India, a Home to Many — Class 7 Social Science
Exploring Society Part 2 · Chapter 5
CBSE Class 7 community
View all
2- Social Science
- Mathematics
- Science
- + 3 more
2- Mathematics
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
Chapter summary
Key ideas & terms
- Persecution
- Hostility arising from religious, ethnic, social or political motives, often with harassment or violence, which drove many communities to seek refuge in India.
- Bene Israel
- A Jewish community that settled on the Konkan coast and grew to become the largest Jewish community in India.
- Zoroastrianism
- One of the world's oldest religions, founded by the prophet Zarathushtra and based on the worship of one God, Ahura Mazda; its followers in India are the Parsis.
- Synagogue
- A place of worship for Jews where religious services and ceremonies are held.
- Siddis
- A community of African origin brought to India between the 7th and 19th centuries, whose culture fuses African and Indian traditions.
- Vasudhaiva kutumbakam
- The idea that 'the whole world is family', a core Indian value underlying its culture of acceptance and inclusion.
Extra questions & answers
Why did many communities come to settle in India?
Many came fleeing religious or political persecution in their homelands, while others came seeking new opportunities for prosperity and a good life, adding to India's diversity.
Who were the Bene Israel?
They were a Jewish community that settled on the Konkan coast south of Mumbai and over time grew to become the largest Jewish community in India.
How were the Cochin Jews welcomed in India?
The Raja of Kochi granted them land free of cost 'as long as the world, sun and moon endure', and they built a synagogue, becoming part of Indian society while practising their faith.
Why did the Syriac Christians come to India?
Some Syriac Christians faced persecution in West Asia under the Roman and Persian empires, so they travelled eastward along trade routes to the Malabar coast where they could worship freely.
Why did the Parsis leave Persia?
After the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century, Zoroastrians faced forced conversions, religious taxes and destruction of their fire temples, so groups of them sailed to India's western coast.
What does the legend of milk and sugar mean?
When Raja Jadi Rana showed a jug full of milk to mean his kingdom was full, a Parsi wise man dissolved sugar into it without spilling, showing the Parsis would blend into and sweeten Indian society without disruption.
Who were the Siddis, and how did they come to India?
The Siddis are of African origin who were brought to India as slaves of Arab, Portuguese and British traders between the 7th and 19th centuries, and whose culture fuses African and Indian traditions.
What is the story of the 'Good Maharaja'?
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Maharaja of Nawanagar, rescued and cared for around a thousand Polish orphans between 1942 and 1946 during the Second World War, and a monument in Warsaw honours him.
Why did Tibetan refugees come to India?
After China overran Tibet and a 1959 uprising in Lhasa, the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, where the government granted asylum and rehabilitated Tibetan refugees, who built monasteries and preserved their culture.
What Indian values made the country a haven for the persecuted?
Values such as vasudhaiva kutumbakam ('the whole world is family'), atithi devo bhava ('a guest is like God') and compassion fostered a culture of acceptance and inclusion over millennia.
The Big Questions
1. What has made India a home for people from different parts of the world?
India has been made a home for people from different parts of the world by its geographical diversity and resources, its long tradition of trade and prosperity, and most importantly its cultural values of acceptance and inclusion such as vasudhaiva kutumbakam, atithi devo bhava and sarve bhavantu sukhinah. Rulers and local communities offered land, protection and freedom to practise different faiths, which allowed newcomers to settle and live peacefully.
2. Why did oppressed or persecuted people from other countries seek refuge in India?
Oppressed or persecuted people sought refuge in India because they faced religious persecution, forced conversion, heavy taxes and destruction of their places of worship in their own homelands. India was known as a tolerant country where rulers granted shelter, people did not face religious hostility, and they could follow their own religion and traditions without fear.
3. What is it about the nature of Indian society that enables people to assimilate here?
Indian society is pluralistic and accommodates diversity. Its core values of compassion, kindness, hospitality and respect for all faiths allow newcomers to keep their own identity while also adopting local languages, dress, food and customs. Over time, without forced assimilation, communities blend naturally and become part of the larger Indian society while preserving their traditions.
THINK ABOUT IT
Imagine this scenario — A stranger knocks at your door at midnight. It is raining heavily outside, and the stranger seeks shelter for the night claiming that his car broke down while he was driving in the vicinity. Your family goes into a huddle to discuss the pros and cons of letting a stranger into the house at night. Form two groups to discuss the arguments for and against in this scenario.
Arguments for letting the stranger in: It is a humane and compassionate act to help someone in need during heavy rain, following the value of hospitality. The stranger may genuinely need help and could be in danger outside. Arguments against: Allowing an unknown person at midnight could be risky for the safety and privacy of the family, as his story cannot be verified immediately. A balanced approach could be to offer help without fully opening the house, for example calling for roadside assistance, offering to phone his family or providing shelter in a verandah while keeping safety precautions.
Now extend this scenario to a country like India — when refugees seek shelter in India, will similar arguments apply?
Yes, similar arguments apply at the national level. Arguments for shelter are humanitarian: compassion, protection of life, tradition of giving refuge to the persecuted, and cultural belief that the whole world is family. Arguments for caution are practical: a country must consider resources, security, livelihood, population pressure and proper process for settlement. Like a family, a country tries to be compassionate while also ensuring order and security, and India has generally chosen to provide safe haven and help refugees settle and become self-reliant.
LET'S EXPLORE
Look at the two pictures below. Is the place shown in both the photographs the same? Why is the Maharaja of Travancore (the name of the kingdom in and around Kochi at that time) giving such an expensive gift to the Jewish synagogue for the Torah (religious book of the Jews)?
Yes, both pictures show the same place, the interior of the historic synagogue at Kochi. Fig. 5.2 is a plaque inside the synagogue recording the gift, and Fig. 5.3 shows the ornate interior with the same railing, lamps and ark. The Maharaja of Travancore presented a gold crown for the Torah as a mark of royal respect, protection and goodwill. It shows the Indian tradition of rulers honouring and supporting minority faiths and celebrating their religious practices as part of an inclusive culture.
LET'S EXPLORE
Observe the picture Fig. 5.4. What clues do you get about the integration of the Jewish community into Indian society over time?
The late 19th century Jewish family in Mumbai shows clear integration into Indian society. The women wear sarees with Indian jewellery and bindi styles, the men wear local attire along with traditional Jewish dress, and the family poses like other Indian families of that time in a typical Indian home setting. They have adopted Indian language, clothing and lifestyle while still retaining their Jewish identity, showing that they became part of Indian social life without losing their faith.
LET'S EXPLORE
Observe the pictures below. What are the clues you get about the integration of the Syriac Christian community into Indian society?
The Syriac Christian wedding pictures show integration through clothing and rituals. The bride wears a saree and gold jewellery like Hindu and other Indian brides, the groom wears Western/Indian formal clothes, and ceremonies include garlanding, tying of thaali or mangalsutra, and family gatherings common to Indian weddings. While they keep their distinct Christian and Syriac prayers and traditions, the outer forms of celebration have become Indian, showing cultural blending.
THINK ABOUT IT
What do you think dissolving the sugar in the milk without spilling it meant?
The story uses milk full to the brim to mean the kingdom was already full of people, and sugar dissolving without spilling means the Parsis promised they would blend sweetly into society without causing trouble or taking away from others. Just as sugar sweetens the milk and disappears into it, they would enrich the land with their skills and goodness while living harmoniously and respectfully.
LET'S EXPLORE
This painting of a Parsi bride getting ready for her wedding shows many aspects of Indian culture. Do any of them seem familiar to you? Based on what you see, can you draw any conclusions about the integration of Parsi culture in India?
The painting by Raja Ravi Varma shows a Parsi bride wearing a saree, bangles, mehndi and Indian jewellery, with other women in similar Indian attire and a home interior in Indian style. These look familiar because they are common across many Indian weddings. It shows that Parsis adopted Indian dress, aesthetics and domestic customs deeply, while keeping their own Zoroastrian rituals. Their culture became beautifully mixed with Indian culture, indicating peaceful assimilation.
LET'S EXPLORE
What clues do you get about African and Indian cultural integration from the pictures here and above? Identify and name a few features that are distinctly Indian.
The pictures of Siddi children and Siddi dancers show a blend but also clear Indian features. Distinctly Indian features are sarees and blouses worn by Siddi women, salwar-kameez style clothing on the girl, nose rings, bindis, bangles and beaded necklaces common in Indian tribal and rural communities, and the use of Indian fabrics and colours. Their African heritage is seen in hair texture, drumming and dance style. Together the images show the Siddis have kept African musical traditions while adopting Indian language, dress and religions like Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
LET'S EXPLORE
Are there communities in your neighbourhood whose ancestors might have come to India centuries ago and made it their home? Have a class discussion on what their experience may have been.
Students can discuss this in class by observing their neighbourhood. Examples may include Parsis, Jews, Tibetan settlers, Siddis, or families who migrated during Partition. Their experience likely involved initial difficulty with new language and work, but gradual acceptance due to friendly neighbours, shared festivals, schools and markets. Over time they would have learned local languages, adopted local food and clothing, and contributed skills while keeping their own festivals and prayers, feeling safe and welcomed.
LET'S EXPLORE
Identify similar values in any story or local tradition etc. known to you. You could ask your guardians or relatives too. Collect these stories and create a class manuscript. You could include illustrations.
A task for the class to collect local stories that teach the same values of hospitality and universal family. For example, the story of King Shibi, tales from grandparents about feeding guests before eating oneself, or local proverbs like atithi devo bhava. Students can interview elders, write short paragraphs, draw illustrations, and compile them into a handmade class book titled Our Traditions of Welcome, showing how the idea of vasudhaiva kutumbakam lives in everyday Indian folklore.
Questions and activities
1. On the outline of a world map, try to trace the routes that the communities mentioned in this chapter may have used to reach India. What types of physical geographies did they have to negotiate?
On a world map, trace routes from Israel to the Konkan coast, from West Asia and Persia to Malabar and Gujarat across the Arabian Sea, from East Africa across the Indian Ocean, from Armenia through Persia to Agra and Kolkata, from Tibet across the Himalayas to Himachal and Karnataka, and from Poland via sea and land to Jamnagar. The geographies negotiated include seas like the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, deserts, mountain ranges like the Himalayas and Zagros, coastal plains and plateaus. The Jews, Parsis and Arabs came mainly by sea, Tibetans crossed high mountains, and Armenians and Polish refugees travelled overland and by sea.
2. What are the key values intrinsic to Indian culture that enable it to welcome people of different backgrounds?
Key values are vasudhaiva kutumbakam meaning the whole world is family, atithi devo bhava meaning a guest is like God, sarve bhavantu sukhinah meaning may all beings be happy, and principles of karuna or compassion, ahimsa or non-violence, and loving-kindness taught by many Indian schools of thought including Buddhism. These foster tolerance, coexistence, respect for diverse faiths and the practice of protecting the persecuted.
3. Homi Bhabha, Sam Maneckshaw, Ratan Tata, Fali Nariman, Nani Palkivala, and Cornelia Sorabji are a few names of Parsis who excelled in their respective fields. Find out more about people from other communities that made India their home and their contributions.
Students can research contributions of other communities. For example, Bene Israel Jews like Lt. Gen. J. F. R. Jacob who played a key role in the 1971 war, Syriac Christians who contributed to education and healthcare in Kerala, Siddis like athlete Kamala Siddi or social worker Hirabai Lobi, Armenians who built trade and educational institutions in Kolkata and Chennai, and Tibetan scholars and doctors who spread Sowa Rigpa and Buddhist learning. Each group has enriched science, defence, law, business, arts and medicine in India.
4. Take up a class project. Divide the class into groups. Each group takes up a small project to study a little more about the communities that we have been listed here. Share what you have gathered with your classmates through one of these ways — drama, posters, song, painting, etc.
This is a group project activity. Divide the class into groups of five to six and assign one community to each group such as Jews, Parsis, Siddis, Tibetans or Armenians. Each group collects information on origin, reason for coming to India, place of settlement, and cultural integration, using pictures and notes from the chapter and library. Present findings creatively through a short drama enacting the Parsis milk and sugar story, a poster on Siddi life, a song or a painting exhibition, and then display all work in class for shared learning.