What is in the nation and nationality???
I have been feeling quite excited and also quite low.
There are many reasons of this state of mind. When I left India, I was quite low of leaving the country and going to a alien place, about which, I have never been encountered good opinion of the people. Yes, I agree in certain extent, the United States builds is partially responsible for creating many problems in the world. But, I appreciate this country for providing the basic necessities to its citizens and me (non citizen). Here, I am not worried about the police, not worried about to show my identity card, not worried about where and which religion I belong too.
I am not saying badly about India in this blog, but the nation is known by its own people. We the Indian divide ourselves from every possible aspect of human society. Supposing, I am non vegetarian and looking for a rented house in the city of Rajasthan or Gujarat (using as example). There would be high probablity that I would not be successful in one hunt. I have to face discrimination on the basis of this food habit.
I have not yet faced any sort of question of this nature or any discriminatory in nature which would force me to lie or hide my identity. I feel like getting people to ask me, which religion I belong to??
One of my friends from Africa was surprised when I said I am Muslim from India. He never had idea that even Muslim also stay in India. He said that India is a country of Hindu religion. I then said him that if you think India as country, I am Hindu too. In Hindi, India is known as Hindustan and people from Hindustan are Hindu. But, if you would think about the Indian society, I belong to Muslim religious group. After this explanation, he asked me range of questions from geography to history to culture to politics. In last, I felt ashamed when he asked me, why the Hindu kills Christians in India?? Why not Muslim group builds a bridge of coordination with the Indian Christian community?? How could democracy survive and function, if the minority groups would be facing this kind of treatment from the majority??
I used to be assertive in India to criticize the behavior of the right wing Hindu and Muslim groups (Bagrang Dal, VHP, RSS, Tablighi Jamat etc). While coming back from the class, I was thinking why I could not respond him clearly and critically? I felt that the component of nationalism prevented me to defame the name of my country.