Becoming a Nation (Processes and Prospects)

The term "nation" has often been used as a synonym for "country", "state", or ethnic group" and, consequently, this uncritical usage has resulted in fierce disagreements on what constitutes national identity. "Nationalism" sometimes has a disturbing connotation. Nationalist feeling is often attached to a refusal of openness towards other peoples, and even a feeling of hatred towards them. But nationalism differs from similar notions such as patriotism, which might lead some of us to think that nationalism engenders some violence. We may not know exactly what a nation is, but we know what nationalism means and it is crucial to distinguish the right type from the wrong one. This important discernment needs to be done by all citizens and it is in this context that the Association of Christian Philosophers of India has undertaken this task, keeping in mind the values and commitments that it shares with fellow Indians.

This book explores some of the ideological considerations underlying the terms "nation" and "nationalism". It examines aspects of nationalism by using a multidisciplinary approach and invites us to listen to new and old voices of Indian nationalism. By exploring the different facets that are involved in "Becoming a Nation" it also makes us realize the enormity of the project to be undertaken. These papers study the subject from a multicultural, multi-religious perspective while adopting a multi-disciplinary approach. No attempt has been made to form a synthesis of the various views presented: this celebrates the unity of positive purpose in the diversity of views which is fully in keeping with the spirit of the Indian nation.

Dolreich Pereira is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He teaches philosophy at St Pius X College, Mumbai and is visiting professor in other seminaries. He pursued his philosophical studies at Institute Catholique de Paris in France and is currently writing his doctoral thesis at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune. He has presented papers in both philosophy as well as theology at seminars and has contributed several articles in national journals & in edited books.

At the outset, I would like to thank the organizers for making me the Keynote speaker at this august gathering. I am not a philosopher like all of you, although I did philosophy at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, as part of my priestly training. I accepted to speak at the inaugural function of this seminar because its theme intrigued me the most - Becoming a Nation: Processes and Prospects.

So when I thought about this topic, a myriad questions and images flashed in my mind like a computer screen - staring at me and questioning me on the very issue of what it means to be a nation. Some of these images were the lynching of Akhlakh in Dadri at Muzzaffarnagar on 28 September 2015 by Hindu fanatics for allegedly eating cow meat, the manual scavenging by untouchables even in the twenty-first century in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the brutal gang rape and murder of Nirbhaya in Delhi in December 2012, the land grabbing spree of Adivasi territory by corporate houses and certain states to industrialise the country, the demolition of the Babri Majid on 6 December 1992, the Gujarat carnage of 2002, the communal violence against Christians in Kandhamal following the mysterious murder of Swami Laxamananda Saraswati on 23 August 2008 and the state sponsored violation of human rights under legislations like AFSPA' (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), the government's ploy to contain naxalism under the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh and the Operation Green Hunt in Jharkhand and finally the recent move by the Jharkand state government to create a "land bank" by annexing people's land without their consent in violation of the Fifth Schedule, the PESA Act and the Forests Right Act' (FRA).

**Contents and Sample Pages**