Chapter 8 Class 6 Social Science Solutions NCERT,
Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ Chapter 8 Class 6 Social Science,
Class 6 Social Science Chapterwise Complete Solutions,
Summary: Chapter 8-Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One;
India is a huge country with over 1.4 billion people; it has many kinds of people, cultures, languages, foods, and traditions. This variety is called diversity. But at the same time, there are some things that connect everyone in India. This common bond is called unity. Together, this idea is known as Unity in Diversity.
1. India’s Rich Diversity
When we travel across India, we will notice:
- Different landscapes/landforms( Mountain, plateau, plains, coastal, etc)
- Different clothes
- Different foods
- Different languages and scripts
- Different customs and traditions
A massive survey called the "People of India Project" estimated that there are more than 4,600 communities, 325 languages, and 25 scripts, proving the country's incredible diversity.
2. Food: Same Ingredients, Many Dishes:
India has thousands of dishes, but many parts of the country use the same staple grains, such as:
- Rice
- Wheat
- Barley
- Millets like bajra, jowar, ragi
- Pulses like dal and gram
Even spices like turmeric, cumin, ginger, and cardamom are common everywhere.
Here, unity in diversity is also seen in food:
Unity: Same ingredients
Diversity: Different recipes and tastes
3. Textiles and Clothing:
India has many styles of clothing, but one dress stands out above all: the sari.
A sari is a simple unstitched cloth worn in many regions.
It is made from cotton, silk, or synthetic fabrics.
Famous varieties include Banarasi, Kanjivaram, Paithani, Patola, Muga, and Mysore silk.
There are hundreds of ways to drape a sari.
Here is also unity in diversity:
One dress, many styles — another example of unity in diversity.
4. Festivals Everywhere:
India celebrates many festivals. Some festivals are celebrated across the country but have different names.
For example:
Makara Sankranti (14 January) is known differently in different states:
- Pongal (Tamil Nadu)
- Lohri ( Punjab)
- Magh Bihu ( Assam)
- Uttarayan, etc. ( Gujarat)
Here,
One festival, many names-another unity in diversity.
5. Stories, Epics, and Literature:
India’s literature is extremely rich and varied. Some stories are common across India:
Panchatantra stories exist in over 50 languages worldwide.
The two great epics — Ramayana and Mahabharata — have been adapted into hundreds of regional languages and folk versions.
Many tribes also have their own versions of these epics, showing how deeply these stories unite people.
Here,
One story becomes many versions — unity in diversity.
6. Conclusion:
- Indian culture respects differences, like language or customs.
- It shares common threads, like values, stories, food ingredients, and festivals.
- It celebrates diversity, but is connected by a sense of unity
- This is why India is famously described as “Many in the One or unity in diversity.
The Big questions?
1. What is meant by ‘unity in diversity’ in the Indian scenario?
Answer.
Unity in diversity means that even though India has many different languages, foods, clothes, festivals, customs, and communities, it has a common thread that shares a sense of belonging to one nation.
For example, regarding food, India has thousands of dishes, but many parts of the country use the same staple grains, such as:
- Rice
- Wheat
- Pulses like dal and gram
- Even spices like turmeric, cumin, ginger, and cardamom are common everywhere.
Here, unity in diversity is also seen in food:
Unity: Same ingredients
Diversity: Different recipes and tastes
In India, diversity is seen as a strength, not a problem. People follow different traditions but are united by common values, shared history, and cultural links.
2. What aspects of India’s diversity are the most striking?
Answer.
The following are some most striking aspects of India’s diversity:
1. Languages:
India has more than 325 languages and 25 scripts, which shows an extraordinary linguistic variety.
2. Food:
Thousands of different dishes are cooked using the same staple ingredients like rice, wheat, millet, pulses, and common spices.
3. Clothing:
Different regions have their own dress styles — yet common garments like the sari appear everywhere in hundreds of varieties.
4. Festivals:
Many festivals are celebrated across India, but with different names and customs, such as Makara Sankranti ( North and Central India), Pongal ( Tamil Nadu), Lohri ( Punjab), and Magh Bihu ( Assam).
5. Literature and Epics:
Stories like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Panchatantra exist in many regional and folk forms across the country.
These features make India one of the most diverse countries in the world.
3. How do we make out the unity underlying the diversity?
Answer.
We can see the unity ( common thread) beneath India's diversity through:
1. Shared cultural themes
Many stories, values, and ideas — such as those in the Ramayana and Mahabharata — are known across India, even if they appear in different versions.
2. Common ingredients in food
Even though dishes differ, the basic food items (rice, dal, wheat, millets, spices) are shared across regions.
3. Common traditional clothing forms
For example, the sari is worn almost everywhere but draped differently.
4. Festivals with shared meanings
Harvest festivals like Makar Sankranti often happen at the same time nationwide but with different names ( Pongal, Bihu, Uttarayan, Lohri, etc), showing shared beliefs.
5. A sense of belonging
People from different regions, religions, and languages still identify themselves as Indians, showing emotional and cultural unity.
Questions, activities, and projects
1. Conduct a class discussion on the two quotations at the start of the chapter.
Answer.
There are two quotations at the start of the chapter, one is from Rabindranath Tagore, the other is from Sri Aurobindo. The discussion of the quotations is as follows:
Quotation 1 – by Rabindranath Tagore
“Oh, grant me my prayer, that I may never lose the bliss of the touch of the one in the play of the many.”
Explanation:
Tagore is saying that even though we live among many different people, cultures, languages, and traditions, we should always feel the joy of being connected as one.
“Many” refers to India’s huge diversity.
“One” refers to our unity as a country and as human beings.
He prays that we should always remember this unity and never forget that deep down, we all belong together.
Quotation 2 – by Sri Aurobindo
“The principle of unity in diversity, which has always been normal to [India] and its fulfilment the fundamental course of her being and its very nature, the Many in the One, would place her on the sure foundation of her Swabhava and Swadharma.”
Explanation:
Sri Aurobindo explains that India’s natural way of life has always been unity in diversity.
India has many religions, languages, customs, and traditions.
Yet all these “many” things are part of “one” civilisation — India.
He says that India becomes strong when it respects both the differences (diversity) and the common bond (unity). This unity based on India’s own culture (swabhava) and duty (swadharma) is what helps the country stay stable and meaningful.
2. Select a few stories from the Pañchatantra and discuss how their message is still valid today. Do you know of any similar stories from your region?
Answer.
The following are a few stories from Panchatantra:
1: “The Monkey and the Crocodile”
Story: A monkey lived in a tree near a river. He became friends with a crocodile by giving it sweet fruits. But the crocodile’s greedy wife wanted to eat the monkey’s heart. The crocodile tried to trick the monkey, but the clever monkey said, “Oh! I left my heart on the tree!” The crocodile took him back, and the monkey quickly jumped to safety.
Message: Don’t trust someone blindly; use wisdom in dangerous situations.
Relevance today: It teaches us to think wisely, avoid traps, and be careful about whom we trust — important for real life and even online safety.
2: “The Lion and the Clever Rabbit”
Story: A cruel lion killed many animals. The animals made a plan — each day, one animal would go to him as food. One day, a clever rabbit took the lion to a deep well and said another lion lived inside it. When the lion looked into the well, he saw his own reflection and jumped in to attack it. He drowned.
Message: Intelligence is more powerful than physical strength.
Relevance: Even today, problems are solved through smart thinking, not force.
Story 3: “The Tortoise and the Geese”
Story: A tortoise wanted to travel but couldn’t fly. Two geese agreed to help him. They told him to hold a stick with his mouth while they carried it from the sky — but warned him not to speak. As they flew, people below laughed. The tortoise opened his mouth to shout back and fell to the ground.
Message: Control your speech; speaking at the wrong time can cause harm.
Relevance: Helps us understand the value of patience and self-control.
3. Collect a few folk tales from your region and discuss their message.
Answer.
Do it yourself
4. Is there any ancient story that you have seen being depicted through a form of art? It could be a sculpture, a painting, a dance performance, a movie … Discuss with your classmates.
Answer.
Yes, many ancient stories are shown in various art forms. For example:
Ramayana is shown in Ramlila performances, TV serials, and movies.
Mahabharata is depicted in Bharatanatyam and Kathak dance dramas.
Temples also have sculptures showing scenes like Rama breaking Shiva’s bow or Krishna lifting Govardhan.
Modern films like Bahubali borrow themes from ancient epics.
These show how old stories still inspire today’s art, culture, and entertainment.
5. Discuss in class the following quotation by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, when he travelled to many parts of India before Independence:
“Everywhere I found a cultural background that had exerted a powerful influence on their lives. … The old epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and other books, in popular translations and paraphrases, were widely known among the masses, and every incident and story and moral in them was engraved on the popular mind and gave a richness and content to it. Illiterate villagers would know hundreds of verses by heart and their conversation would be full of references to them or to some story with a moral, enshrined in some old classic.”
Answer.
Nehru’s quotation explains that India’s unity comes from a deep cultural background shared by people across regions. Even ordinary villagers, despite being illiterate, knew hundreds of verses from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other classics. These stories shaped their morals, thoughts, and lifestyle. This created a common cultural foundation throughout India. Nehru is saying that the epics connected people from different places, giving them shared values and a sense of belonging. This is an example of "unity in diversity," because despite huge differences in language or customs, people were united through stories, morals, and traditions.
Chapter-Wise Solutions of Class 6 Social Science
- Chapter 1 | Locating Places on Earth
- Chapter 2 | Oceans and Continents
- Chapter 3 | Landforms and Life
- Chapter 4 | Timeline and Sources of History
- Chapter 5 | India, That Is Bharat
- Chapter 6 | The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation
- Chapter 7 | India’s Cultural Roots
- Chapter 8 | Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
- Chapter 9 | Family and Community
- Chapter 10 | Grassroots Democracy – Part 1 Governance
- Chapter 11 | Grassroots Democracy – Part 2 Local Government in Rural Areas
- Chapter 12 | Grassroots Democracy – Part 3 Local Government in Urban Areas
- Chapter 13 | The Value of Work
- Chapter 14 | Economic Activities Around Us
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon