NCERT Solutions for Class 7th Social Science Chapter 17 India, a Home to Many
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
A second kind of migrant. In Grade 6 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 looks at the other kind — “people who came to India from other parts of the world and settled here, adding another dimension to the diversity.” The book is clear that it cannot cover them all and has “selected only a few representative examples.” Those who came fleeing persecution. Jews arrived “in several waves” — the Bene Israel on the Konkan coast (around 175 BCE, according to some scholars) and later groups near Cochin between the 12th and 19th centuries. Syriac Christians reached the Malabar coast from the 4th century CE. Parsis reached the Gujarat coast between the 8th and 10th centuries. Baha’i
- Chapter opening
- A stranger at the door
- The Kochi synagogue
- Fig. 5.4
- Fig. 5.5
- The legend of the Parsi wise man, the milk and the sugar
- Fig. 5.7
- Figs. 5.9 to 5.12
- (first box)“The Whole World is Family”
- (second box)Collecting stories that carry the same values
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Worth remembering |
|---|---|---|---|
| vasudhaiva kutumbakam | “The whole world is family” | The Hitopadeśha verse on the opening page, and the section “The Whole World is Family”, page 140 | The full verse says: “‘This is mine, that is not mine,’ so think the narrow-minded. For the noble-minded, the whole world is family.” The chapter argues it “is not just a slogan but has been a practice for millennia” |
| Persecution | “Hostility, generally arising from religious, ethnic, social or political motives, often accompanied by harassment or violence” | Word box, page 129 | This is the single reason the chapter gives for most of these migrations — Jews, Syriac Christians, Parsis and Baha’is all left homes where they were persecuted |
| Heretic | “A person considered to be holding beliefs (especially religious ones) contrary to those of the dominant view” | Word box, page 129 | The same charge is made twice in this chapter, centuries apart — against Syriac Christians under the Roman Empire, and against the Baha’is in 19th-century Iran |
| Jews | “Members of the people and the cultural community originating from the ancient Hebrews of Israel and traditionally linked to the religion of Judaism” | Word box, page 126 | A Jew “may be identified either by descent from Jewish ancestry or through conversion”, so Jewish identity “may be defined on the basis of religion, culture, history, or ethnicity” |
| Synagogue | “A place of worship for Jews where religious services and special ceremonies like weddings are held” | Word box, page 127 | The Jews near Cochin “built a synagogue, which enabled them to practise their faith even as they became part of the Indian society”. Figs. 5.2 and 5.3 show its interior |
| Bene Israel | The Jewish community that lived on the Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai | “The Story of Indian Jews”, pages 126–127 | According to some scholars they came around 175 BCE from the ancient Kingdom of Israel, shipwrecked near the coast. They lost their holy books but “remembered their prayer, which says there is only one God”, and grew to over 25,000 shortly after Independence |
| Syriac (Syrian) Christians | Christian groups who used the ancient Syriac language in their worship and traditions | “The Syriac Christian Community”, page 129 | They came to the Malabar coast from the 4th century CE — treated as heretics under Rome, suspected of helping Rome in Persia. In India they “are divided into several sects” |
| Zoroastrianism | “One of the world’s oldest religions… founded by the prophet Zarathushtra in Central Asia. It is based on the worship of one God, Ahurā Mazdā. Choosing good over evil is an important aspect of this faith” | Word box, page 130 | Its followers in India are the Parsis. Today “India has the largest population of followers of Zoroastrianism in the world” |
| jizya | A religious tax | “The Legend of the Parsi Wise Man, Milk, and Sugar”, page 130 | One of the forms persecution took in Persia after the Arab conquest, along with “forced conversions to Islam… destruction of their sacred fire temples, as well as social and legal marginalisation” |
| Avesta | “The Parsis’ ancient sacred text”; its language is Old Avestan | Page 132 | Old Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit “share many word roots and also grammatical features”: soma = haoma, hotar = haotar, yajña = yasna. But devas are good in the Vedas while daevas are evil in the Avesta |
| Mappila Muslim community | The community in Kerala that Arab merchants became part of, after settling and marrying local women | “The Arab Merchant Community”, page 133 | They “helped build India’s oldest mosque, the Cheraman Juma Masjid” (Fig. 5.8). The chapter is careful to say these settlers “came as peaceful traders, not as conquerors” |
| Siddi | A community of African origin, brought to India as slaves between the 7th and 19th centuries | “The African Connection”, pages 133–134 | Their identity “represents a fusion of African and Indian traditions” — a distinctive dance with African-style drumming, language adapted to regional influences, African religious practices integrated with Hinduism, Islam or Christianity. They are “designated as a scheduled tribe”, and their “overall economic condition remains poor” |
| Hirabai Lobi | A Siddi woman from the community settled in Gujarat | Fig. 5.12 and its box, page 134 | She connected the women of her community with banking services and taught them organic farming and other livelihood options, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2023 |
| Baha’i | A religion begun in Persia in the mid-1800s, led by Baha’u’llah, whose teachings “spoke of unity among all people and harmony between religions” | “The Baha’i Community in India”, page 136 | Branded heretics in Iran, some came to India from the late 19th century. “Most Baha’is here today are Indians who believe in the faith’s message of unity and love.” The Lotus Temple in New Delhi is theirs (Fig. 5.14) |
| Sowa Rigpa | The traditional Tibetan system of medicine, also known as the ‘Art of Healing’ | DON’T MISS OUT, page 138 | Codified in the 8th century CE by a medical council near Lhasa; it “blends ancient principles and practices of Ayurveda with inputs from China, Central Asia, Persia and even Greece”. Practised in India at Men-Tsee-Khang, Dharamshala, and now part of the Government of India’s AYUSH programme |
| The ‘Four Commitments’ | The 14th Dalai Lama’s four stated commitments | “Tibetan Refugees in India”, page 139 | Human values like compassion, forgiveness and tolerance; religious harmony; the preservation of Tibetan culture; and the revival of India’s civilisational heritage, “particularly Indian values like karuṇā (compassion) and ahimsa (nonviolence)” |
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 125
- A stranger at the door — THINK ABOUT IT Page 126
- The Kochi synagogue — LET’S EXPLORE Page 128
- Fig. 5.4 — LET’S EXPLORE Page 129
- Fig. 5.5 — LET’S EXPLORE Page 130
- The legend of the Parsi wise man, the milk and the sugar — THINK ABOUT IT Page 131
- Fig. 5.7 — LET’S EXPLORE Page 132
- Figs. 5.9 to 5.12 — LET’S EXPLORE Page 134
- (first box)“The Whole World is Family” — LET’S EXPLORE Page 140
- A question the chapter asks in the running text, and then answers — In-text Question Page 140
- (second box)Collecting stories that carry the same values — LET’S EXPLORE Page 140
- The chapter in three points — Before we move on … Page 141
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions and activities Page 142