There is an urgent need to spiritualise religions and de-communalise patriotism, for a communal patriot will create divisions and a fanatical cleric will drive one against the nation in the name of religion. What's needed is the voice that proclaims the oneness of divinity and frees patriotism from sectarian interpretations. Both religion and patriotism have become hostages of their shallow interpretations. The chasm arises when vested interests indoctrinated by political or religious allegiance illegitimately use nationalism or god to endorse division, discrimination, aggression, violence and hatred. But with religions getting shrouded in fanaticism and patriotism in rhetoric, a religious patriot may appear like an oxymoron. Ideally, it should not be possible to drive a wedge between love for the country and love for god. Have we allowed the fanatical elements to communalise patriotism? Have they been successful in setting up a conflict of allegiance between the two most important domains of one's identity? The voice of the sane patriot will be lost in the cacophony of 'Go to Pakistan if your religion doesn't allow you to prostrate to Mother India' and 'Our religion doesn't allow idolatry in the name of patriotism'.
If one end of the spectrum is hell-bent on coercing every Indian to wear the badge of patriotism on his/her sleeves, the other will remind its constituency that their religious allegiance take precedence over national loyalty. However, with vested interests trying to pit patriotism against religion and vice versa, the innate feeling of national pride will be under siege of manipulation as the nation celebrates its 69th Independence Day.
With the Indian tricolour fluttering everywhere from the Red Fort to the neighbourhood school to the bonnet of a swanky Mercedes to a hand-pulled rickshaw, patriotism seems to know no barrier.