Nationalism is a simple and straight forward term to look at. But, to be true, it’s no less than a complex Rubik’s cube. A cube with six sides demonstrating the six domains, namely politics, religion, extremism, protectionism, fake pride and hatred. It has been claimed by almost every thinker and historian that the two world wars were a result of extreme nationalism, and the social and political environment in our country these days makes me have strong faith in this reasoning. These six sides of a Rubik’s cube shuffled together result in extreme and unnecessary nationalism. To politicians around the globe, this terminology acts as a supplement for their vote banks. From the President of America to the Prime Minister of India, everyone is aware of this fact. The freedom fighters who laid their lives for the sake of a better future for the country never claimed to be nationalists; rather they are termed as patriots and not extremists. The so-called intellectuals may deny this fact, but no one is unaware of the truth that nationalism in disguise has become a form of vigilantism and terrorism (to be more specific). I don’t really see the need to name those organisations and political parties who are using and implementing this tool of nationalism for terrorising people. Although this term was coined recently, this school of thought has existed since ancient times. One cannot deny the fact that in many of the nations around the globe, nationalism is being used as a tool to isolate and attack the minorities. There may or may not be any nation wherein an extreme level of nationalism prevails. But, no one can give a clean cheat to political and religious groups in this case. In a country like India, although people find it hard to digest that nationalism can reach such an extreme end, we cannot run away from reality. The nuisance created by some people of society is known to all of us, yet we try to showcase unawareness. And the greater threat is that these mere sections of society have the ability to move the masses onto their track.
The masses (majority) are never going to accept that they are wrong. This is exactly what happened in Germany decades ago. When it comes to the assassination of millions of Jews by Hitler, everyone shares thoughts or argues about whether Adolf Hitler was right or wrong in his deeds. But no one comments on the fact that Hitler was able to convince millions of Germans, at that point in time, that the assassination of Jews was necessary.