The Country that is India
India is not a nation; it’s a country. A nation is a group of people who share the same culture, language, religion, and history. India is much complex to be a nation. We all have different origin stories, culture, religion, etc., and these are, most of the times, in contradiction of each other. If we try to make India a nation, it means colouring it in one colour, one culture, one language, and one ideology. While it may sound right at first in favour of a unified ‘nation’, it will also mean the loss of cultural capital, human capabilities, traditions, histories, myths and beliefs; all these make us what we are.
They are one of the oldest indigenous tribes of India who have an expert understanding of snakes’ behaviour, which baffles even the seasoned modern scientists. They have been part of a cooperative that utilises their skill to make anti-venom from the venom of the snakes Irulas capture (and later leave without harming). India is its massive bank of knowledge, that when combined and filtered with modern science can provide solutions to everyday problems. What if we try to push one narrative of a single perception of India, written in the accounts of kings and priests while letting the unwritten knowledge and skills of numerous tribes unnoticed? The State of India needs to preserve the versatility alive.
Our traditional knowledge of agriculture is bringing paradigm shifts in natural and organic farming through the use of cattle excreta and Ayurveda. Yoga and Ayurveda, when combined with the modern-day physiology, biology and biochemistry, can create a new methodology of the healthcare. But the State of India not only has Hindu-Aryan science, but it also has Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy, etc., either developed by Dravidians or brought in from other parts of the world, by the people whose descendants are now Indian. Throughout history, people have travelled and settled all around the world, but they become part of the country they finally got food and shelter. All of them fought together for the freedom of India, laid the foundation of the Republic of India. India, for me, is all of us, irrespective of the long history of our ancestors. India is our “Country”.
On this independence day, we must pledge to make India a peaceful nation, a soft power, where different ideologies and beliefs can live in synergy and harmony. We are a developing country and may become a developed one in a few years. However, we need to make it sustainable and inclusive of all communities and people. No one should be left behind. India’s strength is its “Unity in Diversity”, and we should all strive to preserve that.