Patriotism
Patriotism, or love for one’s country, is one of man’s noblest sentiments, and is as old as geography itself. One thinks of one’s country as one’s motherland — the giver of food, shelter and love. When you are born or brought up in a particular land, feelings of loyalty towards it naturally spring up in your heart. You aspire to serve your nation, and protect it from all harm.
History is full of examples of people who sacrificed their lives for their country. India too has had its share of brave sons and daughters — Ram’. of Jhansi, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, LalaLajpat Rai, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bipin Chandra Pal and Mahatma Gandhi, to name a few. We should all strive to emulate them and ask, as the late John F Kennedy said, “…not what your country can do for you; but what you can do for your country.”
This does not necessarily mean that we should die for it. Every day of our lives, we can serve our nation in simple yet important ways. We can keep it clean, help it progress by being conscientious and good citizens, we can guard it against enemies and, if the need arises, we can fight for its security. Thus we can all be patriots, loving, respecting and cherishing our motherland.
