Nationalism is my religion

“India comes first and everything rest” this statement can justify what is the definition of nationalism for an Indian should be.  India is a land of diversities, multiple languages, cultures and religions. Hence, maintaining nationalism here is much more difficult than any western country.  We are first Indians, then only we have another identity-this feeling should be infused in the mind of every Indian. In this article, we will discuss upon two factors that can lead to enhance nationalism among Indians.

Religious tolerance

India is the home to four major religions of the world.  Number of Muslims living in India is more than that of Pakistan.  According to preamble of Indian constitution India is a secular country where all its citizens have equal rights irrespective of their religion. Religious tolerance in India is exemplary. India gave political asylum to Tibetan supreme religious leader Dalai Lama. People in India celebrate Id and Diwali with same pomp and ceremony together.     The best example of India’s religious tolerance can be explained in the simplest manner if we look at the oath taking ceremony of Mr. Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India. He took oath from Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, a noted scientist and the erstwhile president of India. During that time, Leader of the Congress (I) which formed the government was Sonia Gandhi, a Catholic Christian and leader of the opposition was Atal Bihari Bajpai, A Hindu Brahmin.  Can you expect such a combination in anywhere except India???  That is the reason why we Indians call nationalism is our religion.

Infusing nationalism among common Indians

It can be done through the aspects over which a significant number of Indians have interest. One among them is cricket. Cricket is perhaps the best binding force for Indian nationalism in the current scenario. Next important thing is inclusive economic growth.  There is a stark difference between Shining India and Poor Bharat. To enhance the spirit nationalism, we need to remove the economic barriers and make our growth more inclusive.  Third important factor that can infuse nationalism is the Mumbai and other regional film industry. Most of the Indians are crazy about films. Special efforts in the direction of making more and more patriotic movies can help in inculcating the spirit of nationalism among common Indians.