Quami Ekta Week: National Integration Week, Celebration, Pledge, Theme

Quami Ekta Week (National Integration Week) celebrated from 19th November to the 25th November every year.

Union Home Minister, Sri Rajnath Singh has stated that the Quami Ekta Week or the National Integration Week will be celebrated by the center as well as the state government. A circular has been already sent to all the government and private institutions for the observance of Quami Ekta Week. The CBSE board has also sent a notification to all the schools and colleges affiliated to it to celebrate the week long celebrations in their premises.

The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH) will organise the week long Communal Harmony Campaign from 19th November to instill the sentiments of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and brotherhood. The campaign also aims at raising funds for the foundation to further strengthen its programmes and rehabilitation activities.

Many media houses are observing the Quami Ekta Week by organizing “Kavi Sammelan” where dignitaries from all the sections of society participate and keep their views and thoughts in a poetic style. Many symposia and seminars will also be organised emphasizing the theme of secularism, anti-communalism and non-violence.

Quami Ekta Week: National Integration Week

Quami Ekta Week or National Integration Week is observed every year all across the India from 19th November to the 25th November. During whole week celebration of the Quami Ekta Week various programmes are held related to the specific theme of each day celebrations. Some of the programs like meetings, seminars, symposia, particular legendary functions, cultural activities are held to highlight the themes (national integration, secularism, non-violence, linguistic harmony, anti-communalism, cultural unity, development of weaker sections, well being of minorities, issues of woman and conservation) of Quami Ekta Week. The celebration of the week starts with the National Integration Pledge.

Quami Ekta Week is celebrated to foster and reinforce the strength of public harmony and national integration. The whole week celebrations offer a new opportunity to all to reaffirm the old traditions, culture and faiths in worth of tolerance and brotherhood in such a multi-religious and multi-cultural societies of the India. It also assists in highlighting the inherent strength and flexibility of the country to maintain the communal harmony.

National Integration pledge is taken during the celebration to preserve and strengthen the liberty and honesty of the India. Pledge affirms that non violence, peace and faiths should be continued in order to settle all the differences as well as disputes of languages, culture, religions, regions, and political objections. The whole week celebrations are titled as the:

Quami Ekta Week: Celebration

A cycle rally is organized by the administration to mark the starting of the Quami Ekta Week celebration. The aim of the full week celebrations is to spread the feeling of integrity, love, harmony and brotherhood among the people of different culture all over the India. The participants of the cycle rally are the students from schools and volunteers from various NGOs all through the country.

Celebrations In India:

Quami Ekta Week is celebrated every year promote the unity in the country of diversity (around 66 languages, 22 religions, 28 states and numerous tribes). It is celebrated to highlight the value and role of women in nation building. It is highly focused to raise the social status of the woman through various programs. General public should aware and understand the issues of both gender equality and rights in the country.

Quami Ekta Week: Meaning

“Qaum” is an Urdu term referring to the nationality or religion of an individual or a community as a whole. “Quami Ekta week” is therefore a week of celebrating and promoting religious harmony by organizing various events; where people from different religions and cultures come together to share their culture, beliefs, languages and values.

The day was first observed by the NCC (National Cadet Corps) for promoting religious harmony and peace. The week begins on 19th November which is also the birth day of India’s first woman Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi.

It is an attempt to foster the feeling of national integration and national unity among the diverse classes of India. Also called as “National Integration Week” it is an effort to reaffirm the mutual trust and harmony shared between different ethnic groups in India since ages.

The week is organized from 19th November to 25th November each year under the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Each day of the week is dedicated to a specific activity or causes like – culture, ethnicity, languages, poverty, women empowerment, weaker sections, tribes of India etc as decided by the Government.

Quami Ekta Week: Importance

Quami Ekta Week attempts to develop the feeling of nationality and unity among different ethnicity of India. It also rejuvenates the trust and love that they share irrespective of their states, religions, cultures, customs or beliefs.

People belonging to totally different cultures and religions; share a common platform to understand each other’s cultural and religious beliefs which in turn fosters the feeling of mutual trust and harmony. Events are organized based on themes like culture, languages, tribes, etc which further promotes trust and understanding and also make aware of the issues of social concern.

It serves as a platform for many organizations as well as various ethnic and religious groups come forward towards eliminating social and cultural divide and pledging not to resort to any type of violence in case of a religious or cultural dispute and also to take preventive measures to prevent one.

The NFCH (National Foundation for Communal Harmony) which is an autonomous body functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, also organize a week long event to raise funds for the children orphaned by communal riots and natural calamities as well as to promote unity and harmony by organizing various events on ground level. The fund thus collected by the NFCH is spent on the welfare and education of the deprived children.

There is no second thought about the importance of “Quami Ekta Week” given the causes it promotes and the children those NFCH supports under its banner.

Pledge:

Quami Ekta Week starts with the Quami Ekta Pledge which is:

“I solemnly (with deep sincerity) pledge to work with dedication to preserve and strengthen the freedom and integrity of the nation”

“I further affirm that I shall never resort to violence and that I will continue to endeavor towards settlement of all differences and disputes relating to religion, language, region or other political or economic grievances by peaceful and constitutional means”.

Every citizen of India is supposed to take this pledge in his or her office or house on the first day of “Quami Ekta Week” and follow the pledge in word as well as in spirit.

Quami Ekta Week: Themes

The Quami Ekta Week is observed every year with the main theme of “Secularism, Anti-Communalism and Non-Violence“. The theme helps to celebrate the week long event by presenting the Indian tradition of “Unity in Diversity” and for promoting cultural integration and conservation.