It is often said that there is unity in diversity in India.

The people of India are united with a common cultural heritage have a feeling of unity in spite of h aving external differences. From ancient times it is been seen that India is div ided into various castes, creed , religions, regions but then too they are unite d as one whole nation. Nothing in the past have made them broken into pieces. It is an whole of a nation with a huge population , and will remain united in what ever condition they may put to. India is a land of diverse physical features. There are snow capped mountains, h illy terrains, plains, plateaus, and coastal areas. There are deserts and places with extreme and scanty rainfall. There are regions with extreme and moderate c limate. People of India follow different religions and castes. They follow different cus toms, traditions and speak different languages. They also differ in dress and fo od.inspite of so many differences; people have a feeling of oneness .they are bo und by common cultural heritage and they share basic human values. When Indians go abroad, they call themselves Indians and they are known as Indians. Indian culture is dynamic and tolerant.indian culture is more varied and richer. Though the foreign cultures retained their basic character, they became a part of the Indian culture with the passage of time. The diversity of the Indians con tributes to the variety and richness of Indian culture and strengthens national unity. But intolerance and narrow mindedness may weaken national unity. We should there fore create conditions in which people should become conscious of the similariti es which make them Indians rather than the dissimilarities which distinguish the m from others. People must be encouraged to feel proud of Indias cultural heritag e, of being called Indians while retaining their distinct features. India is a l ive example to the world to show them that they have Unity In Diversity. This co untry not only remains together in an emergency but also they remain together in natural calamities such as famines, floods and earthquakes. This country has be come quite inspirational for the countries who have heavily been divided raciall y. ndia is a beautiful country with a glorious heritage and rich custom. The countr y with unity in diversity embraces variety of cultures, traditions, customs, and languages. Different religion of people live here but all are undoubtedly unite d by one sole feeling of being an Indian . The diversity is clearly reflected in variety of traditions being followed in In dia. There are Gujaratis, Brahmans, Marwaris, Bengalis, South Indians, Muslins, and even Christians. All these religion have their distinctive languages, belief s, values, cultures, festivals, dances, music, art, and even clothing. Festivals in India are extremely bright and colorful. Though all religions celeb rate their own festivals but the motherland shines on all the celebrative days i rrespective of which festival belongs to which religion. Hindus are in majority here and they have numerous festivals including the Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan , Ganesh Chaturthi, and Ram Navami. All these festivals don t have any fixed dat es as Hinduism follows the lunar calendar. The there are Muslims who celebrate E id-ul-Fitar and Eid-ul-Adah with great cheer and fun. Christians celebrate Chris tmas, Jainis celebrate Mahavir Jayanti, and Sikhs celebrate Guru Govind Sing s B irthday. Apart from these there are other festivals also that are listed in the Indian calendar. Like the festivals, even dance and music have their own origin in different reli gions and cultures. Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, and Kuchupudi are all India n dance forms but they all belong to different states and have their unique orig ins. Bharatnatyam is from South India, Kathak from Northern India, and Kathakali from South Indian state of Kerala. Kuchupudi is a classical form of Indian danc e and similarly there is Odissi dance, Garba, Dandiya, Bhangra, and Mohiniyattam . Diversity is also showcased in Indian Art. It s extremely beautiful and rich wit h several classifications based on eras, religions, political changes, and cultu ral developments. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the truth or the philosop hy of life is amazingly put down on canvas. Humanization of Gods, celestial bein

gs, human characters, ideal of life, political figures, truth of ancient history , freedom struggle, stages of development, and vast metaphors are all put to ast ounding art. There are many Indian artists who are known worldwide for their inn ovation, creation, and imagination. When we talk about the traditional Indian clothing we feel there is no diversity because all religion and custom have adopted saree as their traditional dress. But no here too there is diversity. Though one form of attire is acceptable to a ll, people have their unique designs and forms of sarees as per their religion. For example, the traditional saree of Gujarat is Patola and Bandhani is from Raj asthan. Apart from these there are various forms of saree like Kanchipuram, Myso re Silk, Luckhnowi, and Gajji Silk that are specific to people of different reli gions. Apart from sarees there are choices of salwar kameez as well. With so much diversity, India remains to have a beautiful blend of cultures, art forms, dances, music, clothing, and customs. India being the largest democracy in the world with a civilization more than fiv e thousand years old boasts of multiple cultural origins. The cultural origins o f the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilizations, the remains of which are cherished even today. Since the late 16th century India was under the influence of the British Empire until 15th August 1947 the day wh en India gained independence. India is a land of diverse cultures, religions and communities. There is great diversity in our traditions, manners, habits, taste s and customs. Each and every region of the country portrays different customs a nd traditions. But though we speak different languages yet we are all Indians. Un ity in Diversity has been the distinctive feature of our culture. To live peacefu lly has been our motto and this motto has helped us to achieve independence. As history tells us that there has been active participation from people of differe nt caste and religion. In our struggle for freedom people from different communi ties participated keeping one thing in mind that they all are Indians first. But unfortunately this peace and understanding among different communities has been endangered lately. India at present is facing many problems. The biggest of the se is the problem of communalism. In their personal fight they are destroying th eir life only. In fact, it is the biggest threat to humanity and to the unity an d integrity of the country.People from different background and culture particip ated in Indias struggle for freedom. The national leaders, particularly Mahatma G andhi, Nehru, Azad and Bose had coined the slogan unity in diversity . Calm reflection will show that attempts to enforce complete unity and disallow a ny differences of thought and approach in a large country like India would prove counter-productive and self-defeating. People can hold different views on life, religion, social, economic and political systems and yet they can be cultured. Who can deny that the people of India have throughout history honoured saints, s ages, religious preachers and philosophers, seldom showing veneration for milita ry heroes, triumphant warriors and commanders, except transitory praise and adul ation. Those who have fought for cultural freedoms and political independence, w hich ensures such freedom and the implicit liberties to pursue cultural pursuits , have commanded large and loyal following. Had it not been for the tolerance shown by the people of India during the rule o f the Mughals and other outsiders, who brought in their own traditions and sought to impose them on this country, the amorphous, flexible Indian culture would ha ve lost its moorings. The Indian mind has assimilated much of the thinking of oth er cultures, thus enriching itself and making itself durable and virtually indes tructible. The Western concepts and modes of dress, the English language, the st udy of English classics and European philosophers works, even though they emphasi sed thoughts and beliefs different from those of the Indian people, have not been spumed. Rather, a good part of these has become almost a part of the Indian way of living and thinking, especially in the urban areas. The English-knowing elite exist alongside the Indian language enthusiasts, without tensions. The Western culture has always laid stress on materialism, while the Eastern, especially Ind ian, culture has been closely linked with spiritualism, simplicity, filial duty and affection, austerity, tolerance and harmony. Both are tolerated in this coun try.

It is, however, a pity that in recent years the communal clashes, the increasing evidence of intolerance and disharmony, the apparently endless discord, the ope n clashes at public meetings, and the all-too-frequent denunciation of each other have increased so much as to indicate that the people are forgetting their true culture, and are allowing themselves to be exploited by selfish, uncultured peo ple who seek to disrupt and destroy rather than build and consolidate. The real strength of Indian culture lies in basic unity, vigour and the ability to contai n an amazing diversity within itself. In this country there are people who belon g to opposite schools of thought and who never seem to agree on anything. And ye t, the concepts of one basic culture and one nation have continued.Mahatma Gandh is view thai ncration for other faiths is a part of our own system holds good i. ni i of the recognition that each religion has truth and honesty as its Ill. Most p eople have a wide, universal outlook. All these factors account i I il unity in d iversity that is an outstanding feature of this country.