NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science (Exploring Society) Chapter 17: India, a Home to Many (NCERT 2026–27)

These Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society Chapter 17 solutions cover India, a Home to Many from Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), the new NCF-2023 textbook for the 2026–27 session. The chapter belongs to the theme Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions and explores how, over thousands of years, people fleeing persecution or seeking new opportunities — Jews, Syriac Christians, Parsis, Arab merchants, Siddis, Armenians, Baha’is, Polish children and Tibetan refugees — found a safe home in India, guided by the value of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (“the whole world is family”). Below you get step-by-step answers to all Questions and activities, clear notes on key terms, extra practice, MCQs, Assertion–Reason and FAQs.

Class: 7 Subject: Social Science Book: Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2) Chapter: 17 Theme: Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions Session: 2026–27
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Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society Chapter 17 – Overview

Chapter 17, India, a Home to Many, looks at a special kind of migrant — people who came to India from other parts of the world and settled here, adding another dimension to India’s diversity. Some fled persecution in their homelands, while others arrived as traders seeking prosperity. The chapter tells the stories of the Jews (Bene Israel and the Cochin Jews), the Syriac (Syrian) Christians of the Malabar coast, the Parsis (Zoroastrians) and the legend of milk and sugar, the Arab merchants of the west coast, the African-origin Siddis, the Armenians who served in the Mughal court, the Baha’is with their Lotus Temple, the ‘Good Maharaja’ who saved Polish orphans, and the Tibetan refugees led by the Dalai Lama. Across all these stories runs one idea — vasudhaiva kutumbakam, “the whole world is family” — the spirit of acceptance and inclusion that is part of the Indian ethos.

Key Terms & Concepts

Migrant (in this chapter): a person who came to India from another part of the world and settled here, adding to India’s diversity — either to escape danger or to seek a better life.

Persecution: hostility, generally arising from religious, ethnic, social or political motives, often accompanied by harassment or violence. It is the main reason many communities fled to India.

Refuge / safe haven: a safe place where people can live and practise their faith without fear; India proved to be such a haven for many persecuted communities.

Jews: members of the people and cultural community originating from the ancient Hebrews of Israel, linked to the religion of Judaism. The Bene Israel settled on the Konkan coast (around 175 BCE) and the Cochin Jews near Kochi.

Synagogue: a place of worship for Jews where religious services and special ceremonies like weddings are held.

Syriac (Syrian) Christians: Christian groups who used the ancient Syriac language in worship; persecuted as ‘heretics’ in West Asia, they reached the Malabar coast (Kerala) from the 4th century CE.

Heretic: a person considered to be holding beliefs (especially religious ones) contrary to those of the dominant view.

Parsis & Zoroastrianism: the Parsis follow Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest religions, founded by the prophet Zarathushtra and based on the worship of one God, Ahurā Mazdā, and choosing good over evil. They fled Persia and reached Gujarat between the 8th and 10th centuries.

Siddis: a community of African origin brought to India between the 7th and 19th centuries; their identity is a fusion of African and Indian traditions, and they are designated as a Scheduled Tribe.

Armenians: merchants and professionals from Armenia who traded in Indian spices and muslins and served in the Mughal court; Kolkata became a major Armenian hub.

Baha’i faith: a religion begun in mid-1800s Persia by Baha’u’llāh, teaching the unity of all people; its Lotus Temple stands in New Delhi.

Vasudhaiva kutumbakam: “the whole world is family” — a core Indian value (from the Hitopadeśha) that, along with atithi devo bhava (“a guest is like God”) and sarve bhavantu sukhinah (“may all be happy”), forms the basis of India’s culture of inclusion.

“Questions and activities” — Full Solutions

All questions below are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT textbook’s end-of-chapter Questions and activities section. Answers are original, written in exam-ready style.

1. On the outline of a world map, try to trace the routes that the communities mentioned in this chapter may have used to reach India. What types of physical geographies did they have to negotiate?

ANSWER This is a map activity, so trace the routes on your own world-map outline. The answer below describes, in words, the likely routes and the kinds of physical geography each community had to negotiate. By sea: The Jews (Bene Israel) sailed from the ancient Kingdom of Israel across the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Sea, facing a storm and shipwreck before reaching the Konkan coast. The Parsis sailed from Persia (Iran) across the Arabian Sea to the coast of Gujarat. The Arab merchants crossed the Arabian Sea to reach Kerala, Gujarat and Karnataka, and the Syriac Christians travelled eastward along trade routes by land and sea to the Malabar coast. The Siddis were brought by sea across the Indian Ocean from Africa. By land and sea: The Armenians travelled from a small mountainous country between Turkey and Azerbaijan, crossing mountains, plateaus and deserts of West Asia before reaching the Malabar coast and later inland cities like Agra and Kolkata. The Tibetans crossed the high, snow-covered Himalaya on foot from the ‘Land of Snows’ to reach northern India. Physical geographies negotiated: open seas with storms (Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean), the towering and cold Himalayan range, dry deserts and rugged mountains of West Asia, and long overland trade routes. Reaching India safely therefore demanded great courage and endurance.

2. What are the key values intrinsic to Indian culture that enable it to welcome people of different backgrounds?

ANSWER Indian culture has long held values of acceptance, inclusion and compassion that make it welcoming to people of every background. The key values are: Vasudhaiva kutumbakam — “the whole world is family” — the belief that no one is a stranger and the entire world is one’s own. Atithi devo bhava — “a guest is like God” — treating visitors and refugees with honour and care. Sarve bhavantu sukhinah — “may all creatures be happy” — wishing wellbeing for everyone, not just one’s own group. Compassion and loving-kindness — expressed beautifully in the Buddha’s Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta, which asks us to cherish all living beings with a boundless heart. Because India developed a culture of peaceful coexistence and acceptance of diverse faiths and schools of thought, even small communities found it a secure place where they could keep their traditions over centuries. This spirit of inclusion is the essence of the Indian ethos.

3. Homi Bhabha, Sam Maneckshaw, Ratan Tata, Fali Nariman, Nani Palkivala, and Cornelia Sorabji are a few names of Parsis who excelled in their respective fields. Find out more about people from other communities that made India their home and their contributions.

ANSWER This is a find-out (research) activity, so answers will vary; collect more examples from books or trusted sources. A model answer with people from the communities mentioned in this chapter: Jewish community: General J.F.R. Jacob, an Indian Army general from the Bene Israel community who played a key role in 1971; and the soldier Samuel Baghirker — the Jews of India served the country in the armed forces and in business. Siddi community: Hirabai Lobi of Gujarat, who worked for the upliftment of women of her community — connecting them with banking, organic farming and other livelihoods — and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2023. Armenian community: Abdul Hai, who was Chief Justice in Akbar’s court, and Lady Juliana, a doctor in the royal palace — Armenians contributed to the Mughal administration, army, trade and education, building schools, churches and colleges in Kolkata, Chennai and Surat. (Add your own researched examples of contributions in science, art, business, defence and social service.)

4. Take up a class project. Divide the class into groups. Each group takes up a small project to study a little more about the communities that we have been listed here. Share what you have gathered with your classmates through one of these ways — drama, posters, song, painting, etc.

ANSWER This is a group project activity to be done in class, so the work will vary. Here is a model plan you can follow: Step 1 – Form groups: Divide the class into groups, with each group choosing one community from the chapter — Jews, Syriac Christians, Parsis, Arab merchants, Siddis, Armenians, Baha’is or Tibetans. Step 2 – Research: Each group finds out when and why their community came to India, where they settled, how they kept their faith and traditions, and how they contributed to Indian society (use the textbook, library books and trusted sources). Step 3 – Present creatively: Share your findings through a drama (for example, the legend of milk and sugar, or the Good Maharaja saving Polish children), a poster on a synagogue, fire temple or the Lotus Temple, a song, or a painting like a Parsi wedding scene. Step 4 – Reflect: End with a class discussion on the value of vasudhaiva kutumbakam and how India became a home to many. (Your group’s own project and presentation are accepted.)

Extra Practice Questions

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Who were the Bene Israel, and where did they settle in India?

ANSWERThe Bene Israel were a Jewish community who came to India around 175 BCE from the ancient Kingdom of Israel. Their ship was caught in a storm and shipwrecked near the coast, and the survivors settled on the Konkan coast, just south of Mumbai. Over time they grew into the largest Jewish community in India.

Q2. Why did the Parsis leave Persia and come to India?

ANSWERThe Parsis (Zoroastrians) left Persia to escape religious persecution after the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century CE. They faced forced conversions, religious taxes (jizya) and the destruction of their fire temples. Unable to practise their faith freely, groups of them sailed across the Arabian Sea and reached Gujarat between the 8th and 10th centuries.

Q3. Explain the legend of milk and sugar associated with the Parsis.

ANSWERWhen the Parsis approached Raja Jadi Rāṇā of Sanjān for shelter, he showed them a jug full of milk to indicate that his kingdom was already full. A wise Parsi added a spoon of sugar and dissolved it into the milk without spilling it — showing that they would blend into society and sweeten it without overflowing or causing trouble. Pleased, the Raja gave them a place to settle.

Q4. Who are the Siddis, and what is special about their cultural identity?

ANSWERThe Siddis are a community of African origin who were brought to India as slaves between the 7th and 19th centuries. Their cultural identity is a fusion of African and Indian traditions — they have a distinctive dance with African-style drumming, have adapted their language to regional influences, and follow Hinduism, Islam or Christianity. They are designated as a Scheduled Tribe.

Q5. Who was the ‘Good Maharaja’, and why is he remembered in Poland?

ANSWERThe ‘Good Maharaja’ was Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Maharaja of Nawanagar (present-day Jamnagar). During the Second World War he rescued around a thousand orphaned Polish children and welcomed thousands of Polish refugees, providing them food, shelter and care between 1942 and 1946. In his honour, Poland built a monument — the Good Maharaja Square in Warsaw.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Describe how the Jewish community came to India and integrated into Indian society.

ANSWERJews sought sanctuary in India in several waves, fleeing persecution in their homelands, because India proved to be a safe haven where they could practise their faith without fear. The earliest, the Bene Israel, came around 175 BCE from the ancient Kingdom of Israel; their ship was shipwrecked in a storm near the Konkan coast, and the survivors settled and started a new life. Though they lost their holy books, they remembered their prayer that there is only one God, and they grew into the largest Jewish community in India — over 25,000 shortly after Independence. Later groups arrived between the 12th and 19th centuries; some settled near Cochin (Kochi), where the Raja granted them land free of cost “as long as the world, sun, and moon endure” and they built a synagogue. Even the Maharaja of Travancore gave precious gifts to the synagogue for the Torah. Swami Vivekananda proudly recalled that India had sheltered the Jews who took refuge in southern India. In these ways the Jews became part of Indian society while keeping their faith.

Q2. Discuss the spiritual and linguistic links between Zoroastrianism and India’s ancient Vedic traditions.

ANSWERThere are deep connections between the philosophy of Zoroastrianism and India’s ancient Vedic schools of thought. Spiritually, both share the same idea of a cosmic order that holds the universe together, and both give great importance to fire worship in their rituals. There are also interesting differences: in the Vedas the devas are beneficial gods, but in the Parsis’ sacred text, the Avesta, the daevas are evil gods who bring chaos; the Avesta’s chief god is Ahurā, while in India (after the Vedic period) the asuras are seen as harmful powers. Linguistically, Old Avestan (the language of the Avesta) and Vedic Sanskrit share many word roots and grammatical features — for example, soma (a divine drink) = haoma, hotar (a priest) = haotar, and yajña (sacrifice) = yasna. These similarities show deep spiritual and linguistic ties between ancient Iran and ancient India, which made it easier for the Parsis to combine their traditions with the local culture and enrich Indian society.

Q3. How did the Tibetan refugees come to India, and how did the Indian government help them rebuild their lives?

ANSWERTibet, the ‘Land of Snows’ on the other side of the Himalaya, became a centre of Buddhism in the 7th century. From 1950 onward, the People’s Republic of China overran Tibet in several waves and eventually annexed it. In 1959, after a popular uprising in Lhasa against the Chinese presence, the 14th Dalai Lama was advised to flee across the Himalaya and take refuge in India, where the government granted him asylum. Since then he has been an ‘honoured guest’ living in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), from where the Central Tibetan Administration functions as a government-in-exile. The Indian government rehabilitated the Tibetan refugees — it provided education to their children, helped create Tibetan settlements (many in Karnataka), and supported the building of monasteries patterned on the originals in Tibet so that Tibetan Buddhists could follow their way of life without fear. Many non-government organisations also provided livelihoods. Over time the Tibetans have become part of Indian society while preserving their language, culture and heritage — another example of India as a home to many.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. The Bene Israel, a Jewish community, settled on which coast of India?

(a) Coromandel coast    (b) Konkan coast    (c) Malabar coast    (d) Gujarat coast

2. A place of worship for Jews is called a:

(a) church    (b) mosque    (c) synagogue    (d) fire temple

3. The Parsis are followers of which religion?

(a) Judaism    (b) Zoroastrianism    (c) Christianity    (d) the Baha’i faith

4. In the famous legend, the wise Parsi added which item to a jug of milk?

(a) salt    (b) sugar    (c) honey    (d) water

5. The Siddis of India are of which origin?

(a) Persian    (b) Armenian    (c) African    (d) Tibetan

6. Which city became a major hub of the Armenian community in India?

(a) Mumbai    (b) Kolkata    (c) Delhi    (d) Sanjān

7. The Baha’i faith is associated with which famous building in New Delhi?

(a) Jama Masjid    (b) Cheraman Juma Mosque    (c) the Lotus Temple    (d) the Kochi synagogue

8. The ‘Good Maharaja’ who saved Polish orphans was the ruler of:

(a) Travancore    (b) Kochi    (c) Sanjān    (d) Nawanagar (Jamnagar)

9. In which year did the 14th Dalai Lama take refuge in India?

(a) 1947    (b) 1950    (c) 1959    (d) 1962

10. The value vasudhaiva kutumbakam means:

(a) “a guest is like God”    (b) “the whole world is family”    (c) “may all be happy”    (d) “choose good over evil”

Answer key: 1-(b), 2-(c), 3-(b), 4-(b), 5-(c), 6-(b), 7-(c), 8-(d), 9-(c), 10-(b).

For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.

A-R 1. Assertion: Many communities sought refuge in India over the centuries.

Reason: India proved to be a safe haven where persecuted people could practise their faith without fear.

A-R 2. Assertion: The Parsis fled Persia and came to India.

Reason: They faced religious persecution in Persia after the Islamic conquest in the 7th century CE.

A-R 3. Assertion: The Siddis are designated as a Scheduled Tribe in India.

Reason: The Siddis came to India as wealthy traders and rulers from Africa.

A-R 4. Assertion: Old Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit share many word roots and grammatical features.

Reason: There are deep spiritual and linguistic ties between ancient Iran and ancient India.

A-R 5. Assertion: India has the smallest population of Zoroastrians in the world.

Reason: Today India has the largest population of followers of Zoroastrianism in the world.

Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(A), 3-(C), 4-(A), 5-(D).

Exam Tips & Common Mistakes

How to score full marks in this chapter

Make a quick table linking each community with where it came from, when, why, and where it settled — Jews (Israel, 175 BCE, persecution, Konkan/Kochi), Parsis (Persia, 8th–10th c., persecution, Gujarat), Syriac Christians (West Asia, 4th c., Malabar), Arabs (7th c. onward, west coast trade), Siddis (Africa, 7th–19th c.), Armenians (Mughal era, Kolkata), Baha’is (Persia, 19th c., Lotus Temple), Tibetans (1959, Dharamshala). Remember the three core values — vasudhaiva kutumbakam, atithi devo bhava, sarve bhavantu sukhinah — and the legend of milk and sugar. For map questions, describe routes in words (seas, mountains, deserts) since you cannot use images.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Confusing the Bene Israel (Konkan coast) with the Cochin Jews (near Kochi).
  • Mixing up the communities — Parsis follow Zoroastrianism, not the Baha’i faith; the Lotus Temple belongs to the Baha’is.
  • Thinking the Siddis came as rich traders — they were brought to India as slaves of African origin.
  • Forgetting that the ‘Good Maharaja’ ruled Nawanagar (Jamnagar), not Kochi or Travancore.
  • Writing the wrong year — the Dalai Lama took refuge in India in 1959, not 1950.
  • Leaving the activity/project questions blank — give a model plan or your own examples.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chapter 17 of Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society about?

Chapter 17, India, a Home to Many, tells the stories of communities — Jews, Syriac Christians, Parsis, Arab merchants, Siddis, Armenians, Baha’is, Polish children and Tibetan refugees — who came to India from other parts of the world to escape persecution or seek a better life, and explains how India’s value of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (“the whole world is family”) made it a welcoming home for them.

Why did so many communities choose to settle in India?

Many communities chose India because it had developed a culture of peaceful coexistence and acceptance of diverse faiths. India became a safe haven for the persecuted, while others came for trade and prosperity. Values like vasudhaiva kutumbakam, atithi devo bhava and sarve bhavantu sukhinah made even small communities feel secure enough to keep their traditions over centuries.

What is the exercise heading for Chapter 17 of Exploring Society?

The end-of-chapter exercise in Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2) Chapter 17 is headed Questions and activities and contains 4 numbered questions, all answered step by step on this page.

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