Essay on National Integration
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| National Integration |
National Integration is the most important problem India is facing today. It means a feeling of oneness and unity, harmony and love, co-operation and co-ordination among the Indian people. Unless we develop this sense of unity and subordinate our narrow considerations to national interest, we might lose
In simple words, national integration means cementing all the Indian people into one single nation. The bond of nationality should override considerations of caste, language and religion. We must be prepared to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of India. Our history teaches us that India became a slave whenever there was disintegration.
National Integration is also essential for peace and harmony. The safety and prosperity of our country depends upon national integration.Our States are like the limbs and persons like the muscles of our mother India. An ailment anywhere paralyses the whole. Prosperity and health of different states means the health and prosperity of the whole India. We have to fight it collectively. Only then we can hope to win.
There is no mechanical or chemical way of bringing about national integration. It has to be brought about gradually and progressively. The first step in this direction lies in emotional integration. Education should be directed to secularism. Doordarshn and All India Radio should inculcate national outlooks. There should be National Integration Councils at various levels.
National Integration must grow out of the people. It cannot be brought about by slogans and speeches. The people must realise that the good of the country and their welfare are interlinked. They must realise the disintegration will go against their very existence.
There are regions and sub-regions in India. They differ from one another with regard of their socioculture. Each region and sub-region has its own interests and such sentiments are divisible and disintegrative. Others believe that in a federal national regional and sub-regional interests and sentiments have always been there. With minor modifications both the views are correct. If we examine the first view we can say that regionalism and sub-reginalism cannot be completely finished in a federal state. In other words there cannot be uniformly but there must be unity. Similarly, second view should be modified regionalism and sub-regionalism should not dominate nationalism. It should be subordinated to nationalism. National integration can reconcile regionalism and nationalism. After Independence India became a sovereign state and adopted a democratic constitution. Thus India developed national identity. The development of this identity meant sub ordination of regional identity. We are Indians first then Punjabis, Bangalis or Maharashtrians. This is reconciliation of nationalism and regionalism. But unhealthy regionalism and sub-regionalism. But unhealthy regionalism and sub-regionalism is dangerous. It can lead to disintegration.
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