April 29, 2022 ☼ nationalism ☼ public policy ☼ philosophy

Seven Tenets of Indian Nationalism

My attempt to distill the essence of Indian Nationalism from its earliest times to the present date.

Welcome to Nitin Pai’s cyberspace.

My attempt to distill the essence of Indian Nationalism from its earliest times to the present date.

A sovereign and united India is the best hope for the yogakshema (happiness, prosperity and well-being) of all its people.

The seven tenets are expressed in Indian languages at the Indian Nationalism Project at GitHub.
The fundamental goal of the Indian nation is to pursue the betterment of all its people and thus, the betterment of the planet and its future generations.
India is a diverse, plural and inclusive nation, accomodating of aspirations, tolerant of differences, and united in its determination to transcend them.

Yogakshema is a term from the Arthashastra. In this old blog post I explain why it is the national interest.
Indian nationalism is an excellent framework to balance individual rights and collective interests that might sometimes be in opposition.
Indian nationalists have always been deeply committed to reforming society towards egalitarianism, equality, equity and justice.
Indian society is anchored in our unifying civilisational moorings as it confidently absorbs and adapts modernity towards the betterment of all its members.

I have argued that India’s strategic culture has historically centred around preserving national unity. The Indian Republic is constructed on the basis of Indian nationalism.
India bears no ill-will to any civilisation, nation-state, faith, religion or ideology but remains absolutely committed to defending its own ethos, values, interests, territory, security and sovereignty. In pursuit of this goal, India will maximise national power in all its forms.

The Indian Nationalism Project

You can help translate and share these seven tenets in various Indian languages over at GitHub

For further reading, here are some essays from my archives that elucidate these tenets:

We must uphold the inclusive Indian nationalism that animated our freedom movement against divisive ones that have track record of pain, suffering and failure.
Why we need to strengthen the Indian republic to balance the democratic majoritarianism that is undermining it.
My essay on Indian nationalism in practice. Indeed, Indian nationalism is a model for the whole world.

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