For me the idea of the concept of nation is such that I call my roots as Indian, but would be a global digital native. I thrive in the comfortable life off the work of my parents, not knowing what they went through to get where we are now. Most of all, I have no clue of what my grandparents faced in their yesteryears, when India came to be, and what their thoughts on nation and nationality are. So, this post will throw light on the above mentioned matters.
My maternal grandfather Mr V.N.Ramu 76yrs old, born in year 1940, said that as he was a young boy of 7 years when we got our independence and that at such a young age, the impact of such an important event was not known. For him ‘Nationality’ comes from the need for unity, for the peace of our mother country, it’s what we do to make our nation shine better.
He stressed that my great-grandfather Mr. Narasimha Raghavan would have faced the biggest brunt of the complications of the end of the British era as he had to shift the whole family from Tuticorin to Vellore in the 1940’s due to ongoing agitations at that time.
For my grandmother Mrs. Revathy, 69yrs, born in the year 1948, ‘Nationality’ comes from the feeling of belongingness, of togetherness and unity. She said that she had a deep rooted pride in being an Indian and said that since she was brought up in Ernakulum in Kerala for the formative years of her life before coming to Vellore and settling down at the age of 20, there wasn’t any untoward feeling of need to belong that was particularly bothering her.
What I gleam from this exchange is that, no matter what, the feeling of belonging always hinges on working together for the betterment of our country.
What I gleam from this exchange is that, no matter what, the feeling of belonging always hinges on working together for the betterment of our country.
