Class 6 Civics

Understanding Diversity

Diversity

Difference among people on the basis of religion, language, eating habits, etc. is called diversity.

A person may follow a particular religion, while another person may follow another religion. Different people speak different languages. Even if they speak the same language, different people among them may be speaking the same language in different accents.

People show diversity in their eating habits as well. Some people eat non-vegetarian food, while some others eat vegetarian food. For example; majority of the people from Gujarat are vegetarians. On the other hand, majority of people from West Bengal are non-vegetarians.

Benefits of Diversity

Diversity gives many benefits in our life. Diversity adds variety to the way we live. We learn to understand and respect different types of culture because of diversity. We learn to think from different angles because of diversity. Had there been no diversity, it could have been a boring life for us.

Reasons of Diversity

Diversity is influenced by two main factors, i.e. historical factors and geographical factors.

Influence of Geography on Diversity

Geography has great influence on various aspects of our life. Geography influences the way we look, the food we eat and the clothes we wear. India shows great diversity; in terms of geographical features. Following are some examples of diversity which resulted because of difference in geographical features.

Jammu and Kashmir is a cold place because of its proximity to the Himalayas. So, people of Jammu and Kashmir are fair-skinned and generally tall. Because of the cold climate, people usually wear warm clothes.

The southern India experiences hot and humid climate. Majority of people in the south India are dark skinned and are usually of medium height. Most of the men in south India wear vesti (lungi) which is comfortable for the hot and humid climate. People eat lots of rice and coconut is used in most of the dishes.

People in West Bengal also experience hot and humid climate. Hence most of the people in the eastern part of India are either brown skinned or dark skinned. They primarily eat rice and fish.

Influence of History on Diversity

History also influences diversity. Many food items which we consume have come from different countries. Long before noodles became favourite in India, vermicelli (semiya) has been in use in our country. Like noodles; vermicelli has its origin in China. Potato, tomato, red chilli and many other vegetables came from different countries.

Since ancient times, people have been travelling from one part of the world to another. Most of the people travelled for trade, but many also travelled as pilgrim. The travelers brought with them their food, clothes, culture and religion.

The local people made those things a part of their daily life. As a result, we started eating new kinds of food and wearing new kinds of clothes. Many people also became followers of new religions. Following examples of Ladakh and Kerala show this.