Delhi for majesty,
Mumbai for urbanity,
Kashmir for fruit puddings,
Chennai for cooking,
Kolkata for reading,
Punjab for farming,
Uttar Pradesh for musical bands,
Rajasthan for sand,
Madhya Pradesh for mines,
Himachal Pradesh for pines,
Gujarat for potters,
Vishakapatnam for water.
This is our mighty India,
With beautiful greenery
And enjoyable scenery.
The Oxford dictionary defines patriotism as ‘love of your country and willingness to defend it’. But I think this explanation is not enough for the youth of today. Patriotism to today’s youth means the idea of equality. How can you love the country if the country doesn’t love you? How can you defend it if the system doesn’t defend you? National integration implies the unification of the diverse populace of the country. India is a secular country of rich cultural heritage with diverse races, religions, languages, castes, customs, and traditions. Even though a sprint of unity got India its freedom from British rule, still, a major challenge to unify the subcontinent was faced soon after independence. National integration remains a crucial issue in India even though India can boast of a civilization that is 5000 years old.
True, some of the divisive factors may be inherent in the history, geography, and culture of India, but there have been forces that accentuate these factors. Differentiation and discrimination based on sex is one such example. Religious fundamentalism is another one. Some people hold an exclusive view of religion which drives them into a sectarian frenzy that does not admit any tolerance of other faiths. Topics such as sex education and a positive change in peoples’ psychology can play a vital role in strengthening emotional integration by broadening the outlook, fostering a feeling of oneness, nationalism, and tolerance so that people rise above the narrow group interests and strive for the national good.
We need a mighty India where there wouldn’t be a thing like the 7 pm deadline when walking on a lonely street would no longer be unsafe, when a thousand eyes don’t stare at you as you walk by when working hard wouldn’t be overshadowed by the fear of unlucky destiny, when traveling alone would not be dangerous, when the only reason to be on the news would be something worthy and not filthy when the only reason citizens would come together would be an occasion to celebrate when talking to anyone will not make people judge you when women will only be respected and not scorned when I would know that my country is truly free. My India! Arise! Awake! I am waiting for thee.
Apart from the crimes against women another important issue is the killing of the girl child. People have to believe that:
The past has gone
The practice is over
Now every girl has the right,
To get a year older.
Fighting against all the odds and ends,
She leads a tough life.
Went to school,
To succeed in life.
She has the right,
To get her demand heard.
Screaming in her quiet rage,
Inside the society’s cage.
Allowed to be learned,
Not anymore she is a nerd.
Let the girls live.
Stop them from being killed.
Don’t think she is any less,
For this is our request.
There is nothing,
She can’t do it.
For she is so brave,
Lays on her the world’s fate.
See who the laurels are bringing,
It’s the girl who is shining.
It’s either Chanu’s Silver or Sindhu’s Bronze,
Both of them deserve resounding applause.
This is how the girls will show patriotism if they are supported by the country and its people.
Even though the government has taken various steps such as setting up of National Integration council, laws to deal with crimes against women; but civil society and its institutions such as The People’s Integration Council have a key role to play. The only religion for the government should be economic growth, equality, justice, and human development. If the citizens continue to discriminate against each other on any basis, it will only get further divided. People need to understand that a Hindu can practice Islam and a Muslim can go to a Gurudwara if they want to. They shouldn’t be judged by society and if they are then they will lose confidence in the practice of patriotism as India has been running on the principle of ‘By the people, for the people, of the people.’ The person getting discriminated against will always end up losing trust and faith in their own country.
Another major way of discrimination is racism because according to our society dark skin is not good enough. From a very young age, youth is told to slap their faces with fairness creams. Every face wash is a slap in the face because we have a skin tone ugly which seems. People scan through the magazines for humans who looked like them with deeper hues, flat noses, and thin hair. They had a voice but they muted their sound, all just because of society and its thinking. We should acknowledge our differences because nobody is saying we aren’t different. Everyone’s hair, skin color, values, etc are different and it’s okay to talk about that. If we just accept the fact that we are different and acknowledge why we are different instead of pretending that nobody is different and still secretly thinking we are different, we might finally be on the same page and be less different. All such forces of disintegration are ugly heads of the dragon and pose a serious challenge to India’s unity and the mentality of the youth who are the future of holding this country together, who will truly be ready to defend India and its citizens.