Unity in Diversity

  After the PI, some of us were into the next round the GD. Eight of us were seated in a circle. With fingers crossed and feverishly working brains we were waiting for the topic. "Unity in Diversity".......pretty easy, thought all and each one started off. Participants started discussing about the various facets of unity in diversity in our country. It was indeed interesting to listen to them speak and an air of pride gently brushed through me. Members were smart enough and put forth diverse thoughts without repetition. The discussion centered around the geographical terrain, as a result of which the climatic conditions differed, the attire, the food, the traditions of each state, and ultimately the unity inspite of such vast variedness. "We are only fragile threads, but what a tapestry we make.", concluded a member.                   

 "Right from my childhood, I am very fond of travel by train", started I when my turn came. "This gives me the opportunity of interacting with a myriad of people. Yesterday, my journey began with a Bengali couple, who started eating from the moment they boarded the train, and kept bragging about Bengal. Consuming the food they offered, I was enjoying their conversation too. After they alighted, gujaratis occupied their berths and started cleaning up the mess the Bengalis had created. "These Bengalis, they are great foodies and wherever they go they only know how to eat and litter." One was complaining to the other. "Yes, all Bengalis are the same, unhygienic. We gujaratis, give so much importance to cleanliness, they should learn from us", said the other.

"You may be right, but Bengalis are very intelligent and are great music lovers, India has got multitudes of musicians from Bengal. Of course, we Tamilians too are quite brilliant and music is our passion too......." joined in another Tamil passenger. "but, you Tamilians are self-centered and sly." I heard the gujaratis whispering to each other. Other co-travelers soon joined the conversation, "Punjabis are hard-working, but stupid." Telugu people are sincere but cunning. Biharis are slow.....so on and so forth, each typecasting the other into a set of character traits. My destination had arrived and I got down with a hope, that the debate might have ended on a positive note.

                       "Now coming to the point, after listening to your opinion I do agree with you all about our unique unity and our distinct diversity, but I strongly believe that until we completely wipe out the little prejudice that we hold about our regions and our languages our so called unity is incomplete.

On a larger perspective, we will definitely find Bengalis who are spic-and-span, and Gujaratis who may be untidy. We cannot narrow down music lovers to belong to Tamil Nadu or Andhra, but we may find them in the other corners of the country as well. There are brainy Biharis and persevering Punjabis too. Characteristics and attitudes differ from person to person and not from state to state. It is commendable that we live as good neighbours amidst people coming from various states. We do develop friendship ties with people we come across. It is appreciative that weddings also take place when the bride and groom belong to two different states and speak different languages.

When we talk so highly of our unity in diversity, let us also label ourselves as Indians first. Let us put an end to typecasting people on the basis of statehood. The day we achieve this, I will consider my country to be really united in its diversity. We can see the change, when we change the way we see everything. Let us develop the power to see the similarity in the dissimilar. It is time we spread the message of oneness with our love and brotherhood. "

                   Thus ended our group discussion. Any doubts, whether I was selected............of course I was!!