The idea behind a nation is to unify people beneath one flag and one name. However, that doesn’t mean other individualities must cease to exist. A nation can have plural identities, geographical divisions, multiple languages, and rich cultural diversity. Now, despite all these differences, if citizens feel, “This is my nation,” That’s federalism.
India is a federation of states with diverse regional cultures and 122 major languages, and 1599 other languages (According to the 2001 census of India). From food flavors to art and festivals, every region of India has a plethora of diversity. India that way is mind-blowingly vibrant and colorful. This cultural backdrop of our country also has its pitfalls, with some ideas and traditions irrational and regressive. They are errors of the past that have traveled centuries without an ideological reform. If they must change, our vehemence in the name of heritage must go.
While that’s on the one side, what works for India is: “Unity as a nation despite regional diversities.” But there is a threat to this idea of India from two groups of politicians: 1. The champions of extreme nationalism. They want to flatten regional and linguistic diversities to establish a singular national identity. 2. Linguistic fanatics promoting a divisive regional identity. They try to push the idea of federalism to the level of state autonomy, something on the borderline of separatism.
Both these standpoints are extremely dangerous to India’s unity in diversity. But do our leaders care? They want votes. For that, they are ready to gamble even the nation’s unity.
More than ever, in recent times, we see some politicians deliberately inciting regional sentiments. They are aware that they can’t ascend to the national level. So they try to assimilate more state power by rallying people to a point where it will trigger an identity war. Merely because they want to win elections and usurp power. This indifference among our politicians pitting regional and linguistic identities against the collective idea of a nation is like playing with fire. Their misadventures for political gain would hurt the nation someday, if not today.
So, what we need is nationalism that will bring regions together cheerfully to form a collective self-identity called India. And bear this in mind: We shall neither be a namesake union of states divided by regional and linguistic differences nor a flavorless superstructure called a nation without diversities.
Image Source: PTI