Essay on National Integration: The combined awareness and inclusiveness of countrymen with regard to their national identity is called national integration. The spirit of national feeling which unites people of different dialects, beliefs, religions, castes and languages is called national unity. It defines the political, social, economic and cultural dimensions of a nation. It also enlightens the duties and rights of citizens. In a lighter sense, it emphasizes on the customs and rituals of a country as a whole.
Essay on National Integration 500 Words in English
Below we have provided National Integration Essay in English, suitable for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
“United We Stand, Divided We Fall.”
A country can excel and prosper only when its citizens feel safe and stand as one. National integration refers to the feeling of togetherness and oneness that people of a country share despite differences in their caste, creed, religion, culture and region. National Integration Day is celebrated in India every year on the 19th of November. This date also marks the birth anniversary of India’s first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi. On this day many activities take place, including the National Youth Awards and National Integration Camps. People also come together to promote the spirits of love, unity and peace.
National Integration in the Indian Context
In a country which has been built on the concept of partition, it is incredibly challenging to achieve national integration. India is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-regional and multi-ethnic nation. Since the very beginning, the people of India have been divided. There were disputes regarding the national language of the country. When Hindi was declared to be the national language, it upset a lot of south Indians, and they denied to accept it.
Some protests and riots took place when a particular caste was not getting an OBC (Other Backward Class) status for the purpose of reservation. In this country, from the start, people have always tried to benefit at the expense of others. These differences are what our country aims at reducing and minimising. The citizens themselves should understand this and promote a sense of tolerance, consensus and brotherhood.
Features of National Integration
There are broadly four main features of national integration. The first and foremost feature is unity. A country is said to be united when its people join together and work towards the betterment of the nation. The second feature is the social homogeneity. A state is socially homogeneous when its people look past their various differences and treat each other as equals. Loyalty towards the country is the third feature. Commitment to a nation is shown by its people when they are devoted to its growth. The last element is giving everyone equal opportunities. Equal opportunities can exist only when there is no discrimination practised and prevalent.
Importance and Significance of National Integration
National integration plays an imperative part in each dimension; social, economic, political, cultural, emotional and ethical. Economic integration takes charge of the unified fight against evils like poverty, hunger and homelessness. Social integration ensures all citizens get social justice, social equality, liberty and fraternity. One fundamental objective of cultural integration is to preserve various traditions, languages, folk dances and beliefs that prevail in a country.
People are united emotionally or psychologically by the country’s history and its glory. They are integrated by their National flag, anthem, symbol, animal, mythological epic, etc. It promotes the development of unity. People are able to see past their petty differences and unite for a common motive and goal. It also fills the hearts of people with patriotism towards their country.
They feel that it is their moral duty as citizens to be loyal to it and protect their homeland. National integration also helps to curb and eradicate social unrest and chaos and brings about national peace. This peaceful coexistence between all citizens leads to them working more efficiently and hence improves the economic conditions as well as the growth of the country.
National integration also helps to remove fear from the hearts of people. Many times, during elections, we see riots happening when representatives of certain religions or castes are not elected. Thus, the coming together of people helps to overcome this and brings about with its political stability. It is also responsible for providing people with national direction while giving each person equal chances, and opportunities be it in jobs, elections, education, etc.
Ways to promote National Integration
Culturally diverse groups should respect each other’s differences. They should be tolerant of one another’s faiths and beliefs. There should exist a mutual understanding between them, and they should be sensitive to the other group’s religions and their practices. Every citizen should follow and implement the country’s ideology, as mentioned in the preamble. Justice, liberty, fraternity, equality and secularism should not be compromised with and should be sincerely respected.
All citizens should show respect wholeheartedly for things that hold national importance. The burden of promoting national integration also falls on the nation’s leaders and their actions. In a country like India, it is utmost essential to integrate all political differences between parties; big or small. National integration in a nation can also be promoted through the fair distribution of resources and education.
People will not feel as if they have been cheated of something that should have been theirs or belonged equally to them as well. The concept of inter-caste marriages can also help strengthen national integration. It helps in people becoming open and more accepting. They welcome individuals from other cultures into their immediate families, thus promoting the spirit of togetherness.
In conclusion, differences and conflicts in a diverse country like India are bound to come, but the country should have an impartial and transparent administrative system to handle them. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, had also stated that national integration is an important objective of the country, and although difficult, together we can achieve it.