Q. What do you mean by nation building? What is the role of religion in nation building? Elaborate your answer.

Model Answer:

Nation Building and the Role of Religion

Nation-building is the conscious process of constructing a cohesive national identity, social solidarity, and political legitimacy within state boundaries. It involves integrating diverse populations into a unified political community, fostering shared belonging and destiny—what Benedict Anderson termed an “imagined community.” This process requires creating common institutions, symbols, and narratives that transcend primordial loyalties.

Religion’s Dualistic Role in Indian Nation-Building

Religion’s impact on India’s nation-building manifests through its paradoxical dual potential:

Religion as Unifying Force:

– Collective Conscience Formation: Durkheim’s concept of “collective conscience” finds expression in India where religious traditions provide shared moral frameworks. M.N. Srinivas’s concept of sanskritization demonstrates how religious practices create cultural integration across caste hierarchies.

– Mass Mobilization: Gandhi’s strategic use of religious idioms like “Ram Rajya” and “Sarva Dharma Sambhava” during the freedom struggle united diverse masses against colonial rule. His synthesis of religious and political messaging created what Partha Chatterjee calls the “spiritual domain” of nationalism.

– Syncretic Traditions: India’s composite culture—Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, Sufi-Bhakti traditions—historically fostered unity. T.K. Oommen argues this religious pluralism, when properly channeled, strengthens democratic nation-building.

Religion as Divisive Force:

– Communalism and Fragmentation: When politicized, religious identity breeds communalism where group allegiance supersedes national loyalty. The 1947 Partition exemplifies religion’s destructive potential—creating two nations amid unprecedented violence.

– Contemporary Challenges: Post-independence communal riots (1984, 1992, 2002) demonstrate continuing tensions. Ashis Nandy critiques how modern secularism inadvertently strengthens religious fundamentalism by creating rigid boundaries between religious and political spheres.

– Vote Bank Politics: Religious mobilization for electoral gains undermines Nehru’s vision of secular nationalism, creating what Paul Brass terms “institutionalized riot systems.”

Conclusion: Religion’s role in Indian nation-building remains contextual—shaped by political mobilization and social interpretation. Managing religious diversity through constitutional secularism while respecting India’s inherently religious society remains the critical challenge.