Professional Documents
Culture Documents
There are some people who think that India has never existed as a unified,
undivided and indivisible unit in the past. Sir John Seeley said that India was
not a political name but only a geographical expression like Europe or Africa.
Sir John Strachey wrote : This is the first and the most essential thing to learn
about India that there is not and never was an India or even any country of India
possessing, according to European ideas, any sort of unity, physical, political,
social or religious. No Indian nation, no people of India of which we hear so
much. As late as 1930, the Simon Commission referred to India as a
conglomeration of races and religions. It is not only foreigners but many
Indian thinkers also believe that India never existed as a nation and there was no
national integration in India in any period of her history. So far as foreigners are
concerned, they appear to be biased against India and her peoples capacity for
unity. And only such Indians, as havejborrowed their theories and tenets from
the West, can refuse to recognise the existence of a single well-knit unit in the
past. Even a general survey of Indian religion, philosophy, mythology, legends,
art, literature and architecture will make it abundantly clear that India existed as
a single homogeneous, well-united nation in the past. May be there are
diversities, but they should not be mistaken for disunity. This diversity is a
special feature of Indias unity, it provides colour to Indian life. All the
discordant isms, that have no doubt succeeded in creating certain spells of
unfortunate trends towards disintegration, have their origins outside India and
have been imported into India by vested interests. Before that India continuedlto
be the torch-bearer to entire humanitya nation with & rich sonorous music of
unity.
If we look back and analyse our history, culture and heritage, the first thing that
strikes us very forcibly is the underlying spirit of our fundamental unity in
diversity in all times and ages. The concept of India as a well-knit, composite
and homogeneous entity, transcending all her external diversities is an eloquent
theme that runs throughout our literature, epics and folklore. During the Hindu
period religion and language .played a pre-eminent role in fostering national and
emotional integration. Religion occupied an enviable position as an agent of
unity. The common devotion of the people to religion evoked affinity and
sympathy for each other. The rise of new religions like Jainism and Buddhism
and new sects like Shaivism and Vaishnavism created a few short intervals in
the total allegiance of Indians to Hinduism. Invocation to the rivers Ganga and
Jamuna as also to Krishna and Kauvery is common to the rituals performed by
the Hindus all over the country. Similarly , the concept of Aasamudra Himalaya,
that served as a perennial , flame of inspiration to the sages, poets and rulers
alike, has been iBOther sound factor in accomplishing the task of uniting all
people BtO one whole. Sanskrit and Pali as eminent languages played mrivalled
Today India is a free country and a great deal of progress has been achieved in
many directions. But it is a pity that the spirit of unity and accommodation,
which had made our people think and believe that they were one family and
nation appears to have evaporated. Fissiparous- forces, though held in check,
repeatedly raise their ugly head in one form or the other. New forces of
fanaticism threaten to destroy the cherished ideals of one country and one
people. Passions are inflamed in the name of language, Regionalism and
separatism are threatening to balkanise the country. Communal passions are
whipped up. Loyalty to caste and community is given priority over devotion to
the motherland.
There are a large number of factors that militate against the efforts of national
integration. The most formidable obstacles are : linguism, communalism and
regionalism.
India is a multi-lingual country. The language controversy started with Hindi
being given the status of the official language of the Indian Union. The people
of the South revolted against it and threatened to go out of the Union if Hindi
was imposed upon them. The Constitution of India was amended to meet their
demand. The plea of the South is that recognition of Hindi as the only official
language will by implication and in effect create conditions for the domination
of one linguistic group over all others. The language issue is a very sensitive
one. We must not forget how passions were aroused on minor issues concerning
reorganisation of states on the linguistic basis. The linguistic fanaticism is bad,
but it has
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i to be tamed with love, understanding and accommodation, not adopting rigid
attitudes and postures. Some solution to the Sblem which may be acceptable to
all linguistic groups must be Dived. Imposition of any language by force will
only worsen the itlon.
Communalism is onother serious problem, that needs a perma-It solution. There
have been communal riots in the country "B and even after the partition of
India. It is a poison that has roots in our polity. India cannot make any headway
in lleving the goal of national integration if communalism is allowed i raise its
head again and again without any check. It will need long and sustained effort to
eradicate the evil of communalism. I WOuld be wishful thinking to suppose that
pious resolutions of I National Integration Council will restore communal amity.
It llential to strike against the forces that sustain the poisonous of communalism.
Apart from removing all misgivings among minority community regarding their
language, a law should be id to ban all propaganda that fosters the spread of
communa-The legislation banning communal propaganda should also je for
severe penalties for publication or dissemination in any manner, of false reports
calculated to rouse communal IS.
Casteism is another evil that stands in the way of complete ~1 integration.
The most shameful feature of the caste system existence of untouchability,
practised against the people of led castes. The social oppression to which the
people g to scheduled castes are subjected is one of the blackest |! the fair name
of India. Our Constitution abolished un-lility and the Untouchability (Offences)
Act was passed in .king the practice of untouchability a penal offence. But tice
still persists in our society in several shapes and forms. ;|Uch a vast section of
our population is forced to live in rrible conditions of virtual apartheid, one
can very well i how ironic and meaningless the talk of national integration
JOUnd to the so-called untouchables. A hard struggle lies I, for those who seek
to integrate these poor and unfortunate I into the main body of Indian society.
T^ie ultimate solution pernicious and inhuman problem of casteism lies in the
out of the radical agrarian reforms in the interests of the , which would
eliminate all vestiges of feudalism, rapid ialjsation of both the urban and rural
areas and spread of (B scientific education.
regionalism and linguism, tend to disrupt the solidarity of the people. These
disruptive tendencies have to be controlled and countered. While certain group
loyalties on a religious, regional and linguistic basis may continue, these should
be subordinated to the national interest.
The National Integration Council was constituted in 1968 against the
background of communal riots and regional tensions. The Council held a
meeting in June 1968 in Srinagar. Apart from adopting a Declaration of
Objectives the Council made certain specific recommendations to strengthen the
forces of integration.
level Integration Councils were set up to give effect to the laration of the
Objectives. Although the Council has not met since |8, the Standing Committee
and other committees set up by the ttncil held several meetings from time to
time. A Steering Cpm-Ittee constiituted under the chairmanship of the then
Prime Minister it In August 1973 to consider among other things the future role
id task of the National Integration Council.
The challenge before us now is how do we consolidate the Progress made so
far in this direction to forge strong and durable i link! to cement national unity
and integration. The problem is I Wflous and tinkering with it will not do.
Though efforts to remove 1 the obstacles have succeeded in a certain measure,
much more f ^required to be done. The need of the hour is to take all possible
asures in all seriousness to eliminate the obstacles that come in way. If this is
neglected or not done, the consequences may be pAiiasterous.