As a class activity, make lists of (1) the birthplaces of at least 5 classmates and the birthplaces of their parents; (2) the students' mother tongues and other languages known to them. Discuss the results in terms of diversity.
The activity reveals India's rich diversity through birthplaces and languages.
Students will likely find that classmates come from different states or regions, and their parents may have migrated from other parts of India.
Mother tongues will vary across languages like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, etc. Many students will know multiple languages beyond their mother tongue.
This demonstrates that India's population of over 1.4 billion people speaks 325 languages using 25 scripts, and many Indians are migrants in the sense of not living near their birthplace or original community.
Explanation
As mentioned in the chapter, the Anthropological Survey of India conducted the 'People of India project' surveying 4,635 communities and found 325 languages using 25 scripts. The chapter states that 'many Indians may be called migrants, in the sense of people not living near their birthplace or with their original community.' This class activity helps students personally connect with these findings.
Solution Steps
The class activity reveals India's rich diversity through analysis of birthplaces and languages
Students discover classmates come from different states/regions with parents who may have migrated
Mother tongues vary across languages like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and Telugu
Many students know multiple languages beyond their mother tongue
India has over 1.4 billion people speaking 325 languages using 25 scripts
Many Indians are migrants who do not live near their birthplace or original community