NATION BUILDING

            -Bipin Chandra Pal

Bipin Chandra Pal was a mighty prophet of nationalism. He was a lion of Bengal in the work of nation building. In this essay, he discusses vividly what the Indian nation builder has to keep in view constantly.

Every evolution is the evolution of an idea. This central idea in every organism regulates the whole course of its evolution. This constitutes the regulative idea of the organism. The archetype of the horse is the regulative idea in every colt that of a dog is the regulative idea in every puppy that of a man is the regulative idea in every human baby. These regulative ideas constitute the inner principle of differentiation.

Different races of men constitute different types of humanity. All evolution works upon two factors. One is heredity which is permanent and the other is environment which is subjected to change. The two essential elements in social evolution are race and environment. Environment may be social or physical. Modern sociology recognises both race element and environment as vital factors in social evolution.

The race characteristics are innate and prehistoric. They vary with various people. The changes that happen in life and civilization are mainly based on the original model. It is the original model that constitutes the real regulative idea in the evolution of every race. If the original model is completely ignored, it will result in decay and degeneration.

Our country has within it five great world cultures. Each one is having its own special characteristics. An Indian nation builder must view all these. It would be worse to obliterate them and reduce them to a colourless unanimity.

 The work of nation building in India must be conducted along five main lines—Hindu, Parsee, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian. All must work together for the development of the country. Such a development will secure a rightful place for India among the nations of the world. No one can force one type of civilization to develop into another. If it happens, it will be unnatural and artificial. It is not isolation and exclusion, but federation and co-operation that will help for building India into a great and powerful nation.