REGIONALISM

Regionalism is a feeling of loyalty to a particular part of the country.

A region may be defined as 'a well defined territorial unit, including particular language or languages, jatis, ethnic groups, or tribes, particular social setting and cultural pattern, folk dance, music, art, etc.' Each region has a distinct socio-cultural personality within the territorial framework of India.

Regionalism may be defined as 'consciousness, and loyalty to a distinct area within a country, usually characterised by common culture and language or historical and social background'. 

India being a multi racial and multi lingual nation faces the problem of regionalism. Regionalism is not unhealthy or anti-national if the people of a region have genuine pride in their language and culture. However, when it crosses a reasonable limit, it harms national unity.

FORMS OF EXPRESSION OF REGIONALISM

Regionalism expresses itself in different forms in our country such as boundary disputes, disputes over sharing of river water, demand for preference for the local people in matters of employment and protection to their industries and trade in the name of 'sons of the soil', etc.

Examples of regionalism in India

1966 – Shiv Sena Maharashtra – Anti Kannadigas – agitated against the South Indians who were workers in Udipi hotels in Mumbai. This saw lathi-charge retaliation at the Maharashtra border.

1980s – Khalistan movement – aimed to create a Sikh homeland

2008 – MNS – targeting North Indians – Bhojpuri films not allowed to run in theatres in Maharashtra. North Indian vendors harassed.

Interstate disputes – boundary disputes – Karnataka and Maharashtra in Belgaum, Kerela and Karnataka in Kasargoda, assam and Nagaland in Rengma reserved forests, Punjab and Haryana in Chandigarh.

CAUSES OF REGIONALISM

Unbalanced regional development – Certain regions have a concentration of industries and factories, sufficient education and health facilities, developed communication networks and rapid agricultural development. However, certain regions are underdeveloped. This leads to disparity among the economically neglected regions.

Political administrative factors – regional political parties and local leaders exploit regional sentiments, e.g. Telugu desam in Andhra Pradesh, Assam Gana Parishad in Assam and Akali Dal in Punjab.

Making Hindi the national language – Post independence, making Hindi the national language led to nationwide agitation and regionalism. Southern states felt this was in imposition on them.

Desire for regional independence – regional independence over their regions in order to improve the condition of the people leads to regionalism.

Negligence from state government – continuous neglect of people belong to a particular region and not allowing them to participate in political activities, or using their resources without concerning them led to regionalism. It also gave rise to the concept of ‘sons of the soil’.

EFFECTS OF REGIONALISM

Makes people narrow minded and unaccepting of people from other regions and cultures

Develops a superiority complex in the minds of people who have occupied an area for many years and gives them a false sense of ownership.

Has a negative impact on national integration

Leads to formation of multiple communities within one nation and restricts free interaction of culture and tradition between a country’s citizens.

It is used a political leverage in order to secure a vote bank.

Demand for reservations to local language speaking persons increased for employment.

Regionalism leads to demand for a separate state.

MEASURES TO RESOLVE REGIONALISM

Balanced distribution of national resources – will lead to a feeling of oneness and people from particular regions will not feel neglected.

Abolition of regional parties – as they play vote bank politics and thus exploit the people

Development of backward regions – economic development will lead to more unity

Develop means of transport and communication – a proper link to the surrounding regions will ensure interaction and contact with neighboring regions and will reduce the feeling of isolation. This will also enable economic and social development

Education – will be a powerful way to resolve regional conflicts

Mass media – can play a powerful role in uniting people from all regions and can promote unity and equality among the masses. This in turn will help national development.

LINGUISM

 India is a land of many languages. Post independence the states were reorganized on linguistic basis.

 The Constitution of India has approved of 22 languages. The Constitution of India has designated the official language of the Government of India as Hindi written in the Devanagari script, as well as English. Hindi and English are used for official purposes such as parliamentary proceedings, judiciary, communications between the Central Government and State Government. States within India have the liberty to specify their own official language through legislation.

CAUSES OF LINGUISM

Literature – love of literature creates and strengthens a sense of loyalty to a particular language among groups.

Geographical conditions – people living in a particular locality tend to speak the same language. This promotes local identity and distinctiveness and reinforces love for ones own language

Historical causes – the freedom struggle has been related to the language and thus the states were divided on linguistic grounds.

Political causes – narrow minded political parties create linguistic feeling among the people of a locality and exploit their sentiments during elections

Psychological causes – language raises emotional feelings for a homogenous group.

Linguistic groups are tied together by a common interest and it leads to a spirit of regionalism and a feeling or separatism in the minds of the citizens.

CONSEQUENCES OF LINGUISM

Regionalism -  linguism ultimately leads to regionalism

Formation of regional political parties – linguism has led to formation of regional political parties in some states. These political parties often complicate Center – State relations.

Harassment of linguistic minorities – the state reorganization commission had provided for safeguard of linguist minorities but in reality, this is not so. As a result, complications develop which threaten national unity.

Demand for separate states – linguist conflicts because of selfish politicians leads to partition of states.

Erosion of national feeling – linguistic and regional loyalties take away from national loyalty.

Inter state border disputes – arise especially in border areas. For e.g. goans are divided on the basis of Konkani and Marathi.

REMEDIAL MEASURES

Development of a common script for all languages – Currently there are a number of scripts in India and a common script could break the barrier that separates one language from another. M. N. Srinivas suggests the use of the Roman script

Development of a common language – Hindi has been recognized as the national language. However, over the years there have been problems with regard to the same. Thus, this should be tackled with utmost care

Ban on regional political parties – that promote linguism and divide the people for selfish gain.

The Sarkaria commission (appointed in 1983 to examine the language problem in India) recommended that styles, forms and expression of English along with other regional languages re to be retained in the process of development of official language. The three languages formula such as regional language, Hindi and English should properly be implemented.

INTERGROUP CONFLICTS

Def: A group is ‘a number of people who share some common characteristics’.

Characteristics of groups

A feeling of unity among members is essential to form a group. The members of a group treat each other as their own and a sense of fellowship between them develops naturally.

A sense of ‘we’ feeling among members develops among members of a group, whereby they help each other and defend themselves collectively against harmful elements. They treat others as outsiders.

A group is characterized by common ideals, interests and values of life, shared by its members and this similarity or commonness promotes unity among them.

A group is marked by the similarity of behavior of its members. Each group has certain customs, social norms and procedures that are acceptable to its members. Members violating them are punished. Thus, group has control over actions of its members.

 

Some suggestions to minimize Intergroup conflict

Intergroup conflicts lead to serious social and political disorders threatening even the vital interests of the nation. Therefore, every citizen of India must find ways and means to resolve such conflicts.

Social thinkers have suggested three methods

Cooption – To coopt means to add. If two groups do not agree on a certain issue, members of the dissenting group are absorbed in the dominant group through what is called as cooption. When the dissenting members get an opportunity to express their views and understand the other groups point of view, it is comparatively easy to resolve the conflict.

Accommodation – means willing to oblige the other or readiness to listen to the other’s points of view and to accept the solution if found satisfactory. Conflicting parties can resolve their conflicts by accommodation each other’s demands, views and claims.

Cooperation – is the basis of social life. Since no one is totally self-sufficient, one has to seek the help of others to achieve ones goals and satisfy ones needs. Human beings cooperated with each other to achieve common and diverse goals. Cooperation helps to achieve our objectives more effectively and efficiently by working together. It creates positive human relations and bonds of interdependence between the cooperating parties. By cooperating with each other we also derive social and psychological benefits such as feeling of security.

The forces of communalism, casteism, linguism and regionalism have been thwarting progress in the direction of building a strong and prosperous India based on ideals of democracy, secularism, social and economic justice. These forces can be overcome only by inculcating in Indian people faith in the ideals of national unity, secularism, equality, or more balanced economic policy.

 

TELEGU DESAM

The Telegu Desam was founded in 1983 by Dr. N. T. Ramarao to safeguard the interests of Telegu speaking people. Its primary ideology is that of regionalism. Dr. N. T. Ramarao was succeded by Chandrababu Naidu in 1995.

The Telegu Desam program manifesto supports

- Promotion of Telegu culture, literature and language

- Promotion of agriculture as a profitable and revenue making activity 

- Preservation of natural resources

- Youth empowerment through skill training, cultural and sports activities

- Provision of civic amenities in rural areas including electricity and health care

- Empowerment of women

- Subsidised food grains

- Electoral and administrative reforms

- Empowerment of traditional artisans and other rural occupational communities

FOUNDATION COURSE I NOTES

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Module I

Overview of Indian Society

Understand the multicultural diversity of Indian Society through its demographic composition: population distribution according to religion, caste and gender.

Religions of India

Appreciate the concept of linguistic diversity in relation to the Indian situation;

Understand regional variations according to rural, urban and tribal characteristics;

Understand the concept of diversity as difference.

Module II

Concept of Disparity 1

Understand the concept of disparity as arising out of stratification and inequality;

Explore the disparities arising out of gender with special reference to violence against women, female foeticide (declining sex ratio) and portrayal of women in media. 

Appreciate the inequalities faced by people with disabilities - vision impairment, hearing impairment, socially handicapped, and understand the issues of people with physical and mental disabilities.

Module III

Concept of Disparity II

Examine inequalities manifested due to the caste system and intergroup conflicts arising thereof;

Understand intergroup conflicts arising out of communalism.

Examine the causes and effects of conflicts arising out of regionalism and linguistic differences

Module IV 

The Indian Constitution

Philosophy of the Constitution as set out in the Preamble,

The structure of the Constitution: Preamble, Main Body and Schedules, Fundamental Duties of the Indian citizen, Tolerance, peace and communal harmony as crucial values in strengthening the social fabric of Indian society

Basic features of Indian Constitution

Module V

Significant aspects of Political Processes

The party system in Indian Politics

Local self government in rural and urban areas; the 73rd and 74th amendments and their implications for inclusive politics

Role and significance of women in politics