India is a nation of diversities. The people who inhabit this nation belong to different races, communities and castes. They reside in different geographical regions and speak different languages. They practice different religions and have varied cultures. But with all these diversities, they all are Indians with emotional harmony. They may have many religious identities such as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains or Zoroastrians. They may also be identified as Punjabis, Tamils, Malayalis, Bengalis, Manipuri or South or North or North-East Indians but with supreme national identity. At the same time while mentioning various regions, mountains and rivers, we respectfully acknowledge the unity of our country in its diversity. Our NIS programmes mainly focus on the need to maintain the unity and integrity of our nation. In fact, national integration has been one of the most important priorities of our country. In the course of analyzing the issues related to unity and integrity of the country, Secularism is mentioned as the fundamental characteristic of our nation. It is said that secularism is one of the most essential conditions of national integration.

Our objectives are to:

Understand the meaning and the importance of national integration.

Appreciate how national movement against British Rule helped in national integration

Analyse how the provisions in the Indian Constitution promote national integration.

Identify the challenges to national integration in our country.

Understand the implications of secularism and appreciate the role of a learner as a citizen of India and an agent of change in promoting national integration and secularism.