is nationalism an illusion?

THE ATTACKS on North Indians by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) under the leadership of Raj Thackeray has once again triggered the debate that ’Is nationalism in India a mere a illusion’? Celebrating the victory of Indian cricket team in a cricket match shows that we are together by the strong bond of nationalism. As kids, we were taught that our country has a unique culture of ’unity in diversity’. In spite of diverse religions, regions, languages and culture; we are united. But today, in the light of recent situations in Mumbai, I feel that it wasn’t true at all.


Mumbai- a cosmopolitan city, the commercial capital of India and the city of dreams; where people from all the parts of India come to earn their bread and butter and to turn their dreams into a reality. It is saddening to say that just for their political interests; politicians like Raj Thackeray are destroying the cosmopolitan culture of Mumbai. The police, the government, and everybody knows that he is the culprit. But yet, no severe actions have been taken against him. Whenever these kind of tension erupts, we; the common people are the sufferers on the emotional front as well as the financial front and politicians are the numero uno gainers.


I wouldn’t consider politicians alone as guilty. We all are guilty.
Somewhere the feeling of regionalism resides within us. Being a person from Odisha, I have never experienced any discrimination. But whenever I meet any new person, the first question I am asked is to which place I belong. This clearly shows that my identity as an Indian is not enough for them.


How come the regional interests have become more important than the national interests. Sometimes even the educated and elite folk participate in this regionalism. And few others sit on the fence and just point fingers.


All those who support regionalism should think that if Bhagat Singh would have fought for Punjab alone, Mahatma Gandhi for Gujarat alone, Tilak for Maharashtra alone and so on, then on the world map there would have been no existence of the nation called India. For how long we will nurture the feeling of regionalism in us? When will we be able to listen to the voice of our own conscience? Keeping the selfish regionalism aside, let us bring that nationalism within us once again.