'nationalism' is typically distinguished from patriotism; the latter is a love of country -- the former is the conviction that one's country is better than other countries, on the basis of a rank tribalism.
India without Indian Nationalism is Syria on Steroids.. You do not want to go there.
At the time, ruling over different culture and languages was a sign of power. Chandragupta's empire included Bengali and people from Deccan, and i think it extended beyond the hindus (Sorry if it the the english term, i'm not fluent enough to read history books in english). I would be VERY surprised if any of those considered themselves as Indian before anything else.
The states that brought Germany down in both world wars were just as nationalistic at the time. Even the commies brought it back when they needed it the most - and it worked.
Also, since the country in question here is India - without nationalism, they would still be a colony.
Interesting times.
The problem is that the BJP is advancing a conception of Indian National Identity that flattens distinctions and is predicated on a caricature of Indian minorities. Hindutva sees Muslims, Christians and others as second-class citizens -- it is a nationalism that comes at the expense of diversity, and sometimes at the expense of the safety of Indian minority communities, free expression & speech, and democratic norms.
Creating an identity from a subcontinent filled with dozens (if not thousands) of languages and ethnic groups is an immense challenge, but the project of Hindutva is an unbelievably blunt attempt to resolve this tension.
I should add that I am an Indian American, and a St. Thomas Christian from Kerala. My community is ancient, thoroughly Indian, and yet is an affront to Indian Nationalism as conceived by the Hindu Nationalist right.
I am surprised to even hear Thomasites who are one of the socio-econmic mores facing persecution in a state where BJP has no footprint.
Perhaps you are surprised because he didn't say that!
Being a "Christian" is about actually accepting the bible, the first words that people hear from god is to kill the non-believers and idolators.
I understand where you are coming from, but I am fairly certain 99% of the Hindutva groups would be fine as long as you do not hold such extreme views.
So what is your take on the aggressive evangelism (mostly American) going on in India.
And what do you think of the RSS definition of Hindu which includes all Christians & Muslims who consider India their cultural source.
Nationalism is an idea and movement that promotes the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people),[1] especially with the aim of gaining and maintaining the nation's sovereignty (self-governance) over its homeland. Nationalism holds that each nation should govern itself, free from outside interference (self-determination), that a nation is a natural and ideal basis for a polity[2] and that the nation is the only rightful source of political power (popular sovereignty).[1][3] It further aims to build and maintain a single national identity, based on shared social characteristics of culture, ethnicity, geographic location, language, politics (or the government), religion, traditions and belief in a shared singular history,[4][5] and to promote national unity or solidarity.[1] Nationalism seeks to preserve and foster a nation's traditional cultures and cultural revivals have been associated with nationalist movements.[6] It also encourages pride in national achievements and is closely linked to patriotism.[7][8][page needed] Nationalism is often combined with other ideologies such as conservatism (national conservatism) or socialism (left-wing nationalism).[2]