If God has so wished, He would have made all Indians speak with one language… The unity of India has been and always shall be a unity in diversity”- Rabindranath Tagore.
“Diversity leads to innovation!” That’s a mantra repeated by many diversity proponents. Looking at problems from diverse perspectives is likely to yield better solutions than viewing it solely from one myopic view. Diversity jolts us into cognitive actions in ways that homogeneity simply does not.
India is a kaleidoscope of cultures that includes umpteen variations in food, clothing, language, music, believes, etc. Besides more than 400 main languages, there are thousands of others including dialects that are distinctly different from each other. India is a colorful plural society, one of the most religiously diverse nations of the world. While loose clothes are worn in hot and humid southern India, the cold regions like Kashmir have its inhabitants wearing woolen clothes. People of west India showcase a colorful outwear. In contrast, people of the lush green eastern regions are known for their preference for lighter colors. Indian cuisine is also very diverse that it is practically impossible to know and taste all the dishes prepared in the country. If the northern people are predominantly wheat eaters, the rest of India are avid rice eaters. Major festivals are celebrated all over the country with equal favor, but thousands of other festivals are locally celebrated with great enthusiasm.
There is diversity not only concerning racial compositions, religions, and linguistic distinctions but also in patterns of living, lifestyles, occupational pursuits, inheritance, and succession of law and practices. The distinctive feature of India in its unity and diversity is also reflected in the social ethos. If the cities of India portray modern India with technological hubs in Bangalore and Mumbai, the remote areas still preserve a rich and varied tribal population.
The unforgettable fight for freedom is a perfect example of the unity of India when the whole nation stood on the same platform with diverse castes and religions. The difference in religion, faith, opinion, and way of life is its strength, not weakness. They reflect a vast horizon of views, depth of tolerance and dynamism, unity in diversity of thought, lifestyle, and faith is the main driving force on Indian nationalism.
This diverse India is so capable of economic, political, and socio-cultural development with the help of the right performance to lead to innovation. Innovation is about the right execution of creative ideas that generate values for our life in a new. One such execution is “Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” initiated by our PM Narendra Modi, to revive every sphere of the economy from demand, supply to manufacturing, and make India self-reliant to sustain and tackle any Black Swan event in the future. The focal point of the concept is to make the nation self-reliant with more focus on local manufacturers and service providers. This will strengthen the economy and local workers. The dependence on imports will reduce and may also give a boost to exports. “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” as the name suggests independent India, set up on May 12th to empower the poor laborer migrants who have been adversely affected by COVID. This Abhiyan focuses on innovation.
Continuous innovation is the path to success in today’s disruptive environment and workforce diversity is key to developing a culture of innovation. Diverse and inclusive cultures are providing companies with a competitive edge over their peers. Diverse units become better prepared for decision-making and accomplishing the task at hand. When members of diverse teams see things in a variety of ways, they are poised to recognize new and different market opportunities.
Diverse teams are better positioned to unlock innovation. Firms with above-average diversity produce a greater proportion of revenue from innovation (45%) than from companies with below-average diversity (26%). Each individual knows that their voices will be heard and that they are valued parts of the nation. Just like our PM encouraged ‘Vocal for Local’; we need to consider ourselves as an employee of a company named ‘Bharat’ and continuously make efforts for its growth. Promoting indigenous producers is one such effort we all can make. When people with diverse thinking, logic, and ideas will come ahead and be supported, only then real innovation may thrive. No matter who or where they are, if people feel a sense of belonging and are valued for their unique contributions, perspectives, and circumstances, they are empowered to innovate more.
“Unity in diversity is India’s strength. There is simplicity in every Indian. There is unity in every corner of India. This is our strength” — Mr. Narendra Modi. So let us take a pledge to be innovative and putting efforts to go Vocal for Local and make Bharat ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, where innovation may thrive with diversity.
