A sense of collective belongingness amongst Indians was a result of united struggles against colonial rule and the cultural processes through which Nationalism occupied people's imagination. 1. The identity of India as a nation closely came to be associated with the image of Bharat Mata, first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In addition, a hymn. 'Vande Mataram' was written by him and widely sung during the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal. Later painted by Abanindranath Tagore, the image of Bharat Mata was portrayed as an aesthetic figure, calm. composed, divine and spiritual. It was later circulated widely in popular print and a sense of devotion towards the mother figure was seen as evidence of one's nationalism. 2. A movement to revive Indian folklores, singing of folk songs and tales across villages by bards played an important role in preserving folk tradition and restoring a sense of pride in one's past. In Madras, for example, Natesa Sastri published a massive four-volume collection of Tamil folktales, titled, The folklore of Southern India. Also, icons and symbols played helped in unifying people. The tricolor flag (red, green, yellow), for example, which was designed during the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal and later on designed by Gandhiji (red, green, white) in 1921 with a spinning wheel represented the Gandhian idea of self-help. It thus gradually acquired the shape of a symbol of defiance. 3. A feeling of nationalism was also created by the reinterpretation of history. Although the British saw the Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves, many Indians, in response, began to look at the glorious achievements of the past. Writings about the success achieved in the field of ancient times when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy. crafts and trade had flourished began to be written and preserved. These nationalist histories, in turn, played an important role in urging the readers to take pride in India's past and achievements in order to change the terrible conditions of life under British Rule.