THE MAKING OF THE INDIAN NATION — Foster Patriotism

THE MAKING OF THE INDIAN NATION Foster Patriotism M ORE than sixty years have passed since India gained its independence, but it has yet to join the ranks of the developed countries. That is a dream still to be realized; and this in spite of India being a large country teeming with potential. One reason for this tragic failure is the Indian people’s lack of national character. The majority of the deficiencies we find in the country today can be traced to this basic shortcoming. Bereft of this sterling quality, we have fallen short in taking the country towards progress and prosperity. National character is the capacity and the will to hold the interests of the nation supreme in every sphere. What is national character? It is, to put it simply, the capacity and the will to hold the interests of the nation supreme in every sphere. Whenever there is a clash between individual and national interests, it means individual concerns being subordinated to the greater good of the nation. Whenever a nation has made any progress, it has been due to this spirit of nationalism. Without such a spirit, no nation can advance itself either internally or externally. Now, the question that arises is: why, during this same period, many other countries such as Singapore, Korea, Malaysia and Japan, etc have succeeded in fostering a strong, national spirit in their people, and now stand alongside developed countries, while India still lags far behind. There is one basic reason for this: attempting to achieve the possible by means which are impossible. Producing national spirit or character in India is certainly possible. It is just that we have set off on the wrong track, and once on it, it is difficult to retrace our steps and get on to the right track. After independence, an 'Indian nation' had come into existence in the political and geographical sense. But, at the psychological level — the level of feelings and emotions — our position has still been that of