Culture, Ethics and Unity in Diversity

A grand synthesis of cultures, religions and languages of the people belonging to different castes and communities has upheld its unity and cohesiveness. It is this synthesis which made India a unique mosaic of cultures. People belonging to severalfaiths-Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity have coexisted forcenturies in a shared space. Diversity in India is not merely confined to racial, religiousand linguistic distinctions but also permeates deep into patterns of living, life styles, landtenure systems, occupational pursuits, inheritance and succession law, together with localpractices, rites and rituals related to social norms and values. The Indian cultural tradition is unique. The notions of dharma (normative order), karma (personal moral commitment) and jati (caste) as the hierarchical principle of social stratification are basic to Indiansociety. Twenty three Indian languages are listed in our constitution and more than 544

dialects are spoken in the country. Pali language was prominent in ancient India. Sanskritenjoyed the status of carrying Hindu Sanskritic culture throughout the country. Thesewere followed by the modern Indo-Aryan languages. The institutional basis of socialorder and socio-economic interaction among communities like Jajmani system remainedunchanged to a large extent. A plural and multi-ethnic society like India would have an overlapping of ethnic, caste and class groupings. There are more than 285 ethnic tribalcommunities in India accounting for over 8 per cent of her population. The tribesthemselves are not a homogenous group, but display remarkable heterogeneity in theirracial, linguistic, religious composition as also in their modes of living and levels ofdevelopment as well as in the level of socio-cultural integration. In spite of this great diversity, India continues to swear by its commitment to secularism and practicesdemocratic form of governance. The federal principle of governance has provided a senseof identity to most people.

LITHOSPHERE, HYDROSPHERE AND ATMOSPHERE

Rapid environmental changes like climate change, environmental degradation,

loss of biodiversity, and declining natural resources are threatening our life supportsystem and these issues cut across administrative boundaries. Rural poor are the worstvictims of environmental degradation and deserve a better deal (Singh, 2007).

Indian environment and ecosystem regions are stressed due to rapid population

growth, underdevelopment and careless application of developmental technology. Majordrivers of resource use include population growth dynamics, demand for food and

incidence of poverty, stress on water, desertification, deforestation, soil erosion, climaticchange, pollution, and land use/cover change. Case studies include land, water, forests,

coastal and marine resources. There is a lack of integrated techniques and approaches tosustainable resource use in the vulnerable environment (Samant and Joshi, 2005;

Sathyakumar, 2004). Integrated Watershed Management in recent years is emerging as animportant tool for resource management. Integrating complex resource-environmentalinteractions within space provides an important base for sustainable environmental

planning and management. The physical settings like mountains, deserts, valleys, coastaland marine life and their resources influence people, but on the other, they transform theirsurrounding into different cultural landscapes and resources (Singh, 2004; Singh, 2006).

Regions are units for studying and developing environment. As the seventh

largest country in the world, India is a challenge for the researchers to locate viable

natural resources. The enormous variety of ecosystems in India ranges from alpine zonesin the Northern Himalayas to sandy coastal beaches at the southern peninsular tip. To thewest lies, an arid expanse of desert and on the east a flood prone delta. Between theNorthern - Southern and Eastern - Western extremes are fertile agricultural lands, free

flowing rivers and groundwater, a myriad of dense forests, and minerals and natural

gases. Entrusted with the monumental task of surveying the land for these four types ofresources are four respective agencies: the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), the CentralWater Commission (CWC), the Forest Survey of India (FSI), and the Mineral

Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL). Each agency is the initial step towards thetransformation of a natural resource into a useable product. Geographical education isfacing serious crisis both in terms of quantitative and qualitative aspects in order to facenational and regional resource degradation.