Characters
Sunil: Hindu youngster
Imran: Muslim youngster
Joshua: Christian youngster
Balbir: Sikh youngster
(Their clothes should reveal which religion they belong to)
Sandra: Boss
Receptionist

SCENE 1

(Restaurant scene – table with four chairs – Sunil, Imran, Joshua dressed in their traditional attire, sitting and drinking soft drinks.)

Sunil: “Hi guys, guess what I brought today?”

Imran: “A new phone?”

Joshua: “Some Indian speciality?”

Sunil: “I don’t know what’s taking Balbir so long. Was waiting for him to come to show you what I have brought.”

Imran: “Can’t wait any longer… don’t keep us in suspense.”

Joshua: “Yes, show us what you brought.”

(Sunil takes out an Indian Flag from his bag and places it on the table)
(Both Imran and Joshua stand and salute)

Sunil: “Today is 15th August, our Independence Day, a day so important to all of us Indians.”

Imran: “Yes brother, whatever religion, state, culture or language we belong to, this is one thing that unites us. The fact that we are Indians, hum sab Bhartiya he.”

Joshua: “Yes, and more especially when we see our Indian flag or hear our National Anthem in a foreign land, it makes us feel so good.”

Sunil: “Yes. It makes me so emotional.”

Get the digital edition of the August 2024 issue to read the full article.

The post Unity appeared first on The Teenager Today.

India is often referred to as the land of ‘unity in diversity’. India’s cultural landscape is a kaleidoscope of traditions, customs, and artistic expressions that have evolved over centuries. With 29 states, each characterized by its own distinct culture, languages and cuisines, India is a living mosaic of identities. This cultural plurality is a source of strength for India, and it is something that should be celebrated.

The nation celebrates National Unity Day on 31 October, not only to reflect upon and celebrate the cultural plurality that forms the very foundation of India’s rich heritage, but also to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as the ‘Iron Man of India’. This day is a tribute to his contributions and efforts as the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India during 1947-50, in bringing the different states and regions together and unifying the nation.

In a country as culturally diverse as India, maintaining unity is a challenge that has been met through various means. The shared history of struggle against British rule, which brought together people from different regions and backgrounds in their quest for freedom, is a primary reason for this unity. This historical solidarity laid the groundwork for a shared national identity that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. Education and exposure to different cultures play a pivotal role in fostering unity and understanding among India’s diverse population.

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Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer in the United Kingdom, has unveiled a ‘Diversity Coin’ of 50 pence on 17 October 2020, to celebrate the diverse history of Britain and to recognize the profound contribution minority communities have made to the shared history of the country. The coin carries a rare and brilliant message: ‘Diversity Built Britain’. The coin echoes the ‘commitment of the government to building a fairer society for all’ and a ‘fair representation of the contribution from all ethnic groups and walks of life’ to that effect.

The historic event was a wise and great gesture on the part of the government in recognizing and following up the campaign ‘We too built Britain’, which has been working for the fair representation of the contribution of minority communities across all walks of life. It may be noted that a great number of the minority groups are from South Asia, including India, who made Britain their home. It is also planned that the above coin will be the beginning of the series, in which Mahatma Gandhi will be the first non-white to be featured on the British currency coin. The coin features a geodome that represents a ‘community of connection and strength’, with ‘each section working together to build something greater’.

The scheme of the British government is a gleaming paradigm in itself, a paradigm of unity, perhaps in the entire history of the world, illustrating a ‘leadership with a difference’, edifyingly so. It is a proof positive for the refined sense of ethics in the elected government of Britain to have contained all ethnic groups and to have recognized duly their share of making the country what it is, without even the least degree of bias or considerations of superior and inferior, great and small or major and minor. It is also crystal clear proof that politicians have the capacity for rising beyond the street levels and leading the country to towering, global and reputable ideals.

It is interesting to note that the Chancellor who launched the coin is of Indian origin. Sunil Chopra was the mayor of the London Borough of Southwark in 2014-2015, and deputy mayor in 2013-2014, the first Indian-origin person to hold the prestigious office. There are hundreds of persons in various countries in the west, like USA, Canada and Australia, who profusely enjoy the goodwill, esteem and support of the respective countries and their people. Kamala Harris, whose mother is Indian by birth, is now the vice-president elect of the USA.

Diversity has been the hallmark of Indian society from time immemorial. India never tires of speaking at the top of its voice that ‘unity in diversity’ is another word for India. It could certainly be observed that there have been several instances of unbiased good sense in India from the political, governmental and administrative quarters in the interests of the country. All the same, discrimination, division, high-handedness and utilitarian ways have been having their sway in our country, to proportions much beyond imagination.

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The post ‘Diversity Coin’: A paradigm of unity appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Coincidentally, this was also what the founding fathers of The Teenager (Today) wanted when they gave life to the 32-page single colour, small magazine which over the past fifty-seven years has today grown into a full-fledged national youth magazine you have in your hands now, with hardly any parallel to match it.

In addition to providing clean and wholesome reading material to the young and not so young of the country, and giving them a platform to showcase their God-given hidden talents, they wanted The Teenager to be a meeting place wherein the youth of the country, from one end to the other, irrespective of their regional, religious or caste differences, can come together and share a bond of true friendship, understanding and love.

Over the years, many things have changed with The Teenager during its onward journey. The Teenager became The Teenager Today, ten years ago, its editors have changed, it has also changed in size and look (from a single colour magazine to a 4-colour monthly with an eye-catching layout) besides journeying to Mumbai from Allahabad, its birthplace.

But, one thing never changed with The Teenager: its deep love for the youth of our country and its total commitment to the values of secularism and national integration, always holding firm to the principle of “unity in diversity,” that makes India the land our great leaders like Gandhiji, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rabindranath Tagore had dreamed of.

As India gets ready to celebrate its 71st Republic Day on 26 January, we bring you a special article, Diversity Coin – A Paradigm of Unity, by Dr M. D. Thomas, Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi. Dr Thomas says, “Diversity has been the hallmark of the Indian society and India never tires of speaking at the top of her voice that “unity in diversity” is another word for India! This is not to be a slogan that is meant for text books and platforms. It has to become a lived reality, in the everyday contexts of our life.” Hence, as the new generation of our country, let us make a solemn pledge, this Republic Day, to be true promoters of this unique characteristic of our nation. Jai Bharat!

The post Unity in diversity: Our unique characteristic! appeared first on The Teenager Today.

My friend often quotes an Urdu couplet: “Ishq ki chot toh padti hi har dil pe iksaan. Zarf ke farq se avaaz badal jati hai.” It means that everybody is struck by love, but depending on what stuff one is made of, one responds differently. The equality is that everyone responds to love. The diversity is that the response is not the same. However, increasingly in popular discourse, we see a wide gap between demands for equality and acceptance of diversity.

Equality is often confused with homogeneity. Everyone should feel the same level of pain and empathy and think similarly on issues. This leads to fascination with debates, which has become more about winning by shouting than improving one’s understanding by listening. And when there are no debates, no listening, there are marches and strikes, even worse, violent acts to terrorize the other into submitting to a common point of view, thus rendering everyone equal.

The idea of intellectual diversity is politically correct. However, it is extremely difficult to practise in day-to-day life. Take, for example, the Orlando Shooting, where a gunman shot 50 LGBTQ people dancing in a crowded nightclub. Why do we assume that every member of civil society will respond exactly the same way? Why do we get upset when others do not react the same way as we do?

Some people mourn the death of the innocents; others qualify the event as an act of some religious war. Some people feel it was caused by religious education; some people feel it was homophobia, born of self-hate. Some people feel it was the act of a righteous man; some people feel it was an act of a mad man. Some blame it on Islam; some blame it on the easy access to guns in America. Tempers are running high as everyone is not thinking the ‘right’ way.

We cling to an argument, not because it is right, but because it validates our sense of self-esteem. This is called ‘attachment’ in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Clinging to an idea like a dog in the bone, though that is not an accurate metaphor, for more than clinging to our bone, we humans want everyone to cling to the same bone. Life is all about listening to multiple voices and making choices. No choice will ever please everyone. Every choice has a consequence.

And the consequences may not be to our liking. Indic philosophies run along these lines and shy away from the discourse of rules and rights, which is why they tilt more towards diversity and less towards equality.

Religious orders work hard to homogenize their flock. Hence, the use of words like shepherd and sheep. Shepherds do not like goats and wolves. But a world without goats and wolves does not exist. So, the shepherd and the sheep have to be careful, build fences. Carry guns? Some Americans feel they should. But then some shepherds go about killing the sheep. What then? Ban shepherds, ban guns, ban sheep-haters and sheep-abusers? How does one create a sheep heaven, where everyone is equal?

The shepherd forgets, as he eyes the wool, that all sheep are not equal. There is hierarchy amongst them too: the alpha will demand submission of the beta and the gamma. Will the activist-shepherd also find that natural instinct that ‘problematic’ and demand domestication/education, more laws? This yearning to change, and control, than understand, often makes us cruel parents.

The post Equality & loss of diversity appeared first on The Teenager Today.