National integration | National integrImportance of National Integration for Students and Children

Importance of National Integration for Students and Children

The concept of India as a composite entry , transcending all aes is a recurren theme that runs throughout our history literature,epic and folklore.In a Hindu ritual,there is an invocation to the rivers the Ganga and the Yamuna as also to the Krishna and the Carvery.The vision of  an extended India stretching from the Hi.alayas to Kanya Kumari has inspired sages,poets and emperors alike.Emperors Ashoka and Akbar ruled practically over the whole of India as one country.India was then united and strong. And yet it is also the lesson of our history that fissiparous forces have again and again raised their head to disrupt our unity and threaten our very existence.It is there forces that sapped the strength of our country and made her weak and disunited; she suffered repeated external aggressions and finally became a colony of a foreign power.

Since the Government was fully aware of the diversity found in the country, adequate steps were taken to promote and secure national harmony immediately after independence.The Constitution made Indian a secular state, guaranteeing equal respect to all religions and the freedom to profess, practise and propagate them. Safegaurds were allowed to linguistic minorities.Untouchability was abolished and special provisions were made for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.But while considerable progress was made in a quarter century of Independence, fissiparous forces, though held in check, repeatedly raised their ugly head in one form or the other and gave the newly independent nation no peace.Passion were inflamed in the name of language;  there were riots for linguistic states between different language groups in a state. Rionalism and separatism threatened fragmentation of the Country. Untouchability and caste prejudices died hard and instance of atrocities on Harijan continued to be reported.Communal riots kept on erupting frequently in various parts of the country.This led to the growth of various senna which further vitiated the communal atmosphere.

The situation has considerably deteriorated with the advent of terrorism. it is a comparatively recent phenomenon, but it is  posing a grave threat to security and stability of human life.Sometimes,these terrorists indulge in such inhuman and gruesome activities that humanity itself is put to shame.The Government is fully aware of the problem and is trying it's best to meet the threat.However, it has not so for succeeded in containing terrorism.It is suppressed in one area but it raises it's ugly head in another.It may be a bitter and unpleasant fact, but it cannot be denied that the gulf being created by terrorists between various communities may prove difficult to bridge.

The entire progress of India depends upon the restoration of communal harmony, which calls for certain positive steps on the part of the Government as well as the people.The first and foremost step is to break the hold of extremist and obscurantist elements over some sections of the society.It is not an easy task to accomplish, but definite progress can be made in this direction if the mass media such as newspapers, radio and television play a constructive role. Positive elements of modernity should be encouraged in all spheres of life and the misguide elements should be weaned away from the hold of fanatical elements.There should be a positive change in the attitude of the majority community towards the minorities so that the latter would shed all misgivings and join the mainstream of the nation.Students of minority communities should be offered opportunities to join reputed and progressive educational institutions and weaned away from those catering to the needs of particular communities. The police and administrative machinery should be sufficiently streamlined to deal with all forms of violence and a long term solution should be chalked out at all costs. If the promotion of national integration is made an integral part of our educational programe, it will go to a long way in helping us to solve the problem.