Understanding Regions

This is in response to Sudipta Kaviraj’s article, “Three Planes of Space: Examining Regions Theoretically in India” (EPW, 18 November 2017).

Kaviraj uses “compositional analysis” over generalisation and fragmentation to trace the evolution and formation of regions. However, what does not come out of the narrative is the role of social–political elites and its implications on forming the regions in India. To quote, “cultural identity, then becomes a basis for a separate state, especially if fragments of such a nation are distributed among a cluster of states.” If this is true, then why have the Gondwana movements in central India and Sambalpuri in Odisha not emerged as separate states in the contemporary regime in spite of having a strong cultural identity and economic backwardness rationality?