Regionalism is the extreme loyalty and love shown to a particular

region. It expresses itself in such a distorted notions like development

of one’s own region even at the cost of interests of other regions and
people, and unwillingness to allow people from other regions to work
and settle in region. Regionalism militates against nationalism and
impedes the process national integration. This may be characterized
by the commonness of cultural, linguistic or historical and social
background.

Causes of Regionalism:
There are several causes of regionalism in India. These causes are
discussed below.

1. Geographical Cause:
Linguistic distribution along geographical boundaries and isolated
settlement pattern induce in people the concept of regionalism.
Sometimes people live, in such area which appears as a separate
region cut off from the rest of the country and thereby may give rise to
feelings of separatism among the inhabitants of the region

2. Historical Causes:
Due to historical reasons people believe that they are separate from
the rest. A feeling of regionalism may develop among the people of a
particular region if they believe that they have been politically
dominated by the people of other regions.

3. Economic factors:
Uneven development in different parts of the country may be
considered as the prime reason for regionalism and separatism. There
are certain regions which are economically more developed. But there
are certain regions which are economically more developed. But there
are certain regions which are economically backward even after
independence. No effort has been made for regional balance in
matters of industrial, agricultural and above all, economic
development. This disparity has caused the feeling of relative
deprivation and thereby the demand for separate states, for example,
Bodoland.

4. Political and Administrative Factors:

Political parties, particularly regional parties and local leaders exploit
the regional sentiments to capture power. They give emphasis on
regional problems in their election manifesto and promise for regional
development. This has resulted in the feeling of regionalism. The
regional parties like ADMK, AIDMK in Tamil Nadu and Telugu Desam
in Andhra Pradesh have captured power.

Regionalism may be a product of cultural and social differences.

Suggestive Measures:
Following suggestions may be given for the elimination of regionalism.

1. Development of Transport and Communication:

Transport and communication network should be improved so that
people of a region may find it easier to visit other regions and develop
friendly relations with people therein.

2. Removal of Regional Imbalance:

Uneven economic development and regional imbalance has been the
main cause of disgruntlement among the people of a particular region
for regionalism. Hence, effort should be made to distribute the
national resources in a planned manner to mitigate the problem of
regionalism.

3. Economic Development of Deprived Regions:

Top priority is to be given on economic development of those regions
where people have developed the feeling of relative deprivation. So
that they can be drawn into the national mainstream.

4. Acculturation:
The cultural distinctiveness of regional groups delimits the interaction
between- different groups. Frequent cultural contacts should be
promoted to break the regional barriers and to develop the nationalist
spirit.

5. Abolition of Regional Parties:

The regional parties which play a dirty role in exploiting the regional
feelings of the people should be banned.

6. Proper Education:
Education can play an important role for the promotion of national
integration. It may be construed as a powerful agent for doing away
with the separatist tendencies among the countrymen.

7. Appeal through Mass-Media:

Mass media, particularly electronic media are powerful agents of
social change. Hence, extensive effort should be made to encourage
feelings of nationalism among the people through mass media
communication.

Globalization refers to integration between people, companies, and

governments. Most noteworthy, this integration occurs on a global
scale. Furthermore, it is the process of expanding the business all over
the world. In Globalization, many businesses expand globally and
assume an international image. Consequently, there is a requirement for
huge investment to develop international companies.

First of all, people have been trading goods since civilization began. In
the 1st century BC, there was the transportation of goods from China to
Europe. The goods transportation took place along the Silk Road. The
Silk Road route was very long in distance. This was a remarkable
development in the history of Globalization. This is because, for the
first time ever, goods were sold across continents.

Globalization kept on growing gradually since 1st BC. Another

significant development took place in the 7th century AD. This was the
time when the religion of Islam spread. Most noteworthy, Arab
merchants led to a rapid expansion of international trade. By the 9th
century, there was the domination of Muslim traders on international
trade. Furthermore, the focus of trade at this time was spices.

True Global trade began in the Age of Discovery in the 15th

century. The Eastern and Western continents were connected by
European merchants. There was the discovery of America in this period.
Consequently, global trade reached America from Europe.
From the 19th century, there was a domination of Great Britain all over
the world. There was a rapid spread of international trade. The British
developed powerful ships and trains. Consequently, the speed of
transportation greatly increased. The rate of production of goods also
significantly increased. Communication also got faster which was better
for Global trade.

Finally, in 20th and 21st -Century Globalization took its ultimate form.
Above all, the development of technology and the internet took place.
This was a massive aid for Globalization. Hence, E-commerce plays a
huge role in Globalization.

1. Improved transport, making global travel easier. For example, there has
been a rapid growth in air travel, enabling greater movement of people and
goods across the globe.
2. Containerisation. From 1970, there was a rapid adoption of the steel
transport container. This reduced the costs of inter-modal transport,
making trade cheaper and more efficient.
3. Improved technology which makes it easier to communicate and share
information around the world. E.g. internet. For example, to work on
improvements on this website, I will go to a global online community, like
elance.com. There, people from any country can bid for the right to provide
a service. It means that I can often find people to do a job relatively
cheaply because labour costs are relatively lower in the Indian sub-
continent.
4. Growth of multinational companies with a global presence in many
different economies.
5. Growth of global trading blocks which have reduced national barriers.
6. Improved mobility of capital.  In the past few decades, there has been a
general reduction in capital barriers, making it easier for capital to flow
between different economies. This has increased the ability for firms to
receive finance. It has also increased the global interconnectedness of
global financial markets.
7. Increased mobility of labour. People are more willing to move between
different countries in search for work. Global trade remittances now play a
large role in transfers from developed countries to developing countries.