we the people of the states of bharat

by Sanjeev Chopra

on Oct 25, 2024

Given that the nine provinces of British India as well as the 562 princely states that existed in August 1947 are not reflected on the map of India in the seventy-fifth year of its independence speaks volumes about the nation's ability to negotiate its political and administrative boundaries with its citizens. While the process of reimagining India through its constituent units - the states - has, on occasion, been due to administrative requirements, most restructuring in the internal boundaries is marked by the aspirations, assertions and adjustments of linguistic and/or ethnic groups seeking their place in the state and federal polity.

For Dr Sanjeev Chopra, what started as research into land measurement instruments for revenue records and land settlements eventually became a narrative on mapping state boundaries and a record of the contemporary political history of India through its geography. The book includes captivating material from the reports of the States Reorganization Commission and Linguistic Reorganization Commission, records from state papers as well the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.