Srinagar, Jan. 5 -- The phrase "unity in diversity" has long been celebrated as a moral promise and a democratic ideal, especially in societies marked by cultural, religious, linguistic, and ethnic plurality. It suggests that social cohesion need not depend on sameness, and that a shared political community can flourish despite differences. Yet in contemporary public discourse, this ideal is increasingly shadowed by a competing impulse: the demand for uniformity. Under the guise of national integration, social discipline, or neutrality, calls for sameness are often advanced as prerequisites for unity. This raises a critical question: does the pursuit of unity truly respect diversity, or has it subtly transformed into uniformity in disguis...