Beyond region and religion

Having read Chetan Bhagat's '2 states' recently, I pondered over a few things. Despite there being a lot of critics about the book, I somehow liked a few nuances and messages which the book delivers - the most important being - moving beyond region and religion and having an integrated India. Of course, I do not buy the idea of making love to a Madrasi (read: Tamil Brahmin girl) to unite our country, but certainly it's time that we Indians get over our biases of region (different states of India) and religion.

The words of my Hindi teacher at school (when I was in eighth standard), Mrs. Kaur, still distinctly ring in my ears - "अगर कोई आपसे पूछे की आप कौन सी जाती के है तो कहियेगा - हम मानव जाती के है!" - "if someone ever asks your religion or caste, tell them it's HUMANITY!"

Of course, Mr. Raj Thakery would not like this, but the current captain of the Indian cricket team is a so-called bhaiya from Ranchi. Does any marathi manoos detest our Dhoni? Did we ever think that Sachin 'the God' Tendulkar was a marathi manoos when he scored past 17k ODI runs with a fantastic (yet match-losing) knock of 175 against the Aussies? I understand that cricket, per se, is a religion in India but why can't we be sportsmen enough to give the same acceptance to different regions and religions in all spheres of our lives?

I know we're becoming more and more acceptable to this view, of late. As my boss narrated one day-"Vivek, when I go overseas and see any Indian there, I do not stamp him/her as a Bong, Punjabi, South Indian, or Kashmir, but purely as an Indian."

Perhaps, in our hearts we are still Indians first and that's the only reason why our country is still integrated and not divided / scattered into countless individual countries despite the varied differences across states. But at times, we do falter, and that is what we need to address. Makes me pray - "into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my country awake".