Ashok RainaDharamshala, Oct. 27 -- A comprehensive understanding of India's national consciousness requires awareness of its occupied territories, Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh Central University Prof Sat Prakash Bansal said on Tuesday.

Addressing the inaugural session of 'Jammu and Kashmir Accession Week 2026', organised by the Centre for Kashmir Studies, Prof Bansal said an incomplete understanding of India's geography leads to an incomplete understanding of its national consciousness.

He emphasised that firmness and dialogue were not contradictory qualities and that sustained dialogue should continue even while remaining firm in one's convictions.

A balance between the two was essential for advancing individual and national inte...