People should believe that they all belong to the same country. This sense was developed by the united struggles against the British to some extent. The following are some of the cultural processes through which Indian nationalism captured people’s minds.

1. History and Fiction:

a. Reinterpretation of history served as an important tool in creating a feeling of nationalism among Indians.

b. As the Britishers felt that Indians were primitive, Indians started to reinterpret history to know about their achievements.

c. During ancient times, religion and culture, art and architecture, science and mathematics, trade etc., flourished. Articles on these were written to inspire people.

d. It was also mentioned that there was a huge decline in these areas when Britishers started colonising India.

e. The history of glorious India made the readers to inculcate the urge for freedom from the British clutch.

2. Popular prints and Symbols:

a. A nation is always identified with a figure or an image.

b. The image of Bharat Mata, portrayed by Abanindranath Tagore came to be the symbol of identity of India.

c. Tricolour flag, which was called as Swaraj flag, designed by Gandhiji also instilled nationalism among Indians.

3. Folklore and Songs:

a. Indian nationalists went around many villages to gather their traditional folk tales.

b. Movements were launched to revive the traditional Indian folklore.

c. These folktales played a major role in restoring one’s national identity and developing a sense of pride.

4. Hymns:

Hymns like Vande Mataram and ‘Swaraj is my birthright’ were widely sung to capture nationalism.

Nationalism, thus, spreads only if there is a feeling of oneness among all the people of a country.