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Belonging

Vatsal Gagankumar Mehta

ENGL 101
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Belonging

Belonging may be referred to as the feelings of support and security when an individual

achieves inclusion, acceptance, and identity for a specific group. In belonging, an individual can

remain authentic and accepted. The satisfaction of the need to belong reflects being an

integrative member of the social system or group. A sense of belonging has been considered to

be one of the human motivators and basic needs. Being a resident of India, I have always felt a

sense of belonging to the nation, prompted by my ability to remain authentic and discover

myself. Everyday factors such as comfort foods and the feeling of security that I attain by being

in the nation also feel deep belonging in India. In this essay, I will relate how India's culture has

promoted my sense of belonging and other factors such as connection and contribution.

Culture is a broad topic defined by various aspects such as behavior, dressing, and food.

As part of the culture, India has various comfort foods that have played a significant role in

developing my sense of belonging to the nation. Examples of these foods include curd rice and

potato variants. In India, we love our food, and Indians have even been reported to turn to food

during stressful times or difficult periods. These foods and festivals centered around foods have

made me interact with many people of shared interests and friendly to my authentic self. As a

result, I feel as part of the nation. Comfort food has helped me to further discover attitudes

surrounding the food and has even helped me create an identity as an India that affirms to the

cultural practices of the region.

Connection in the sense of belonging occurs when individuals feel a connection to the

nation's culture and diversity and feel that they have a positive contribution to the nation. In

India, many distinct and unique cultures are characterized by aspects such as dance, music, and

languages. In this cultural diversity, the majority of Indian residents manage to show respect for
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individuals with a different culture from theirs. This is one of the factors that has significantly

contributed to my feelings of belonging to the nation. There is a security that develops with

respect and appreciation from others. Additionally, I feel like part of an integral system in India

due to my responsibilities to respect others and keep the environment clean, among other

responsibilities of a citizen, such as upholding the nation's rules. By respecting the rules of India,

I feel a sense of belonging.

Maturity relates to my sense of belonging in India because I have spent my entire life in

the nation from infantry to current. India has been my home, where I have family and friends. All

the experiences that shaped my childhood are linked to the nation and my sense of belonging to

the nation. I have discovered myself to maturity in the nation and developed an identity that may

be linked to the nation based on aspects such as first language and the love for Indian comfort

foods. Therefore, through my maturity and identity development in India, I feel accepted and

included in the nation.

An appreciation of an individual's contribution towards a common goal within the society

develops a sense of acceptance and belonging to the community. Additionally, belonging

through contribution does not require members of that society to have similar cultural or political

views. Instead, contribution-developed belonging celebrates team and individual's diversity in

the ideas that resulted in their commitment towards attaining similar goals. I have won two

awards for my contribution to cleaning the environment and planting trees. I planted trees after

joining a community-based club whose aim was to recruit teenagers to contribute positively to

society during their free time. In this process, I met and interacted with other individuals having

a similar goals, and together we aimed for a positive impact. The two certificates that I received
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made me feel appreciated for my efforts and a sense of belonging to the group and the entire of

India.

Conclusively, various factors contributing to my feelings of belonging in India include

appreciation and respect for cultural diversity, appreciation for my efforts, and aspects of culture

such as food. There is a security that develops with respect and appreciation from others. India

has been my home, where I have family and friends. All the experiences that shaped my

childhood are linked to the nation and my sense of belonging to the nation. I have discovered

myself to maturity in the nation and developed an identity that may be linked to the nation based

on aspects such as first language and the love for Indian comfort foods.
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References

Besky, S. (2017). The land in Gorkhaland: On the edges of belonging in Darjeeling,

India. Environmental Humanities, 9(1), 18-39.

Gaither, S. E. (2018). The diversity of belonging: Pushing identity research beyond binary

thinking. Self and Identity, 17(4), 443-454.

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