PATRIOTISM v/s NATIONALISM
In a congenial society of the world these two words may seem entirely similar and our often used as
synonyms, though rarely any of these qualities appear in front of us nowadays.
So why this seems so important now and what has changed, that made this emerge as a national
agenda?
The answer is the changing scenario in our country. With the outset of many national issues on head
from Terrorism to Coronavirus outbreak, the minds of our country are put to test and the need to
realise Nationalism and Patriotism is at peak. Before we put on nationalism and patriotism to scales
and analyse what serves best for us, it’s better we understand the terms individually.
Nationalism on a very simple term means ‘An agenda or an ideology that supports in the best
interest of your nation’ or in layman terms, an agenda that delivers your loyalty towards your
nation’s progress.
Patriotism on the other hand is more individual centric, it simply means ‘A feeling of love, pride,
belongingness and attachment for your nation and its people’ or in layman terms, your devotion
towards your motherland.
But that’s all on paper. So how do we actually understand these concepts which have been so
misunderstood throughout the world? Let us take up and example;
We stand through the thick and thins of our nation, we support the policies that are created for the
betterment of our country like the Dandi March, Satyagrah movement and agreeing to the policies
created by our government for our encouragement and empowerment are all examples of
Nationalism.
The times when our country faced turmoil, we as the citizens always feel the sense of loss, our men
fight for our country shows patriotism. We as citizens love each other regardless of our caste and
religion, just by the fact that we all are Indians, that’s Patriotism.
Now as we know what the concepts individually mean, we will now throw light on how these
concepts prevail in our country and how they have shaped our mindsets.
Nationalism and Patriotism are two distinctive forces that are involve in shaping the history of the
world. It is important to note that in a world which is neo-liberal in nature, with free trade and
international interdependence, the ideas of Nationalism and Patriotism are more than relevant.
The basic difference between Nationalism and Patriotism could be outlined by stating that
Nationalism is more inclined towards having unity on the basis of cultural background, race, language
and heritage whereas Patriotism believes in having love for the country and emphasizes upon values
and beliefs.
Nationalism dwells into binary oppositions of countries wherein it promotes the idea of one country
being superior to the other. Patriotism is considered as a regard towards the way of life. It could be
concluded that Patriotism sets its basis upon love and affection towards the country whereas
Nationalism being loyal towards a nation leads to resentment and rivalry.
Talking about India specifically, India is a country which is diverse in nature on the basis of race,
religion, culture, language. The wave of Nationalism in India has led to divisions and caused a huge
rift among people who although are called “Indian” altogether but belong to different communities
and have different cultural backgrounds.
It is observed that before 1947 the idea of nationalism was adopted and promoted to introduce a
common voice against the British colonialism. But over the years this concept has undergone a lot of
change. Post 1947 the concept was assumed as an international platform which was the result of the
advent of globalisation and trading practices. In the current time nationalism has been corrupted with
the thought of dominance of the majority over the minority, wherein the religion with majority
number of people compels the minorities to adopt their ideals and accept their superiority, irrespective
of the fact that India is a democratic country. Indian nationalism in the contemporary time has become
Hindu Nationalism thus confusing Nationalism with religious consciousness rather than political
consciousness.
Rabindranath Tagore had his considerate views over nationalism, he asserts, “We must give a
warning that this idea of nationalism is prevalent evil that is sweeping over the present world and
eating it into its moral vitality”. According to him Nationalism is a subjective ideology and has
various faces of its own in various parts of the world where majorly it has led to the disruption of
morals and ethics, the two pillars of unity in a community or country.
In present times Nationalism is being adopted as a means to achieve votes and profits in elections.
What is actually propagated is a religious nationalism in order to win elections my achieving trust and
votes from respective religions. This ideology in an ideal society is creating difference among various
communities and as a whole among Indians.
The problem that is actually emerging in India as a country is confusing nationalism with patriotism.
What should actually be proposed and applied in the lives of people of India is Patriotism, a mutual
feeling of love and affection towards one another irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, race or
colour. India should be considered a Rashtra of Diverse Religions not as a Rashtra of a particular
religion just if there is some majorly accepted religion of people in India. What must be achieved is
the belief and feeling of Indian-ness, like our Preamble states “We, The People of India”, and not a
religious diversion that has emerged in India as a disease and causing the death of unity in India.
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