Module IV: Patriotism and National Pride

 Sense of pride and patriotism

 Importance of discipline and hard work
 Integrity and accountability

Pride (without complacency and with an awareness of imperfections) is important in

spurring individuals and a society on to greater achievement. The loss of faith in the
achievements of the past, history and traditions can be an important factor in the
decline of a culture or a civilization. a sense of national pride and purpose that
enables residents in a particular area to rise above the divisions of race, politics,
ideology, class and the like. It is patriotism that unites the people and enables them
to rise above narrow sectarian and other interests. A sense of unashamed pride
which does not degenerate into jingoism or imperialism is essential for the growth of
individuals and the development of a nation. A sense of national pride has spurred
achievements in science and technology (the space race), sport and in economic
development. Pride in the past and patriotism (within bounds and without
complacency) are essential to real human progress.

Is Patriotism Dead?

Many of our people will offer no salutes, feel no sense of pride, and pledge no
allegiance to the flag. Some will not respond because of indifference or calloused
hearts. Others will be working to tear the fabric of our national life to shreds; to
worsen, not heal, our sickness; to destroy, not to build; to bring disunity, not unity, to
the nation. For them, patriotism is dead; love of country is archaic.

Has the time come for us to abolish what our forefathers created? Has their vision of
liberty, justice, and happiness proved unattainable?Are we ready to say that the
mythos, the heroes, and the folk tales that have bound us together as a people for
almost two hundred years no longer enthrall us? Are we willing to forget our common
heritage, dilute our sense of fraternity and destiny, and dissolve the cohesiveness
that made us one?
We are faced with grave and challenging problems in our national life. We see many
things we dislike, and can point to many injustices that have not yet yielded to truth
and righteousness. But even as we acknowledge the defects we cannot forget the
victories. The slaves have been freed; universal suffrage has become a reality;
startling advances have been made to assure all our people of life and liberty as well
as the right to pursue happiness.

Indians need not gloss over the nation's defects or sweep its failures under the rug.
They need not claim that their country is always right. When it is right, they will
support it; and when it is wrong, they will love it and work to correct it.The day that
patriotism ceases, that day we will have ceased to be a people Patriotism is not
dead; our nation is not finished. Let us rally behind our flag; let us love our country
with all its faults; let us work to improve it with all our strength; let usdefend it with all
our resources; let us hand it on to generations unborn better than it was when we
received it; let us instill in our children the hope of our forefathers for the ultimate
fulfillment of their dreams. But above all, let us tell them that the greatness of
America lies not simply in the achievement of the ideal but in the unrelenting pursuit
of it

The feel of patriotism

The nation celebrated its 60th year Independence recently. one can see the visual
medium rolling out exclusive shorts as a mark of tribute to the heroes who fought
for our Independence. It was a summit of sort, when one could see most of the big
names summon together to play or sing the National Anthem. The minute one
sees that visual, it is definite he/she could feel something happening within
themselves. A look at the majestic flag gives a feeling that we are the citizens of
the Independent India. For a second one could feel all the struggles, trials and
tribulations our leaders in the past have undergone to obtain it. I was one among
those who felt very proud that I am a citizen of Independent India and I was able
to feel a sense of pride when I just took a look at the flag. But, my mind paused for
a second to think how many of us are really patriotic? only a handful was the
answer. Are the schools imparting enough amount of patriotism into the minds of
the young ones during their school days. For the little ones, Independene day
means nothing but a public holiday and a few choclates given at their schools
once the flag is hoisted. Beyond that, do the teachers feed the kids with the
required information on freedom stuggle and the pioneers who fought for it?
Nope.

I felt sorry when a kid, pointing out to the portrait of a poet, whose writings worked
wonders for the freedom struggle, asked who that man was? This is not a joke to
laugh at but a matter to think about. Neither the teachers nor the elders at home
make an effort to teach the young ones about those great leaders who were
responsible for our Independence.

Another incident in the bus in which I was travelling made me feel why on the first
place we got Independence. The military rule suits us best. A man was smoking
inside the bus, and a few women including myself, showed our objection for that.
His immediate reply was, what is this? This is Independent India and I am not
allowed to smoke here? This is strange! This is just a small dose of such incidents
happening on a daily basis. everyone is sure to come across such incidents or
characters.

It is saddening to note that the world is heading towards destruction with

such characters roaming about in the public. when will we get the sense of
patriotism and realise the struggles underwent to obtain freedom is a million-dollar
question. If this situation persists, it will not be shocking if the younger ones ask
who is the father of the nation and who is Jawaharlal Nehru? what a plight that
would descend on the Nation then?

The structure of patriotism

Every social group has its own notions of loyalty. The institution of family embeds
loyalty to the family as a social group. When a son and his wife and children
separate from the rest of the family or when brothers divide their property, the
neighborhood reacts with sorrow and not glee. Caste associations emphasize the
benefits which come from an active participation and cooperation between different
members of the same caste. Tribal groups, too, emphasize similar benefits from
collaboration.

The notion of patriotism is different from such forms of group loyalty. The difference
lies in its close affinity with the state. Patriotism is not based upon kinship or of
shared descent like in families, castes and tribes. Patriotism is based upon the idea
of a nation and its central institution, the state.Patriotism in modern India is thus
qualitatively different from the love of one's community that was to be seen in ancient
and medieval India. Its relation to one's country has changed with the change in the
social structure of the state and the nation. To a great extent the pre-modern states
and countries were based upon the rule of one or a few social groups. The Gupta
period was dominated by the Guptas and their kindred and allies. The Mughals saw
the domination of the Mughal biradari, and their supporters who included the Turks,
the Iranians and several other groups like the Rajputs. Modern India is based upon
the ideology of equality of all. While there continue to be several hangovers of the
past to be seen today, the basic character of the state and the nation have changed.

Modern India is based upon the idea that all its citizens are equal and that its rulers
represent the will of not just a few, but all of the different communities that make up
this country. This nation is based upon different foundations than most of those
which went before it. Its legitimacy lies in its being able to satisfy its various
component communities that their interests will be safeguarded by the Indian state.
Irrespective of the religion, caste, community, sex of the individual, the state is
supposed to represent each and every of them. The modern nation has its appeal
because of its being able to mediate between and reconcile often conflicting
interests. The state is considered legitimate when it speaks with the same voice to
all.

It is the coming together of so many diverse groups which lends strength to the
country. The strength of India lies in its being able to weld together a large and
heterogeneous populace into a common force. Any country in modern times which
seeks to progress and develop must find ways of attracting and retaining the loyalty
of its constituent groups. In modern nations this is done by everybody voting to
select their rulers and the creation of a bureaucracy based on selection through
merit.

A modern state, with its universal appeal to its people, has many advantages over
the older kinds of nationhood and statehood, with their sectional support bases. The
universalistic modern state is what the most powerful countries of the world have. It
is through this social form that resources are used most efficiently and the diverse
forces of a country focussed for the benefit of everybody. Patriotism in a modern
country cannot be created on the basis of ideas that appeal to only partisan groups
or some sections of society. The naked use of force to coerce acceptance of the
nation is not a characteristic of a society based on reason and democracy.

The content of patriotism in a modern country

The transformed structure of patriotism leads to a change in the content of what

patriotism would mean in everyday practice. Modern patriotism and nationhood is
based upon symbols that all can share. By definition this excludes symbols that pit
religion against religion.

Patriotism in a modern country must be expressed through universal symbols. These

are all around us and yet are ignored. The streets of a neighborhood are a truer
symbol of nationhood than a place of worship. They are used by all and paid for by
the contributions of all. Yet, they remain filthy while people pool money to build
distant places of worship.

When universal symbols are not altogether ignored here, they are attacked by all
kinds of distortions. The symbols of the rich are enthroned as the symbols of the
entire nation. The tragedy of the many poor who have been thrown out of their
homes by big dams does not arouse us. The tragedy of the middle-class Kashmiri
Pandits who were forced to leave their homes does. The latter are called refugees in
their own homeland. The dispossessed adivasis and rural poor who did not have
relatives that they could flee to in Delhi do not attract national sympathy. Nor do the
Kashmiri Muslims who had to flee Kashmir, in spite of their outnumbering the
Kashmiri Pandits.

Clearly we are still in the process of moving towards modern nationhood. The model
of modernity which Indians must aspire towards cannot be the same as that in the
West. We are far too heterogeneous to ever become the kind of nation which fascist
Germany once aspired to be. And our forms of production are still not capitalistic
enough to become the kind of melting pot of identities which the USA was. We must
define our own modernity. That universal framework of Indian reason must be the
framework through which our nationhood and patriotism must be defined. It must be
a patriotism which seeks with Gandhiji the happiness of the poorest of the poor as
the index of our national development. It must be a patriotism which sees the
freedom of the smallest of the minorities as the index of our social development. It
must be a patriotism which comes into action every day, through a conscience that
sees lying to customers, exploiting labourers, cheating on tax, paying bribes, adding
sand to cement, oppressing the poor, paying obeisance to the powerful, all these
daily acts of betrayal of the people as treason.

Every secular space in a modern country teaches a lesson of patriotism. But school
education is a special area for our concern. It is here where most young people
come together crossing the old boundaries of religion and caste. It is here where the
new nation is being constructed. That makes it even more necessary to be cautious
about the introduction of religious values in schools. The kind of values which we
seek must be in tune with the universal appeal of our country. Where the values
being taught emphasize freedom of thought and truths that are shared by all and not
just a few. The modern idea of India is about equality and the transcendence of
social barriers, not about narrow dividing walls. It is high time that we rethought our
school experience to try and create a land where the patriot is she who risks her life
to protect an unknown stranger, and where the traitor is he who kills his friend in the
name of his god.

Pride (without complacency and with an awareness of imperfections) is important in

spurring individuals and a society on to greater achievement. The loss of faith in the
achievements of the past, history and traditions can be an important factor in the
decline of a culture or a civilization. a sense of national pride and purpose that
enables residents in a particular area to rise above the divisions of race, politics,
ideology, class and the like. It is patriotism that unites the people and enables them
to rise above narrow sectarian and other interests. A sense of unashamed pride
which does not degenerate into jingoism or imperialism is essential for the growth of
individuals and the development of a nation. A sense of national pride has spurred
achievements in science and technology (the space race), sport and in economic
development. Pride in the past and patriotism (within bounds and without
complacency) are essential to real human progress.
Is Patriotism Dead?

Many of our people will offer no salutes, feel no sense of pride, and pledge no
allegiance to the flag. Some will not respond because of indifference or calloused
hearts. Others will be working to tear the fabric of our national life to shreds; to
worsen, not heal, our sickness; to destroy, not to build; to bring disunity, not unity, to
the nation. For them, patriotism is dead; love of country is archaic. Has the time
come for us to abolish what our forefathers created? Has their vision of liberty,
justice, and happiness proved unattainable?

Are we ready to say that the mythos, the heroes, and the folk tales that have bound
us together as a people for almost two hundred years no longer enthrall us? Are we
willing to forget our common heritage, dilute our sense of fraternity and destiny, and
dissolve the cohesiveness that made us one?

We are faced with grave and challenging problems in our national life. We see many
things we dislike, and can point to many injustices that have not yet yielded to truth
and righteousness. But even as we acknowledge the defects we cannot forget the
victories. The slaves have been freed; universal suffrage has become a reality;
startling advances have been made to assure all our people of life and liberty as well
as the right to pursue happiness.Indians need not gloss over the nation's defects or
sweep its failures under the rug. They need not claim that their country is always
right. When it is right, they will support it; and when it is wrong, they will love it and
work to correct it.

The day that patriotism ceases, that day we will have ceased to be a people
Patriotism is not dead; our nation is not finished. Let us rally behind our flag; let us
love our country with all its faults; let us work to improve it with all our strength; let us
defend it with all our resources; let us hand it on to generations unborn better than it
was when we received it; let us instill in our children the hope of our forefathers for
the ultimate fulfillment of their dreams. But above all, let us tell them that the
greatness of America lies not simply in the achievement of the ideal but in the
unrelenting pursuit of it.