Dear Friends
Regionalism is one of the major hindrance to the integrity and prosperity of our country. The word is a political ideology of a region. It represents the blind following of allegiance and favoritism by the inhabitants or natives of a certain region.
The practice of regionalism can be good for the people of the respective region but only for a short period. In the long run it is responsible for creating rifts between different regions of the country hampering the unity and integrity of the nation.
Though never considered as evil as its notorious cousins viz. communal-ism and caste-ism, its presence dates back to centuries when India was a land of many regions, religions and castes before the invasion of the British. Starting from northernmost Kashmir then the pahari region( Himachal ), the Jaat land (Haryana), the Jat land of East Punjab (Indian Punjab), the Pathan and Sindhi regions of West Punjab (Pakistan Punjab), the Gujjar, Marwari, Rajput region (Gujarat and Rajasthan), the Maratha region (Maharashtra), the Pandits, the sufis and Garhwali dominant regions(Uttar Pradesh), the tribal regions(Madhya Pradesh and Orissa), the Telangana region( Andhra Pradesh), the Dravidian region (Tamil Nadu), the Kannadigas and Konkani (Karnataka and Goa), the Portuguese influenced regions(Goa), the Bengal region which was divided by the British into East and West Bengal and the powerful princely kingdoms of north-east inclusive of the Meitei, Ahom and Khasi which were among the most notable kingdoms in today's Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
These communities favored their region or their kingdom before their annexation and control by the British which paved the way for their unification for a single nation and a common goal of that to throw away the foreign rulers. Region, religion and every other factor which divided the country took a backseat and on the forefront appeared freedom fighters and leaders who became instrumental in attaining freedom for our country. Martyrs like Bhagat Singh and leaders like Gandhi and Bose never professed their religion or favored their regions. They wanted freedom for the whole of India.
Unfortunately, even today not only in national politics but also in colleges and university elections regional card is widely played. Students vote for a certain party only if it represents their state or has an alliance with a party of their state and not on the basis of student welfare work done by the party. Not just academics, you can also find it in your workplaces where you are favored by your bosses if you belong to his region or state.
The strength of superpowers like USA, UK, Russia, France and China are their people who keep their country above anything else. Leave the first four, we can take the example of our neighbor China. The Chinese are known for their people power and their strong national values.
In this age of globalization, we must rise above our narrow-mindedness of regionalism and divisive politics which only creates unrest among the youth and all the citizens of our country.
"Lets pledge today that we will not discriminate our fellow countrymen on the basis of caste, religion, region or any other factor which divides us!"
Remember! The great Bhagat Singh gave up his life not only for Punjab but also for the freedom of India.
The youth of today must not let his martyrdom go waste!
Regionalism is one of the major hindrance to the integrity and prosperity of our country. The word is a political ideology of a region. It represents the blind following of allegiance and favoritism by the inhabitants or natives of a certain region.
The practice of regionalism can be good for the people of the respective region but only for a short period. In the long run it is responsible for creating rifts between different regions of the country hampering the unity and integrity of the nation.
Though never considered as evil as its notorious cousins viz. communal-ism and caste-ism, its presence dates back to centuries when India was a land of many regions, religions and castes before the invasion of the British. Starting from northernmost Kashmir then the pahari region( Himachal ), the Jaat land (Haryana), the Jat land of East Punjab (Indian Punjab), the Pathan and Sindhi regions of West Punjab (Pakistan Punjab), the Gujjar, Marwari, Rajput region (Gujarat and Rajasthan), the Maratha region (Maharashtra), the Pandits, the sufis and Garhwali dominant regions(Uttar Pradesh), the tribal regions(Madhya Pradesh and Orissa), the Telangana region( Andhra Pradesh), the Dravidian region (Tamil Nadu), the Kannadigas and Konkani (Karnataka and Goa), the Portuguese influenced regions(Goa), the Bengal region which was divided by the British into East and West Bengal and the powerful princely kingdoms of north-east inclusive of the Meitei, Ahom and Khasi which were among the most notable kingdoms in today's Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
These communities favored their region or their kingdom before their annexation and control by the British which paved the way for their unification for a single nation and a common goal of that to throw away the foreign rulers. Region, religion and every other factor which divided the country took a backseat and on the forefront appeared freedom fighters and leaders who became instrumental in attaining freedom for our country. Martyrs like Bhagat Singh and leaders like Gandhi and Bose never professed their religion or favored their regions. They wanted freedom for the whole of India.
Unfortunately, even today not only in national politics but also in colleges and university elections regional card is widely played. Students vote for a certain party only if it represents their state or has an alliance with a party of their state and not on the basis of student welfare work done by the party. Not just academics, you can also find it in your workplaces where you are favored by your bosses if you belong to his region or state.
The strength of superpowers like USA, UK, Russia, France and China are their people who keep their country above anything else. Leave the first four, we can take the example of our neighbor China. The Chinese are known for their people power and their strong national values.
In this age of globalization, we must rise above our narrow-mindedness of regionalism and divisive politics which only creates unrest among the youth and all the citizens of our country.
"Lets pledge today that we will not discriminate our fellow countrymen on the basis of caste, religion, region or any other factor which divides us!"
Remember! The great Bhagat Singh gave up his life not only for Punjab but also for the freedom of India.
The youth of today must not let his martyrdom go waste!
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