In the chapter “Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One'” (Grade 6 Social Science textbook), we read that many Indians may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near their birthplace or with their original community.

This chapter explores another type of migrants — people who came to India from other parts of the world and settled here, adding another dimension to the diversity. There have been many such migrant communities in India’s history, up to recent times.

Jews sought sanctuary in India in several waves. The persecution of Jews in various countries led to them having to flee their homes. India has proved to be a safe haven where they can practise their faith without fear.

The Bene Israel are a Jewish community that lived on the Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai. According to some scholars, they came around 175 BCE, from the ancient Kingdom of Israel. On their journey, their ship was caught in a storm and shipwrecked near the coast. The survivors settled in India and started a new life.

Although they lost their holy books, they remembered their prayer affirming belief in one God. Over time, the Bene Israel grew to become the largest Jewish community in India, numbering over 25,000 shortly after India gained independence.

Several groups arrived later, between the 12th and 19th centuries, again facing persecution in their respective countries. Some Jews settled near Cochin (present-day Kochi). The Raja of Kochi granted them land free of cost “as long as the world, sun, and moon endure.”

The Jews built a synagogue, which enabled them to practise their faith even as they became part of Indian society. The Maharaja of Travancore famously gifted a gold crown for the Torah (the Jewish holy book) in 1805 — a remarkable act of interfaith respect.

From the 4th centuries CE, some Christian groups who used the ancient Syriac language in their worship and traditions faced difficulties in West Asia.

• Under the Roman Empire: Treated as heretics because some of their beliefs about Christ differed from the official Church.
• In the Persian Empire: Suspected of secretly helping the Romans (enemies of Persia) and persecuted as a result.

To escape persecutions, some Syriac Christians travelled eastward along trade routes and reached the Malabar coast of India (present-day Kerala), where they could live and worship freely.

In India, Syriac Christians are also called ‘Syrian Christians’; they are divided into several sects. Their wedding ceremonies today blend Syriac Christian and Indian cultural elements, showing deep integration.

The Parsis (followers of Zoroastrianism) came to India primarily to escape religious persecution in Persia (modern-day Iran) after the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century CE.

Zoroastrianism was the state religion of the mighty Sassanid Empire (3rd to 7th centuries). After the empire fell to Arab Muslim forces in the mid-7th century, Zoroastrians faced:

• Forced conversions to Islam
• Religious taxes (jizya)
• Destruction of their sacred fire temples
• Social and legal marginalisation

Groups of Zoroastrians sailed across the Arabian Sea. Several groups reached India’s western coast (present-day Gujarat) between the 8th and 10th centuries.

Raja Jadi Rāṇā was the king of Sanjān in coastal Gujarat. The Parsis approached him for a safe place to stay. Since they were unfamiliar with each other’s languages, the Raja showed them a jug full of milk, indicating the kingdom was full and could not accommodate more people.

A wise man among the Parsis took a spoon of sugar and dissolved it into the milk without allowing the milk to spill over. The message: we will integrate into your society — sweetening it, not overflowing it. Jadi Rāṇā was pleased and provided a secure place for them to settle.

The ancient sacred fire continues to burn in Udvada, Gujarat. They combined their ancient traditions with those of local culture. Today India has the largest population of Zoroastrian followers in the world.

Arab merchants came to India from the 7th century onward, settling along the west coast in Kerala, Gujarat, and Karnataka. They:

• Traded spices and other goods
• Married local women and formed new communities
• In Kerala, became part of the Mappila Muslim community
• Helped build India’s oldest mosque — the Cheraman Juma Masjid

These early Arab settlers came as peaceful traders, not as conquerors. They brought new ideas, culture, and religion, and played an important role in India’s history of trade and cultural exchange.

The Siddis are of African origin. Unlike others in this chapter, they did not come voluntarily — they were enslaved in Africa and brought to India as slaves of Arab, Portuguese, and British traders between the 7th and 19th centuries.

In the 18th century, some Siddis gained prominence in Muslim rulers’ armies and briefly controlled parts of Bengal.

• Cultural identity represents a fusion of African and Indian traditions
• Have a distinctive dance accompanied by African-style drumming
• Over time, adapted language to regional influences
• Integrated African religious practices with adopted faiths of Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity

The Siddis are designated as a Scheduled Tribe. However, their overall economic condition remains poor and efforts are being made to provide better access to education and livelihood options.

Armenia is a small, mountainous country between Turkey and Azerbaijan, just north of Iran. Armenian merchants traded in Indian spices and fine muslins, with a first settlement on the Malabar coast in the 8th century.

During the Mughal period (16th century), many Armenians from Persia gained patronage from the emperors. The earliest major settlement was in Agra, where Akbar gave them permission to build a church and follow Christian practices.

Notable Armenians in Mughal court: Abdul Hai (Chief Justice under Akbar) and Lady Juliana (doctor in the royal palace).

In the mid-1800s, the Baha’i faith began in Persia (modern-day Iran), led by Baha’u’llah. Core teachings: unity among all people and harmony between religions. The ruling religious leadership in Iran branded them as heretics, and they sought safer places to live.

Baha’is began arriving in India during the late 19th century. Over the years, many Indians joined the faith. Though Iranian Baha’is came to escape danger, most Baha’is in India today are Indians who believe in the faith’s message of unity and love.

Poland was invaded during World War II (1939–1945). Thousands of families were torn apart and many children were orphaned.

Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Maharaja of Nawanagar State (present-day Jamnagar):

• Mobilised the Red Cross and other organisations to rescue children
• Took them to Jamnagar and provided food, shelter, and care
• Credited with saving around 1,000 Polish orphans between 1942 and 1946
• Also welcomed several thousand Polish refugees in his state
• All children and others returned home safely after the war

In the early 21st century, the President of Poland recognised his service. A Good Maharaja Square was named in Warsaw in his honour. India was a home away from home for the orphaned children.

Tibet became a Buddhist centre in the 7th century when its king embraced the Buddha’s teachings. During the 12th–13th centuries, Turko-Afghan invasions destroyed Nalanda and other Buddhist learning centres; many monks fled to Tibet with Sanskrit manuscripts.

From the 15th century onward, Dalai Lamas became spiritual heads, and from the mid-17th century, Tibet’s rulers. Each Dalai Lama is said to be the reincarnation of his predecessor.

From 1950 onward, the People’s Republic of China overran Tibet in several waves, eventually annexing it. In 1959, following a popular uprising in Lhasa, the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India and was granted asylum. He lives in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, from where the Central Tibetan Administration functions as a government-in-exile.

• Indian government rehabilitated Tibetan refugees and provided education to their children
• Facilitated creation of Tibetan settlements to preserve language, culture, and heritage
• Established many Tibetan monasteries in India, particularly in Karnataka (Bylakuppe), patterned on original ones in Tibet
• NGOs supported the community with livelihood options
• Over time, Tibetan refugees have become part of Indian society

These stories give us a glimpse of the culture of acceptance and inclusion that is part of the Indian ethos. The idea of vasudhaiva kutumbakam — “the whole world is family” — is not just a slogan but has been a practice for millennia.

The Indian expatriate community has carried and practised similar values abroad. Wherever there is a sizeable community of Indians, it has been perceived as a peaceful, law-abiding, progressive and prosperous minority that contributes to the economy and integrates well in the society of the respective country.

There are also cases where people came intending to conquer India but were conquered instead by our diverse culture, rich philosophy, and knowledge traditions. Examples include the Indo-Greeks and the Kuṣhāṇas.

The idea of the fundamental unity of humankind is one of the core civilisational values of India, which can help the world resolve crises today — wars, climate change, increasing inequality and discrimination.