India is a vast country with second largest population in the world. India is a highly diverse country. The citizens of our nation belong to different castes, creeds, religions, communities. We are multi linguistic and multi-cultural / ethnic groups.
The people of all states speak different languages, wear different types of clothes, and have different eating habits. From Kashmir in North to Kanyakumari in South and from Rajasthan in West and Assam in East, we are a highly diverse nation.
But despite this huge diversity all the communities are Indians first and live in complete harmony and love. There is an underlying unity.
Over the centuries, India has been invaded numerous times. The Mughals established an empire for more than 300 years. And the Britishers ruled this country for more than a century.
The Mongols, Afghans, Gazanis, Greeks, Spaniards also came to subjugate the spirit of India. But it was the collective consciousness of people which prevailed ultimately.
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Divide and Rule
The Britishers adopted the policy of divide and rule. If the entire country had united against the cunning design of the British rulers, we would have easily defeated them. Many wars and battles have been lost for lack of unity.
Amidst diverse communities, religions and cultures, there are many unifying factors which bind us together as a nation.
Tricolour
The whole country respects and salutes one national flag which we fondly call tricolour. The three colours and Ashok Chakra carry a deep meaning for every citizen.
The saffron colour symbolises the spirit of sacrifice. The sacrifices made by members of all religions during our freedom struggle. The white colour gives us message of peace. And the green colour symbolises prosperity for all citizens.
National Anthem and National Song
Our National Anthem was written by Rabindra Nath Tagore. It is played on all occasions of national importance. Similarly our National song was written by Bankim Chander Chatterji in his book Anand Math. All Indians sing it with love and devotion. These are the unifying factors.
Our Constitution
The preamble of our constitution starts with the words,’ We, the people of India’. Every citizen is duty bound to abide by the provisions of the constitution irrespective of our state or religion. The constitution confers equal rights to all.
Armed Forces
India has the fourth largest army in the world. The troops are drawn from all communities and states. But they train and fight together for the unity and integrity of the country. During war and peace, our armed forces symbolize unity and strength of our great nation.
Celebration of National Days and Festivals
We all celebrate our Republic Day and Independence Day with great zeal and national fervour across the length and breadth of the country.
All citizens assemble under the tricolour and salute it as homage to the martyrs and freedom fighters. India is also a country of many festivals. Diwali, Dussehra, Pongal, Christmas, Gurpurav, are some of the many festivals of various religions which are celebrated by all communities together.
Conclusion
Nowadays there are many threats to the unity of the nation. Communal hatred, intolerance, narrow mindedness, terrorism, sectarianism pose a big challenge to our unity. We need to fight these vices with strength. We need to show love and mutual trust to our fellow citizens.
Then only our nation can progress further. We have fought four wars with Pakistan and China. We could win these wars only because we were united during the times of crisis. Our enemies would like to weaken our unity by dividing us. But we must remember that United we stand and Divided we fall.
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