india is a secular country,spreadung unity in diversity. explain this in the light of the situation of racial discrimination
Answers
India, born from the Indus Valley Civilization, is the second most populous country in the world. She is rich in diverse cultures with 29 states, and 7 Union Territories, with 22 known languages. India, being Secular, is home to all religions viz Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Judaism.We are supposed to live by the rule of Unity in Diversity. We have always believed in the policy of Live and Let Live.
Regional Discrimination
However, it can be seen that in India, Racism does exist and it pertains to the attitude of Indians towards citizens belonging to other ethnicities. South India is divided into Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with each state having its own distinctive features, language and culture. However, for every Indian who does not belong down South, every South Indian is a Madrasi. The South Indian languages and food habits are made fun of. In the present day and age, it really does not speak well of a person who behaves in the said manner.
Biharis have been victims of racial attack for a very long time now. The state has always been neglected and because of the slow economic growth and the rampant corruption in the State, Biharis started migrating to other states in search of a livelihood. However, they faced prejudice, discrimination based on their ethnicity and Xenophobia (Unreasonable fear of what is perceived to be foreign). The Biharis have faced racial discrimination in Maharashtra and Punjab, with the Dal Khalsa in Punjab demanding the return of migrant Biharis to their own land. In fact, there have been violent attacks on the large Bihari community in the North Eastern states too. The most recent one was on 18th January, 2014, when four youths from Bihar were shot dead after being pulled out from a bus by NDFB militants in Assam’s Kokrajhar district. Three others, also from Bihar, were injured in the incident. Apart from these attacks, the Biharis are also ridiculed in mostly all parts of India for their accent and looked down upon.
North Easterners in India, because of their Mongoloid phenotype, are treated with such discrimination based upon their looks that it is no wonder that most of the North Easterners have an identity crisis, with many of them asking a pertinent question as to which country they belong to – India or China. In fact, many of the residents of North East India consider themselves to be citizens of China. It is indeed shameful for the people of India that at a time when borders all around the globe are disappearing, we are alienating our own fellow countrymen.