Thamizhagam vaazhga! Kairalam valarga!
Zephyr and others of his mind should accept the harsh ground reality that "India" is merely a political concept of the invaders. Prior to that we were known as Bhaaratha varsham, Bharatha khandam. We still use that identifying descriptive phrase in our religious rites. There is no "Indian" race, much less an "Indian" language. After the loss of the Indus valley to Pakistan is it still even correct to call India "India"?
Languages and customs, on the other hand, have been handed down through the millenia and generations and protected fiercely and proudly. Politicians cannot erase them. They are the markers of civilisations.
Can Kashmiris do Kathakali? Can Tamils do Krishna-aattam? Can Uttar Pradeshis read Grantham script? Can Bengalis say what is avial? Can Gujarathis say what is mor-kuzhambu? These questions are endless.
Let us be. Do not force Hindi (or Urdu) down the throats of Tamils. Do not compel those who wear podavai and mundu to don salvaar-kaameez. Let us eat rice (parboiled, brown, and polished white) while you feast in wheat and corn. Carry on with your roti and your dhaal, while we prefer thosai, idli, oothappam, adai, uppumaa and chutney-saambaar.
S Narayanaswamy Iyer
Sir, I would first like to clarify that I am not a north Indian, but a Tambrahm like yourself, only I use my pseudonym for online interactions, including my blog which, if you were to browse, would realise belongs to a Tamilian. Also, I am a woman in her senior years.
That said, I look upon all of Bharatavarsham as my country, including Tamil Nadu, Bengal and all the other states that were created after Independence and which are still being created. I am fluent in four Indian languages, having lived in the North and West of the country, most of my life. I completed my schooling in Tiruchi and did my PUC from SRC. I guess that establishes my identity.
And today sir, everyone from Kashmir to Kanyakumari know about the cuisines of the rest of the country and also the culture and customs, thanks to the visual medium and now social media. Ironically, it is the south, which has adopted the salwar kameez with alacrity, while women in the so-called north Indian state of Bihar and MP still favour the sari. I am one of those who still wear the sari, both the 6 and 9 yards version (on occasions), while Tambrahm ladies much older than me have shifted to this garment on the plea of it being comfortable.
No one is foisting these sartoraial preferences, but we ourselves are adopting them, just as making chapati and chole and paneer and other north indian foods a part of our tiffin/meals.
My humble point: Political or not, we are a nation. And by demanding separate identity, and status, we will disintegrate, which is what those who don't want a strong nation are trying to achieve - for it endangers their plans. Which is why efforts to revive the ancient cultures, which are rooted in Sanatana Dharma, are ridiculed and dismissed as being fundamental, communal and regressive.