This republic day, I’m filled with patriotism

(the quality of being patriotic; devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country)

I don’t want to confuse it with nationalism (identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.)

Nations are first born in our imaginations and our collective stories (in that they do not naturally exist on ‘earth’)

They then become our shared history and our shared destiny — that is what we as Indians have, a shared experience that goes all the way back to many millennia…

‘Nation states’ have been born just a few hundred years ago (The word ‘nationalism’ started getting used on scale only 1900 onwards)

We as a nation state have several things to celebrate.

Apart from being the largest democracy in the world, we have a constitution that reflects timeless, universal values (in its preamble).

Today, as we find ourselves in a time when culture and constitution are clashing in many places, it is time to convert this fight to a dialogue.

Every Indian, however radical or moderate is my brother and sister. And with my brothers and sisters I cannot fight, I must not fight. Surely not with violence. I must dialogue.

Dialogue is one place where both our culture and constitution agree. We have been a ‘dialogic’ culture in the past, and our constitution speaks about fraternity.

That then is the starting point to have conversations about Sabrimala, Akhand Bharat, ‘secularism’ and uniform civil codes. Ignoring these issues won’t make them go away.

Today was the day many years ago that we decided to adopt a common agreement, a shared set of rules, a collective story — our constitution.

Let’s live its spirit as deeply as possible — that is the best gift that we, the children of India can give to our motherland.