Independence Day!
Aug 15, 1947 is when India became free from British rule. Every year since then, like every other country on the planet that was ruled at some point by the British Empire, we celebrate our Independence Day.
I still remember the holidays as a child when I would wake up to a whole day of television programming replete with nationalistic fervour - a day meant to inspire every citizen and educate the young ones about the legacy they had inherited. My father, Rahul and I would stand to rapt attention as the Indian national anthem played with the flag fluttering in the wind, on TV. Being so young back then, I never really had the patience to listen to all those speeches but I did like to see the brief display of India’s military strength. But that is when I would tell myself I liked Republic Day (Jan 26; India became a republic on Jan 26, 1950) much better since they had more weapons and aircraft on display 
What is it about the way we are brought up that makes us loyal to our country ? Is it that we are taught in school and all around in our environment to do that or is there a natural affection that we develop for what we have become familiar with all our life ? Is it an attachment to the people and the culture ? If you picked a man from a tribal group deep in the forests of Andhra Pradesh, would he be loyal to his country ? Or would he be loyal to his tribe ? What makes the soldier from Assam give his life fighting for the same citizen of his country that lives thousands of miles away in Kerala - one who doesn’t even look anything like him ?
As I think about the answers to these questions, it strikes me that patriotism is a very complex concept. Like most things about us humans, it is a learned instinct - a value instilled in us by society for the greater common good. And why not too - the state does so much for you, strives to make your life better all the time. Somewhere in the education system there must be a provision to ensure that the citizens of tomorrow shall not destroy all what has been handed down to them through sheer stupidity and a lack of vision. The ones with the vision need a people with the right frame of mind, with the right values drilled into their heads.
But what about the ones that are not educated (as is the case in large parts of rural India) ? Are such people entirely controlled by leaders and politicians who essentially tell them what to do ? This might be the case when it comes to, say, elections and matters of national importance like when the country is at war and it needs more soldiers. But what about, say, cheering for our country’s team in a sport ? Would you call that patriotism ? Certainly not. I could think that my team is not worth cheering for but still fight for my country if I had to.
In India, one of the things that were done was to use the powerful media of television to spread the message of unity in diversity. On the national television channel, Doordarshan, there used to be this really cute video in Hindi which many of us have grown up on.
As I watch this video again, I can’t but help thinking - our greatest strength in the world is that we have unity in immense diversity.
I am sure this will bring back a smile to your face
Perhaps this is the most appropriate time to remember what John F Kennedy once said:
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.”
Jai Hind!
August 18th, 2003 at 4:35 am
I’ve actually found the love for the country to be more in uneducated (more accurately - the poor) than in the educated (or rich). The same applies to helping nature, kindness and those kind of qualities also.
August 27th, 2003 at 12:24 pm
The instinct to want an identity is innate. And patriotism is one form of having or adopting an identity. Whether one is a farmer in Assam or an educated elite, one has a concept of the larger world and seeks an identity within that world. One’s country is the most convenient way to do so. The greater your contact with the World, the greater the perception of that identity. There are practices that divide us, whether by culture, religion or nationality. “In their house they eat meat, but we do not” can describe a division by religion or culture that helps you identify yourself with one group or the other. In the same way “In America, they do xyz (or think it’s ok to do xyz) and in India we do not” is similar. Identities get established through differences. For most of us in our generation, our patriotism and national identity comes from establishing ourselves as different from Pakistan. For our parents generation, it was from establishing ourselves as different from the British (or not, in some cases). Either way the culture and social differences are obvious. In establishing our identity and feeling proud of it, we distinguish ourselves from other countries as well.
Just my thoughts.