Answer: 

Introduction:

India has been a highly diverse country in terms of culture since ancient times. Post independence, demands for reorganization of states on the basis of cultural similarity, linguistic identity and other factors emerged from different parts of India.

Body:

Though the government reorganized various states and also formed new states, the cultural units of India are more aligned with regions, rather than the State. This is so because:

• Political boundaries are set up based on many different considerations: The major consideration being the feasibility of creating a State and administrative convenience. Cultural uniformity is just one aspect and is not so focused upon since there is free movement within India across State boundaries.
  • Example: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have similarity in Culture but due to large developmental gaps, they separated out. So the Andhra Pradesh region has a culture which is common to Telangana as well despite both being two different states.
• Culture is influenced by the environment: Culture is a survival tool in any environment. This can be seen by the fact that the culture of people living by the coast would be totally different from those living in the hinterlands or cities within a State. Also, a similar environment across States would lead to similar culture.
  • For instance, people of Konkan and Vidarbha have totally different cultures despite being in the State of Maharashtra. Similarly, Rice-fish cuisine has been practiced across all coastal regions in different states.
• Culture flows as a continuum: Culture is a way of life of people and thus people living in proximity would have similarities in culture. This similarity would not go away simply because of any political boundary. Culture would be spread across boundaries.
  • Example: Rural males in Southern Gujarat and Maharashtra prefer to wear white Gandhi cap, shirt and pajama, whereas in Northern Gujarat and Rajasthan, they prefer turbans, kurta and dhoti. Also, Eastern UP is more similar to Bihar culture than to Western UP.
• Cultural variations accumulate: As culture varies locally, the variations accumulate and at some point, become highly distinct. This leads to different cultural regions within a State.
  • For instance, Kerala has a lot of differences in dialect, cuisine, way of life, etc across districts, although all of them are broadly termed as Kerala culture.
• North-East as a hub of diversity: North Eastern states were formed on ethno-linguistic lines but Culture differs within and across the state. The tribes living in proximity would have distinct cultural practices that separates its identity from the others.
  • Even within the small state of Sikkim, we can see two broad cultural elements- Sikkim-Buddhist culture & Nepali-Brahmin/Hindus.

Conclusion:

No state forms a single monolithic cultural unit in India. While some cultures are spread across State boundaries, there are multiple cultural variations within the States as well.

DOWNLOAD PDF