A marketing guru once commented that India is not one nation, but a confederation of nations.
This is true if one sees the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Nation. Having predominant languages like Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, etc., just to name a few, in addition to English, a legacy of the Raj.
In addition to lingustic diversity, India also enjoys tremendous culinary diversity in addition to the clothes the people wear.
Having experienced invasions and influences from the Greeks to Arabs, Persian, Afghan, Portugese, Dutch, French, British and also Chinese, India is a Gourmand paradise.
Local cuisines like the Kashmiri Waza, Awadhi – which came about after the fall od Delhi, the Indianised Chinese from Kolkata, Rajasthani, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali – sweets and pungent fish preparations, the Tamil Idli Dosa Vada, spicy Chettinad, the malabari, the portugese influenced Goanese cuisine….one can go on and on and write tomes on the subject.
India is also rich in the number of religions and spiritual beliefs of it’s inhabitants. Being secular not only by it’s constitution, but also it’s innate nature, India has welcomed different religions with open arms. Some home grown like Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikkhism, to the imports like Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and the Bahai Faith, all have found home here.
Each of these religions in turn have brought with them their unique cuisine styles and dress sense, in addition to the numerous festivals like Diwali, Holi, Id, Navroz, Christmas, etc. bring out the best among the Indians, with people from across the communities celebrating with their fellow Indians with fervour and enjoyment.
These cuisines are as divergent as the clothes the people from different regions wear. Full of color and intricate workmanship, one can easily discern a Rajasthani ghagra on a graceful lady, as can one a chania choli from Gujarat. The amazing pashmina shawls from Kashmir, and the gold kanjeevaram sarees from Tamil Nadu to name a few. Each region exels itself in the range of apparel, which is appreciated not only in the region, but the entire nation and abroad.
This plethora of choice in food, clothes, languages, and their fusion removes always has something on offer for people of all pockets and budget.
Thus these divergent colors of food and clothing end up being the unifier of our Great Nation.
