Diversity Day: Celebrating Life in All Forms

The form of civilization that we are currently familiar with developed about 6000 years ago. As people organized themselves into communities and fulfilled their basic needs, the need to explain their origin, their purpose and their significance arose. These explanations were given first in the form of stories and later in the form of practices and traditions, which culminated in what we now call culture. Since humans in different parts of the world imagined their lives distinctly, a plethora of cultures were born. Now, in the 21st century, a vital question emerges. What happens when these cultures collide?

Diversity Day; Source: Dreamstime

The word culture comes from the Latin word ‘colere’ which means ‘to cultivate.’ Simply understood, culture means to cultivate certain values, practices and traditions which are associated with particular communities. These beliefs give meaning to countless lives, give a purpose in times of despair and hold people together in adverse times. The methods of constructing these meanings vary from one place to another. And it is this diversity which gives a unique importance to every culture — each paints an otherwise grey world in a different shade of color. This distinctiveness is what constitutes Cultural Diversity, commemorated each year on 21st May as people celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Also called Diversity Day, 21st May marks an important landmark decision in the history of the United Nations and consequently, for all world organizations. It was first in 2001 that the United Nations recognized the need for a decision marking the presence of cultural diversity as well as its importance. Since 2002, the UN has celebrated this day each year to remind people about the diversity existing in different parts of the globe.

Diversity Day is not just celebrated to acknowledge the different ways of life but also to bridge the economical gap between the cultures of different countries. With increased globalization,  it has become relatively easier for people to share their traditions with others. As people migrate from one place to another, they take with them pieces of their identity and homeland in the form of cultural practices. These practices then influence those around them. However, as rapid urbanization takes place in different countries like India, many of these practices are slowly disappearing. The advent of the Western culture and its subsequent dominance over world customs is concerning for most developing countries as they struggle to catch up in the efficiency and production of goods while trying to maintain indigenous practices.

Diversity in Expression; Source: Academy for Cultural Diplomacy

To tackle this problem, the UN has used the most simple of all solutions - effective communication, a practice inherent in the Indian tradition. In many Ancient Indian discourses, scholars of different schools of thought often sat down with each other to engage in dialogue and debate over their explanations of the mortal realm and its working. Scholars would sometimes debate for months on end, before one of them yielded and joined the winner’s discourse. Dialogue is emphasised in almost every ancient Indian text as scholars are encouraged to move out of their insulated and secure circles of like-minded individuals to understand the perspectives of others. It is this value that Diversity Day aims to inculcate in people as it is only by understanding others that we can truly achieve World Peace.

To make this goal of bringing together people from different walks of life, the second committee of the 2015 UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on Culture and Sustainable development which detailed four important goals - to support sustainable systems of governance for culture, to achieve a balanced flow of cultural goods and services and increase artists’ mobility, to integrate culture in sustainable development frameworks and to protect human rights and fundamental frameworks. To contextualize these in the Indian context, if governance is not conducive and responsive to the works of artisans from different cultures, their art would slowly disappear. This is already happening to minority communities like the Parsis, who were once famed for their embroidery, and are now slowly relegated to the background, threatened with extinction. Similarly, unquestioned adherence to the caste system would mean that people cannot practice different professions based on their talents and interests.

Communication between cultures is not a novel concept. It has existed since the start of the oldest civilizations like Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilisation. There are hundreds of manuscripts found in Mesopotamia referring to India as Meluha which means ‘the high abode.’ It is India’s richness and diversity of ideas which make it a place worthy of being the residence of Gods. And it is this diversity which should not only be preserved but also explored through the eyes of the world.