Unity in Diversity

This phrase has been jackhammered into an Indian's psyche as much as "the pledge" and its famous, oft misunderstood line - "All Indians are my brothers and sisters" ;-). I refer to the education system and pervasive media of the 80s and 90s that went the extra mile to define secularism and paint an opinion of what unity should mean to the youth and the budding thinkers and leaders. Who can disagree that India is a country of stark contrasts - tens of states divided on language each having its own script and claims that they are superior to their neighbors, hundreds of tribes who have indulged in violent revolutions in the last few decades, a few thousand years of history and culture of which only the last 250 years seem relevant to our educationists, hundred thousand indigenous traditions most of which are confusing to the modern generation, a few million broadband and mobile subscribers subject to erratic power supply, a few hundred million of a billion people below poverty level! What annoys me is catch phrases such as the one above that are made ubiquitous but are not accompanied by a stronger cohesive message. The statement in itself is indubitable but conveys the confusing message that one should be resigned to accept that someone somewhere has determined that you live "united" with the "diverse" neighborhood. What is omitted (maybe intentionally) is the emphasis on the common thread that ties the society together. When forced into living together in disharmony, a time comes when the "shackles" are broken and whatever seems to be the most easy-to-accept package is embraced. Do we want that? When modern India struggles to cope with the diversity of race, color of skin, food habits, languages, traditions, practices, caste, religion, it simply looks to the pervasive Western world and its culture for answers. Okay...now don't jump to squash this line of thought. What I mean is that we already communicate in English and are more comfortable with the world of popular western belief system that is delivered in fancy packages (food styles, news media, music, films, etc.) than we are with the neighbor's way of life. What then is the purpose of seemingly meaningful and deep expressions? Has this type of superficial stab worked at all or will it ever? I honestly believe it is an entirely wasted attempt to fill minds with simple observations but not strive to reach deeper to make powerful connections to day-to-day life. Specifically, any such teaching should co-occur with why India was one unit and is still so even though one sees strife based on diversity on a regular basis. I am pained to see miseducation and bad media reporting. Remember that when there is bias there is a winning group and there may be multiple groups that lose. I want to urge everyone to reach within themselves to see their background, learn about their familial origins, read a lot of historical literature, and come to their own conclusions on why we need to be united, to overcome prejudices. (Edmund Burke - "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.") What this exercise will also reveal is the kind of damage is being done to the Indian society in the name of democracy and secularism by incompetent leaders. The more I see the western world and learn its ways of success, the more I am convinced that neither democracy nor secularism can survive without the support of media. So, do we have a feel for what the lapses of and aberrations caused by the media are? One step at a time... :-)