What keeps India together as one country?

Hinduism.

I think it's your strong sense of nationalism. Although there are many differences between the various areas in India, the people still seem to feel they are one. In the years I have been online, I have made many, many friends in India, and that is the overwhelming feeling I have about it.

Divisive problems might come up -- that happens everywhere, but it doesn't stop a country from feeling they are one people. Look at what goes on here in the US, yet we all consider ourselves Americans.

As I'm writing this, I can hear Vande Mataram in my head.

http://youtu.be/c6PHJg9D_Sk

In one word: Nationalism.

Elaboration: India's birth or freedom from the British was marred with bloodshed caused by Hindu-Muslim riots. Indians were led to believe that it's only Muslims who are at their throat. Therefore, they had common enemy in Pakistan. The war of 1965 initiated by the then Pakistani dictator General Ayub Khan was the eye-opener for the Indians and they got their lesson and started uniting the nation as well as stockpiling hardware from the then USSR. The Indo-Sino war made it more complicated and India found wedged between Pakistan and China. That stoked more nationalistic feeling to defend the Mother-India at any cost.

India got chance to payback in kind by helping Bangladesh sustain 9 months guerrilla fight in then then East Pakistan where our Mukti Bahini (Freedom fighters) with active help of India by way of political, financial and military aid defeated West Pakistani occupation forces.

India tasted its first real victory over enemy Pakistan when 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to the joint forces of India and Bangladesh on 16th December 1971 in Racecourse Maidan, Dhaka and it was seen as defeat of Muslims (Pakistan) by the Hindus (Indians) and we in Bangladesh declared Secularism as one of the four pillars of our constitution of Bangladesh.

Then at the end of 1970s and beginning of 1980s China reformed its policy and opened its economy from command to market economy under the able leadership of Deng Xiao Ping and started flexing its economical and ,military muscles around its neighbors. India's the then Finance Minister (present PM) Manmohan Singh got the wind and started opening Indian economy China-style and today India is one of the economic superpower. The poor people in rural India did not get much of the slice of the pie from 'Shining India' but they are always hopeful that if they remain loyal and united then one day they can prosper like others (middle-class) who were the actual driving force for what India has economically achieved so far.

The other factor is majority of Indians are Hindus who follows caste system wherein they are having some 'structured' lifestyle where the lower-caste would follow the dictate of the upper-caste, somewhat the discipline or chain of command we can see in the communist countries or in the military. This social self-discipline system also keeps resentment from brewing over in most of the cases, and/or they are brutally suppressed.

These factors along with the game of Cricket that I think instills some sort of 'pride' in being Indian and they seldom can think of having any other kind of society or country except for the mother India where they are feeling complacent. These are the major causes that glues different cultures, languages and religions in India to go hand-in-hand and makes India what it is now.

Hope above explains.

PS. I know you are one of the most gifted user of Y!A and you also know what keeps India together as one country. May we get to know your views too? Have a nice day mate!

India isn't a country but a salad bowl of indefinite no of countries.

The common problems and difficulties keeps us together. Have you noticed, friendship grows faster in hospitals.

Deep rooted bureaucracy, strong army, good diplomacy with foreign nations & absence of any chance of any big military attack from any foreign nation.

The unbreakble thread of Bhakti unseen by the dynasty which Nehru could never discover.

Spiritual heritage.

B'cause there is no viable option!