Same Same, But Different

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara and Des Raag

I think these PSAs (Public Service Announcements) from Doordarshan, set a value system in place, for people like me who grew up in the ’80s. Mile sur mera tumhara, uses the diversity of Indian languages, dance and culture and added a liberal helping of cricketers and Bollywood stars. The song’s first line is Mile sur mera tumhara, toh sur bane hamara. The toh is very important because there is the condition that only if the separate tunes come together, will the melody form. Des Raag on the other hand took us through the various folk and classical dance and musical forms of India. It was a capsule for everything artistic — Kathakali, Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Amjad Ali Khan, the jal tarang. Acceptance of differences was a given, and they were celebrated at large.

Maa Tujhe Salaam

This was at the height of the pop fever in India, and AR Rahman released his album Maa Tujhe Salaam and the title track ‘Celebrating the true spirit of India’ gives one goose bumps. The video — those were the days of music videos — was shot across Rajasthan, Kutch, Ladakh, Kerala. Children from across the country are seen running with abandon, in the celebration of this one country, and they all gather around this giant Indian flag, looming over the horizon.

Anurupa Roy, puppeteer

AK Ramanujan and Stuart Blackburn’s book, A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India, is a collection of stories from every state. Apart from popular folk tales, there is a foreward from Blackburn and Ramanujan that says that this is a culture that really understands the power of the story. We have so many stories in India and 300 versions of the Ramayana alone, which includes Akbar’s commissioned Ramayana and the Bodhisattva’s Ramayana and, across the seas, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos have their own Ramayana. With the stories, be it Gopal Bhad, Mullah Nasruddin, Birbal or Tenali Ram, you have archetypes across the country that remind you that the underdog or the lowest guy in the food chain will have his say, the all-powerful will fall and the powers-that-be will be made fun of. Each time I read it, I am reminded that, no matter what mainstream narrative there is, there is also the other narrative.

Ranveer Brar, chef and television personality

There are many variations, from the Moplah Biryani in Kerala to the Lucknow Biryani to the Hyderabad Biryani.

To me, the one Indian dish that truly represents our diversity is the biryani. When it comes to food, what unites us all as Indians is our love for biryani, no matter where we come from. There are many variations, from the Moplah Biryani in Kerala to the Lucknow Biryani to the Hyderabad Biryani. Yes, there is a raging debate over which biryani is the best, and which is the best accompaniment, and if potato is a legitimate part of the dish. But I believe that these debates only keep the passion for biryani alive.

GR Iranna, artist

Naavu is an installation inspired by the Dandi March, where everyone came together for a cause, irrespective of caste, creed, religion or profession. It turned out to be a deeply spiritual act. The word naavu literally means “we are together” in Kannada. Currently showing at the Venice Biennale, the work comprises more than 600 padukas or wooden slippers displayed on a wall that is 60 x 15 feet. Collected from across India, I have given a distinct identity to each paduka and used objects such as ghungroo and scissors, to represent people from different professions. Though we belong to diverse backgrounds, we have shared common values and respect varied opinions, which is a Gandhian ideal.

Vivek Shanbag, author

The Picador Book of Modern Indian Literature, edited by Amit Chaudhuri, brings it all together, with essays, stories and excerpts translated from different languages. From Rabindranath Tagore, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, and Naiyer Masud, to Premchand, and Nirad C Chaudhuri, the stories present various cultures within the country. Through Masud’s Sheesha Ghat, one gets a flavour of Urdu, and through Basheer’s words, you get a sense of the lyrical Malayalam prose. Each story in the book is so unique yet each feels connected to each other.

Aruna Sairam, Vocalist

The concept of diversity needs to be understood as different paths with the same end goal. A few months ago, I did a concert with about 70 children, which was a journey through India. We sang patriotic songs from different languages of India. There was Chinnaswami Subramania Bharathi’s Tamil poetry, which translated into “This my country and it’s called Bharat and I am so proud to be in this country that my eyes swell up with tears as I utter her name”. Among various songs, there was Lata ji’s (Mangeshkar) iconic Aye mere watan ke logon for Hindi and GD Madgulkar’s famed war song in Marathi, Jinku kinva maru (Should I die for my country), and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Vande mataram in Bengali. Since I did this with children, who generally sing in their inhibited, pure voices, it gave the evening a completely different dimension. I believe that music is one of the most potent ways in which diversity can be understood. It is one of the few ways that can lead us in the right direction.

Hanif Qureshi, artistic director and co-founder of St+Art India

The graffiti has been painted by the transgender community. (Pranav Gohil)

In Lodhi Colony, Delhi, is a vibrant wall with portraits of Indian men and women from all walks of life. Painted by the transgender community this year, it is the best example of freedom of expression. Spearheaded by Bengaluru-based art collective Aravani Art Project, the mural provides a new way of looking at transgenders, especially as artists. It gives them a platform that is inclusive and everyone has a story to tell. The mural sums up diversity visually and depicts just how we are as a country and culture.