National integration is something we always hear about.
We are proud about our culture of unity in diversity.
Many nations have some unifying cause to be called a nation,
like language, race, religion, etc.
In countries like
America, Australia and the United Kingdom,
there’s a growing racial mix.
Economic strength
keeps nations together
but
for a country like India
a sense of belonging, a sense of nationalism is very important.
India needs the benefits of development but unfortunately,
a large number of people still live under the poverty line
where good food and shelter are still a luxury.
Though poverty levels are quite high in India, the crime rate is relatively low.
People here are more sober than people
in the West and seem to accept things as ‘karma’.
We as a nation have survived
but every now and then we hear stories about
a separate state, separate country, etc.
If not that,
at a smaller level,
there is discontent among every class and sect in the society.
With the emergence of a number of political parties at various levels,
the chief objective seems to be vote banks.
They target them, divide them into every possible issue like
regionalism, casteism, race, religion, economic strata etc.
Many of them,
I’m sure, will find it difficult to talk economics and convince the people.
The politicians create issues by dividing the people.
It’s hard for them to talk about development,
hard to talk about providing jobs, hard to talk about infrastructures,
to talk about eradication of poverty.
So, in order to change the attention of the common man,
they talk about reservation, talk about regionalism, talk about religion.
It is important for us to inculcate a spirit of unity and team spirit
from an early age.
At the school level, themes like team work and social service have to be nurtured.
History should help us to develop a spirit of nationality.
Even though we as a nation have been in existence for quite a few decades,
we have not been able to integrate our diverse culture.
Hence, we lack the ability to understand another’s views.
The only time the nation comes together seems
to be at the time of a sporting event or during an external threat.
The spirit of nationality shown by our forefathers during independence
has been found lacking in our generation.
The sacrifices which the military and the police personnel
make should be duly recognised.
There is a need for all of us to make conscious efforts to develop this feeling.
We need to change our educational system so
as to teach our children about the heroic stories
of our freedom fighters in a much better way.
This will sow the seeds of nationalism at a very young age.
All the developed countries have histories
which are very short but we have a great and long history and culture
which can be a great source of pride for us.
We as a nation have been the best in the world for a few thousand years.
Unfortunately in the last couple of centuries
we haven’t progressed
when compared to the rest of the world.
For that, it is necessary that we feel strongly about our nation and its culture.
I’m sure
we will regain our position
at the top of the world in the coming years.
