The DNA of every culture in India has been ‘one and the same’, and that is why this country is called a ‘cultural continuum’, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi said here on Monday. People are called migrants or immigrants when they move from one place to another. But there was no concept of migration in India in those days, he said at an event here.

The Governor made the remarks while delivering the presidential address at the celebration of foundation day of Gujarat and Maharashtra states at Raj Bhavan.

“The oneness of creation, oneness of humanity has spread over a vast land and though the country has beautiful regional variations, the core of the DNA of this country is one and same and that is why we say Bharat is a cultural continuum”, he said.

Noting that migration of people from one part of the country to another has been going on for several years, Ravi said, “there was no concept of migration or immigration in India.”

“People move from one part of the country to another unmindful of who was the ruler… This movement of people from one part of the country to another part had been going on for several thousand years.”

A few illustrations would be the movement of Badra Babu, the Rajaguru of Chandragupta Maurya from Pataliputra (Patna) to Saravana Belagola currently in Karnataka along with his 14,000 followers, he said.

“Imagine 14,000 people moving and being welcomed from place to place. He (Badra Babu) passed through many kingdoms. He was welcomed,” he added. The event also saw compositions on Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj being sung by Padmashree Rao and Anil Nalavde from Maharashtra Association. Later, the governor took part in a photo session with the participants at Raj Bhavan.