Unity of hearts – One that transcends skin-deep differences

India –

A land of a shedload of religions,

which string in peace, harmonies.

Where superficial are the divisions,

and our golden-feathered friends

hum from the bottom of their hearts,

their mellifluous melodies.

A myriad of languages, thoughts and cultures,

each as distinct and arresting as the colours

of the rainbow,

yet incomplete without the others.

Started has the test of time,

and must be withstood.

Differences shall not be annihilated but,

incorporated, integrated and accepted

with open arms.

For, easily can one break a single stick

but not a bunch of them.

And lastly,

for in the deepest of unities lie the

strongest of strengths.

Quoting Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”. We, being home to the most populous, successful democracy, 447 languages, 1,35,26,42,280 people as of 2018, are a secular, federal republic since 1950. We are also a pluralistic and multi-ethnic society. From being a comparatively destitute country in 1951, India has become a fast-growing major economy, a hub for Information Technology services, with an expanding middle class. It has a space programme which includes several planned or completed extra-terrestrial missions. Indian movies, music, spiritual teachings play an increasing role in global culture. We are also a nuclear weapons state and rank high in military expenditure. As the icing on the cake, our land is mega diverse, one among the few 17, with four biodiversity hotspots.

This is who we are, but we are also described by our people – The Hindus, The Muslims, The Christians, The Sikhs, The Parsis, The Jains, The Buddhists and many more. We are also described by our tongues – Bengali, Gujarati, Kannadiga, Kashmiri, Malayami, Marathi, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and millions more.

Proud we should be, and we are indeed. But what pains me is how often, have we drenched our holy land in the blood of our brothers. A decades-old confrontation between the protesters and armed forces in Kashmir has claimed tens of thousands of lives. A fostering conflict with Maoist rebels cuts a wide swath across many of the country’s states. A host of insurgencies fuel violence in the north-east. Bengalis and Assamese in Assam, Hindus and Sikhs in Punjab and Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir have been competing fiercely against for economic resources and political power and have thus fed death to numerous innocent souls on both sides.

These differences of cuisines, dialects and customs, etc. are all man-made and only skin-deep. Even if a unity of faiths is not possible, a unity of love is. Deep down in one’s heart love’s flame always burns. It may be overshadowed, hidden for a short period of time by these apparent differences but it always finds a way to resurface for it can never be extinguished and it is the basis of the actual nature of humans. As long as we stand strong bound by our love for our love for our brothers, we may brave even the most difficult of difficulties in its face.  

National integration is the need of the hour. Unless we stand united as one, unless our hearts sync together to form the beat of the nation, we will be crippled even before we can walk. The storm that we are currently facing is the awful pandemic. We must forgo our contrived divergences and be the pillars of support for one another regardless of our caste, creed, or accent, lest we shall be broken down to bits in this unforgiving storm, blown away to never be found again.

In today’s money-driven world, disputes for supremacy are the typical, run-of-the-mill activities. God men having high-profile presence, often misuse their capabilities of attracting attention and support from large sections of the society. They use their claims of possessing paranormal powers to fracture the relationship that people belonging to different castes share. The desire for power and money has taken precedence over collective values and goals of unity and love. Presently, politicians make use dirty politics including the policy of divide and rule in order to quench their own dark selfish thirsts, creating irreparable breaches amidst their own countrymen along the way. Parochialism amalgamated with the ignorance of each other’s customs gives birth to a toxic virus which marrs the celestial bond between us, fellow Indians.

We are running out of time. National integration has to be fostered in each and every Indian vein if we are to salvage what is left of our once-beautiful country.

Compatibility should be promoted via tourism. Exchange, awareness and collaborative development programmes should aim towards developing amity in the different ethnic groups. Educational trips should inculcate, into the future of our country, broad-mindedness and tolerance.

To celebrate this cause and to spread consciousness among the people regarding the same, every year, the birth anniversary of India’s first woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, the 19th of November is honoured as the National Integration Day.

As Sardar Valla Bhai Patel had rightly said, “By common endeavour we can raise the country to a new greatness, while a lack of unity will expose us to fresh calamities”, the power of united people, is the power of their nation and the strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home. Unity in diversity, this is God’s Supreme secret in His Cosmic game. Integrity is the lifeline of democracy.

National Integration in India has already played a very dynamic role at the time of independence; that was our first victory. But we mustn’t rest or loosen up even for a bit for as the Missile Man of India has so truly stated, “Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in the second time, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.”

Many wars have been fought, in the past, with glorious valour, but there are yet many to fight. National Integration is our main weapon…… we must whet and prepare it.