Problems of National Integration in

India Essay
India is a country of immense diversity. Race, language,
religion
and caste etc. constitute the major forms of diversity in
India.
Groups of people in India differ from each other not only in
physical or demographic characteristics but also in
distinctive
patterns of behavior.
These patterns of behavior are determined by social and
cultural
factors like language, region, religion and caste. Castes are
divided
into sub-castes, language into dialects, region into
subregions, and
religion into sects on ethnic lines.
The Indian sub-continent is a museum of different races. It is
said
that India is a Veritable tower of Babel..
In the words of A.R. Desai,
The diversity in India is unique. Being a large country with
large
population, India presents endless varieties of physical
features and
cultural patterns. In short, India is the epitome of the
world. The
vast population is composed of people having diverse creeds,
customs and colors. Economic development, level of
education and
political culture of the people in various social segments
differ from
region to region.

Notwithstanding the various diversities evinced in India,

there are
the bonds of unity which are located in a certain underlying
uniformity of life as well as in certain mechanisms of
integration.
Unity amidst diversity is visualized in the geo-political
sphere;
tradition of accommodation, emotional bond etc. Indias
political
unity is an offshoot of the religious and cultural unity. The
First
bond of unity of India is found in its geo-political integration.
Politically, India is now a sovereign State. Every part of it is
governed by the same Constitution and same Parliament. We
share
the same political culture marked by the norms of
democracy,
secularism and socialism.
Quite in line with the traditional bonds of unity, the Indian
State in
post-Independence era has rightly opted for a composite
culture
model of national unity rather than a uniform culture model.
The
composite culture model provides for the preservation and
plurality
of cultures within the frame work of an integrated nation.
Hence,
the significance of our choice of the norm of secularism,
implying
equal regard for all religions, as our policy of national
integration.
The account of the unity of India should not be taken to
mean that

we have always had a smooth sailing in matters of national

unity,
with no incidents of caste, communal or religious riots. Nor
should
it be taken to mean that the divisive and secessionist
tendencies
have been altogether absent.
There have been occasional riots, at times serious riots. For
example, we cannot forget the linguistic riots in Tamil Nadu
in
protest against the imposition of Hindi, the riots in Gujarat
between
Hindus and Muslims.
In spite of all our unity and integrity, in spite of all the
attempts of
past and present national integration is hindered due to
some
factors. Along with these factors some new challenges have
emerged during last decades. These have created a lot of
difficulties
in the process of State- building as well as nation-building.
A host of interrelated factors have disrupted efforts to
achieve goals of equality and social justice as well as
building of a nation-state. All these factors are discussed
below:

1. Diversity of Constituents:
India is a heterogeneous society. It is made of a number of
diverse
groups. The first potential threat to the Indian nation state
lies in
this plurality. The Indian society was and is divided in terms
of
religion, caste, language and ethnic origin.
The British were able to somewhat control the diverse groups
by

following the policy of pitting one group against the other.

But the
divisive tendencies were sharply manifested even during the
nationalist movement when different groups apparently
united to
remove the British rule from India.
One of the more serious challenges that Indian national
leaders in
India face even now is how to integrate the interests of the
divergent group. Each of them has its own distinctive
aspirations,
history, and way of life. Attempts to minimize confrontation
between conflicting groups do not always succeed. As we
have
already seen, the adoption of an egalitarian model of society
is one
important strategy to contain the divisive tendencies. It is, of
course, necessary that these divisions are not allowed to
threaten
the nation state.

2. Regionalism and Cultural Identities:

Regionalism is also a threat to national integration. Some of
the
social elements having their separate cultural identity want
to
preserve it even at a political level and for this purpose some
of
these segments want further reorganization of the states.
We find that national politics in our country is still marked
by
emergence of regional nationalities. This is quite evident in
the
formation of States on linguistic basis. It is also evident in
demands

by some regional identities such as the Gorkha for

Gorkhaland, for
example.
Creation of Jharkhand State is the outcome of the demands
by
some tribals. Similarly, the Gorkha hill Council-was created
in
1988.
Despite the early gains of consolidation of the nation state,
diverse cultural identities asserted themselves. One example
of this
is the opposition in the Southern States to Hindi as the
national
language. Another example is the demand for reorganization
of
states.
As matter of fact, the national level politics has recognized
the
existence of regional and cultural identities and the Central
Government has even provided legal sanctions.

3. Casteism:
Casteism has always played a dirty role in matters of politics
and
reservation policy and has created a wide gulf between
different
segments of society. Unfortunately, the caste system has
been
recognized by the framers of the Constitution by providing a
protective discrimination to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes. Though the reservation was made for a limited
period, it is
being extended from time to time. The reservation of seats in
the
educational institutions and jobs on the caste basis has

strengthened the caste feeling and resulted in the

possibilities of
new types of inequalities and caste conflict.
As casteism is considered a social evil and caste ideology
does not
go well with the egalitarian model of a socialist society, role
of caste
in national politics is viewed as a necessary evil. It is seen a
factor
which poses a challenge to the task of nation-building. All
the same
in the absence of an alternative basis for people to come
together,
caste continues to play a decisive role in Indian national
politics.
From what has been discussed so far, it is obvious that the
task of
building a nation state is not an easy excise. A growing
realization
is that national integration is the key to achieving a political
identity.

4. Linguism:

Due to linguistic and regional loyalties the national feeling

gradually erodes. Linguistic tensions are manifested in the
borders
which are bilingual. For example, Goans are divided on the
basis of
Konkani and Marathi Languages. There is also conflict
between
Marathi and Kannada-speaking people in Belgaum.
Language has become, especially since Independence, a
powerful
source of political articulation. For instance in the South,
particularly

in Tamil Nadu, language sentiments have been propagated

among
the people for getting power within State politics.
The people of different linguistic groups who are
concentrated in a
State seem to think only in terms of interests of their own
States.
This undermines consideration of national issues and causes
parochial feelings. The erosion of national feeling due to
linguistic
loyalties threatens the sovereignty of our country.

5. Communalism:
Broadly defined, communalism refers to the tendency of any
socioreligious
group to maximize its economic, political and social
strength at the cost of other groups. This tendency runs
counter to
the notion of the secular nation state that India purports to
be.
Secularism in the Indian context is defined as the peaceful
coexistence
of all religions without State patronage to any of them.
The State is to treat all of them equally. Yet, in a secular State
like
India, we very often hear, see and read about communal
conflicts.
While making conscious efforts towards the goals of
democracy and
socialism, the India national State has not been free of
communal
clashes.
There is historical evidence to prove that various religious
communities in India have coexisted peacefully through
time. Of

course, there is also evidence that reflects the conflict

between
religious communities. The most well known clashes have
been
between Hindus and Muslims. One of the major social
problems of
India in the 80s has been the communal divide problem.
When one
group asserts its interests and identity at the cost of another
group,
the communal divides emerge. Some cities such as
Moradabad,
Meerut, Aligarh and Boroda etc. has appeared as the centers
of
communal riots.

6. Social Inequalities:
In every society there is a system of social stratification.
Social
stratification refers to inequality in society based on unequal
distribution of goods, services, wealth, power, prestige,
duties,
rights, obligations and privileges. Take for example, the
social
inequalities created by the caste system.
Being a hereditary and endogamous system, the scope for
social
mobility is very little. Social privileges and financial and
educational
benefits are by and large accessible to only to upper caste
groups.
Social inequalities have a disintegrating effect on the process
of
nation-building.

7. Regional Disparities:
The unequal development of different regions of India has

negatively affected the character of national integration. The

unequal development has become the major cause of many
social
movements after the independence. For instance, the
Jharkhand
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movements which involved tribal groups from Bihar, M.P.

Bengal
and Orissa stresses the backwardness of the region among
other
issues. While demanding a separate State, people, involved
in this
movement argue that the rich natural resources of the area
have
been drained out to benefit others.
The dissatisfaction caused by the perceived and / or actual
threat of
material deprivation has led people to think that the
socioeconomic
development of their region is not possible if they
continue to be a part of the Indian Union. Thus the regional
disparities in terms of socio economic development have at
times
proved to be a threat to the concept of united nation-state.

8. Ethnonationality and Ethnic Conflicts:

Ethnonationalism and ethnic conflict has hindered national
integration. Whereas the modern concept of nationalism is
closely
linked with the concept of nation-state, scholars have
described
another prevailing notion of nationalism such as religious
nationalism, ethnonationalism etc. Although nationhood is
denied
to the Nagas, the Nagas understand themselves as nation in
the

sense of ethnonationality. The concept of ethnonationalsim

best
defines the self-understanding of the ethnic groups in
Northeast
India in the various forms of their struggle for identity.
Ethnonationalism is a phenomenon of political movement
launched on the basis of ethnic identity. It is to mention that
the
nation-building came to be challenged by the eruption of
ethnic
conflicts.
In the political parlance of India today, the very term NorthEast
has almost come to devote a region characterized by
ethnopolitical
movements. Since Indias independence in 1947, we have not
seen a
single-decade of calm in political atmosphere in the region.
Instead,
each decade saw new movements of political unrest, most of
which
turned to violent revolutions. One need not make a
substantial
argument to show that these movements have their origin in
the
ethnonational understanding of the identity. Insurgency, an
extreme form of ethnopolitical upsurge, has rocked five of
seven
States at one time or another, and the remaining two States
are
highly poised for a similar movement. Nibaan Boras words
depict
the situation well:
Insurgency took roots in Nagaland and Manipur in the early
fifties,

immediately after the establishment of the Republic (of

India),
those in Mizoram in the sixties, in Tripura in the seventies,
while in
the case of Assam it has arrived in eighties. Meghalaya and
Arunachal Pradesh are just now menacingly militant, not yet
insurgent though, Karbi Anglong (District of Assam) too is
equally
poised.

9. Tribal Identity:
To a member of the Indian national mainstream, a Khasi, a
Naga or
Mizo are tribals. The pejorative term tribal carries a
denotation of
primitivity and inferiority of the people for whom the name
is
applied. The attitude of the national mainstream that
primitivises
and thereby inferiorizes the tribals is in serious conflict with
the
proud self-understanding of the tribals in the northeast.
Such a
pride is exhibited in their ethnonational feeling.
Their fear of losing their identity were the major factor that
led to
ethnopolitical movements of insurgency. In tracing the
historical
development of insurgency in Nagaland, Asoso Yonuo
attributes the
peoples unpleasant experience of interaction with the nontribals
to be one of the main causes of the revolution. The Naga
National
councils original demand was some sort of regional
autonomy, he

says, and in course of their interaction with the non-tribals

they
developed the fear of losing their identity in the midst of
Hindu
rule leading to a demand for outright sovereign independent
Nagaland State.

10. Role of Political Parties:

The regional political parties play a dirty role in exploiting
the
regional feelings of the people. Regional political parties
formed on
the basis of linguism at times form the Government. The
States like
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir
may be
cited as examples in this regard. It has been experienced that
such
political parties in power often complicate the Centre-State
relationship.
In brief, it can be concluded that various forces pose
challenge to
national integration in India.
The multiethnic and multicultural setting of India and
Indias
struggle to define its nationhood since nationalist movement
provided a fertile soil for the development of
ethnoationalism and
other forms of identity-quest. India as a notions also suffers
acute
identity crisis. As G. Aloysiw has rightly notes, Indian
nationalism,
so far, has failed to construct the nation in India. While the
dominant India culture at the centre continues its quest for
selfidentity,
those in the periphery react to such potentially hegemonic

and oppressive movement. Although existing as a nationstate for

the last fifty years, India has been struggling to find the
central
integrative force that can bind us together as a nation.
India with its vastness both from the point of view of
geographical
spectrum, social diversities, and culture and spiritual
autonomy,
has always been a political federacy. The modern concept of
nationhood has rechristened the entire mind and body
politic of the
country Promotion of national solidarity through generation
of a
new climate conducive to it has been the goal of great men
and
major political institutions of the country.
A cross current of religions and rituals, castes and subcastes,
creeds and colors, diet and dress patterns, dialects, scripts
and
languages and above all localism and regionalism presents a
historic political scenario that demands wholesome
sociological
attention. India has believed in the past and believes today
that
creativity and change through continuity and a sense of unity
amidst diversities is paramount to national integration.