them strange and unfamiliar. At following statement: times we may not understand or know the reasons why they are different from There are eight major religions in us. People also form certain attitudes the world. Every single one of them and opinions about others who are not is practised in India. We have more like them. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 2.indd 13 14-11-2022 03:54:19 PM  14 / Social and Political Life Some of these statements see Prejudice villagers as ignorant and see people Look at the statements below that you in cities as money-minded and lazy. believed to be true about rural and urban life in India. Tick mark those When our opinions about certain that you agree with. people are always negative – seeing Do you have a prejudice against rural them as lazy, stingy – as some of or urban people? Find out if this these statements, then these become is shared by others and discuss prejudices that we carry about them. the reasons why people have these prejudices. Prejudice means to judge other Can you list some of the prejudices people negatively or see them as that you have noticed around you. inferior. When we think that only one How do they affect the ways in which particular way is the best and right people treat each other? way to do things we often end up not On Rural People respecting others, who may prefer to More than 50% of all Indians live in do things differently. For example, villages. if we think English is the best People in villages do not like to use language and other languages are not modern technology. important, we are judging these other In peak harvesting and plantation languages negatively. As a result, we season, families spend 12 to 14 might not respect people who speak hours working in the fields. languages other than English. Villagers are forced to migrate to cities in search of work. We can be prejudiced about many things: people’s religious beliefs, the On Urban People colour of their skin, the region they Life in the city is easy. People here come from, the accent they speak in, are spoilt and lazy. the clothes they wear etc. Often, our In cities families spend very little prejudices about others are so strong time with each other. that we don’t want to form friendships People in cities only care about with them. At times, we may even act money, not about people. in ways that hurt them. Living in a city is expensive. A large part of people’s earnings is spent on rent and transport. Rationalised 2023-24 Unit_I Ch 2.indd 14 14-11-2022 03:54:20 PM  Diversity and Discrimination / 15 Creating Stereotypes All of us are familiar with gender differences. What does it mean to be a boy or a girl? Many of you would say, “We are born as boys and girls. It is a given. What is there to think about?” Let’s see if this is the case. Arrange the statements given below in these two sections, according to what you think is appropriate for the section. They are well behaved. They are soft spoken and gentle. They are physically strong. They are naughty. They are good at dance and painting. They don’t cry. They are rowdy. They are good at sport. They are good at cooking. They are emotional. Girls Boys 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 Now check, with your teacher’s help, who has put which statement where. Find out and discuss people’s reasons for doing this. Are the qualities you put in for boys something that boys are born with? If we take the statement ‘’ They don’t they don’t cry.” As children grow up cry”, you’ll see that this is a quality they start believing that boys do not that is generally associated with boys cry so that even if a boy feels like and men. As babies or children when crying he stops himself from doing so. boys fall and hurt themselves, their