Nation And Diversity

Look at the picture and answer the questions that follow.\

1.What does the picture sign?

Ans. This picture depicts a street cricket game. In this picture, we can see a Hindu and Muslim playing cricket together. In India, we can see these kinds of scenes everywhere. We can see people of different religions and communities play together. This is the way how the Indians live and play together. People in India live together, work together and play together even though they have many religious and cultural differences. So, this picture signifies the unity in diversity.

2.Do you experience the theme reflected in the picture in your real life? If not what may be the possible reason for this?

Ans.Yes, I usually experience the theme depicted in the above picture. At my school, I play with any classmates who belong to different religions and castes. Though we have cultural and religious differences among us, we play together, study together and eat together. We share our feelings and learn things together. Usually in school, religious harmony and unity are largely encouraged, by teachers. In society, the feelings oil religious harmony and unity disappear because of narrow-mindedness C and belief system of some people.

Oral discourse

Talk on - "Unity in diversity is the spirit of our nation."

Answer

Respected Principal, Teachers, and dear students

Today, I, Gautam, am here to speak on unity in diversity is the spirit of our nation. You'll yourselves see that this statement is true to a greater extent. India is a land of unity in diversity. In this country, there are people of many religions speaking different languages and following different cultures. The land forms, climate and food habits are also different. Even after this, we all are united as citizens of India. We do not allow any of these differences to come in between each other. We should be proud of our rich culture and stand united like this always.

People of India from various regions are different from one another in their living styles, culture and facial features. People of one region resemble one an-other, follow similar customs and speak the same language. For example, people of eastern states are quite diverse from people of South of India or from Kashmir.

Yet all people live together in India being part of the federal structure. All people unite in parliament, ministries, committees, and administration and make decisions to affect the entire country. People of India follow different religions and faiths. People of different castes and religions mix well with other castes and religions and share the resources of the nation. Lifestyle of villagers is quite different from that of the urban citizens. People in hilly areas or forests have an altogether different lifestyle. Indian government gives equal importance to all categories.

 We stand as a country whenever an issue of national importance arises. All uphold the sovereignty and oneness of our country. This is the unique demonstration of unity in diversity which is the spirit of our nation. The world appreciates India 's peaceful and harmonic upholding of unity in diversity.  Thank you very much

A.My Childhood

summary

'My Childhood is a biographical account of A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, the former President of India. In this, he says how he enjoyed religious harmony in his childhood. From this biographical account, one can easily understand how children enjoy their childhood at school irrespective of caste and religion. The childhood experience of Kalam is a significant example of India's unity in diversity.

Kalam was horn in a middle-class Tamil family at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. His father was Jainulabdeen. He had neither much formal education nor much wealth. But he was a man of great natural wisdom and generosity. Kalam's mother Ashiamma was an ideal partner to her husband and equally generous to maintain hospitality towards guests and family members.

Abdul Kalam's house was on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram in the former Madras state. Dinamani could be the name of a newspaper because Abdul Kalam tried to trace the stories of second of the second World War, which his brother-in-law told him, in the headlines in Dinamani.

Abdul Kalam had three close friends in school - Ramanadha Sastry,- Aravindan and Sivapraka.s,an.. Ramanadha Sastry took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple from his father, Aravindan started a business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

The Second World War led to the suspension of the train-halt at Rameswaram .station. As a result, newspapers had to be bundled up and thrown out from the moving train. This forced Kalam's cousin Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Ram eswaram, to look for a helping hand to catch the bundles. Abdul Kalam took up this position and earned his first wages in the process. •

 He had earned some money when he started helping his cousin. When the Second World War broke out, there was a sudden demand for tamarind seeds in the market. He collected the seeds and sold them at a provision shop on Mosque Street. Usually, a day's collection earned him one anna.

Despite being a Muslim, Kalam had three close friends from Brahmin families who equally showed the least concern towards religious differences. The stories of the Ramayana and life of the Prophet were bedtime stories imbibed in the heart of Abdul Kalam. As a token of secular idealism, Kalam's family served Lord Rama during .vita. Rama Kalyanam ceremony.

The social groups that he mentioned were the Hindus and the Muslims. Yes, these groups were easily identifiable. Abdul Kalam wore a cap, which marked him 1fis Y rend, Ramanadha Sastry, wore the sacred thread as he was a Hindu

They naturally shared friendships and experiences. Abdul Kalam was Muslim and his friends were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. However, they were 1 very close friends. During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony, Kalam's family arranged boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site. Events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet were the bedtime stories his mother and grandmother would tell the children of their family. All these incidents show that different social groups naturally co-inhabited Rameswaram.

There were two people who were very aware of the differences among them. One was the new teacher who came to the class when Kalam was in the fifth standard and did not let him sit with Ramanadha Sastry who was a Brahmin. Also, the wife of Sivasubramania Iyer (his science teacher) was very conservative and did not allow kaalam to eat in her pure Hindu kitchen. The people who tried to bridge these ;differences were Lakshmana Sastry (Ramanadha's father) and Sivasubramania  Iyer (his science teacher)

When kalam was in the fifth standard, a new teacher came to their class. Kalam sat in always sat in the front row next to Ramanadha  Sastry. The teacher could not digest the fact that a Hindu priest's son was sitting with a Muslim boy. The teacher immediately asked Kalam to sit on the back bench. Both Kalam and Ramanadha were unhappy with this development. When they narrated this story to their respective parents. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher and told him that he should not spread the idea of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. The teacher apologized and regretted his behaviour. In another incident, Kalam's science teacher Sivasubramania lyer invited him for a meal to his house. His wife, who was very conservative, was horrified at the idea of a Muslim boy eating in her pure Hindu kitchen. Consequently, she refused to serve him in her kitchen. However. Iyer was not disturbed by his wife's behaviour. Instead, he served Ka lam with his own hands and sat down beside him to eat his meal. When Kalam was leaving, Sivasubramania Iyer again invited him for dinner the next weekend. On observing Kalam's hesitation, he told him not to get upset and said that once one has decided to change the system, such problems have to be confronted. When Kalam visited the house next week, Sivasubramania lyer's wife took him inside her kitchen and served him food with her own hands. Hence, in this way, differences can be resolved and people's attitudes can be changed.

Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram for further studies. He wanted to study at the distict headquarters in Ramanathapuram. Kalam's father said that he knew that one day Kalam had to go away to grow He gave the analogy of a seagull that flies across the sun alone and without a nest, He then quoted Khalil Gibran to Ralnm's mother saying that nobody's children were their own children. They were the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself, They come through their parents, but not from them. They may give them their love, but not their thoughts as the children ti have their own thoughts. His words meant that children have to be separated from their parents at some stage in life. They have to be let free so that they can realize their thoughts and goals. A seagull flies away alone and finds its own food and nest.

parents can nurture their kids with love, but they cannot give them their thoughts. children haw the own thoughts. They should themselves develop these thoughts naturally, Kalam's father spoke these words because Kalam's mother was hesitant about his leaving Rameswaram.

"Students should know how ME Kalam strove and to reach where he is today He faced numerous hardships but refused to be cowed down. He did not give up and went on to become the President of our country. Such achievements are rare and Children should draw inspiration from them.

Glossary

Erstwhile ( adj) : former

Undistinguished (adj) : not very interesting, successful or attractive

Ancestral (n) : the race of people that you come from

Austere (adj) : simple and plain

Orthodox (adj) : following closely the traditional beliefs and practices of a religion

Summon (v) : to order somebody to come to you

Conviction (n) : the act of finding somebody guilty of crime

Segregation (n) : the policy / act of separating people

Conservative (adj) : opposed to great/sudden social change

Ritual (n) : a series of actions, specially as a part of religious ceremony

Perturb (v) : to make worried/ anxious

Confront (v) : to deal with a problem/ situation

Optimism (n) : a feeling that good thing will happen