Proud to be an Indian

The month of January creates an aura of patriotism as Republic Day of India falls in this month. It was on 26th January, 1950 that Republic of India was formed and the Constitution of India came into force. Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm throughout the country. Despite being the most populous democracy in the world, it is also a country which is blessed with different religions, societies, cultures and languages, all interplaying with each other in harmony. Being an Indian, feel proud of our rich culture, languages, dialects, traditions, customs and religions that makes India a marvellous multi-cultural country.

Being patriotic does not mean that we should hate other nations. A true patriot should be able to respect the cultures and feelings of others. While being at school, we all have taken the pledge to treat everyone with courtesy. But actually how many of us are following it???

People who have a different dialect or different culture are yelling for a separate state for them. But at this point, we should understand one thing - India is a republic consisting of 28 states and seven union territories with a parliamentary system of democracy. But have you ever thought why The Republic of India was divided into these 28 states and seven union territories? It is for the ease of governance. The government can reach the people more effectively if the state is a smaller one but it does not mean that we should divide our motherland into smaller pieces. The states should not be too large or too small. After the creation of three new states recently, statistics have shown that their contribution towards our GDP has increased. This clearly shows that states should be small enough so that developments can be done in a much faster way.

The way in which people express their desire for a new state is pathetic, I should say. After all we all are Indians. We have a rich heritage. We should not respond like this. I should also say that one of the moves made by The Government of India was a hasty decision which made the situation even more worse. Those who are holding respectable positions should understand that we are a multi-cultural country. Some people will respond favorably for your decisions while some others do not. So they should be very careful while taking any decision especially in sensitive matters.

In this Republic Day, we can take a pledge that we'll stand united despite all the differences in opinion. Everybody should always remember that, 'United We Stand, Divided We Fall'.

All these are my opinion. Please feel free to correct me or add something extra.

JAI HIND.