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Indian society is one of the oldest in the world. India’s social structure and cultrural pattern are characterised by unity as well as diversity. Historically, India has been hospitable to numerous groups of immigrants from different parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, but the culture of each group has undergone enough change over the centuries to become an integral part of the Indian mosaic. The institution of caste may be mentioned as a typical example of the paradox that is Indian society. Each caste stands for a way of life that is to some extent distinctive, but at the same time the castes of a region form part of a single social framework. It is important to note that caste is found not only among the Hindus but also among Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains. Caste is ubiquitous, and this has resulted in an ideology tolerant of diversity.
Factors making for diversity are apparent even to the casual observer. The population of India is racially and ethnically diverse, containing elements from six main racial types: (i) Negrito, (ii) the Proto Australoid, (iii) the Mongoloid, (iv) the Mediterranean, (v) the Western Brachycephals, and (vi) the Nordic. All the great religions of the world are represented in this country. The tribal groups enjoy varying degrees of contact with one or the other of the great religions. The major literary languages alone number fourteen. Diversity is seen in the patterns of rural as well as urban settlements, community life, forms of land tenure, and agricultural operations. In kinship, marriage rites and customs, inheritance, and general mode of living, there are striking differences between groups.
Diversity is, however, only one side of the picture. There are underlying factors as well. India is a political entity, every part of which is under the same constitution. The process of unification developed as several great rulers—Asoka, Samudragupta, Akbar—brought large parts of the country under their power; but it was only during the British rule that India became for the first time a single political entity.
The concept of unity of India is inherent in Hinduism. There are sacred centres of Hindu pilgrimage in every corner of the country. India is a sacred land not only of the Hindus but also of Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists. The Muslims and Christians too, have several sacred centres of pilgrimage in India. The institution of caste cuts across diverse religious groups and gives them all common social idiom.
The declaration of India as a Secular state provides one more evidence of the tolerance of diversity which has been characteristic of Indian history from its beginning. The process of economic development ushered in the Five-Year Plans and the spread of egalitarian ideals have brought about revolutionary changes in the Indian pattern of social life. A single government and a common body of civil and criminal law, a developing economy, and a secular approach to public life and problems are now providing substance and reality to India’s claim to be a nation.