NEW DELHI, Oct 13:
A new book will examine the political history of independent India through its shifting internal boundaries on the basis of language, ethnicity and regional assertions.
Written by former bureaucrat Sanjeev Chopra, “We, the People of the States of Bharat” will be released on October 30, publisher HarperCollins India has announced.
Touted to be the “quintessential record of the contemporary political history” of India through its geography, the book examines the multiple boundary adjustments for every state and Union Territory in India – from 1947 to the 75th year of independence.
“The political map of a nation is the most potent symbol of its sovereignty. In this book, I have examined how the internal boundaries of India have been altered on account of various linguistic, ethnic and regional assertions. I argue that India has emerged stronger from the reorganization of states, and this has strengthened the voice of regional leaders and ensured the articulation of grassroot aspirations,” said the author in a statement.
It includes material from the reports of the States Reorganisation Commission and Linguistic Reorganisation Commission along with records from state papers as well the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
According to the publishing house, the book, which 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 has been endorsed by several noted personalities, including the likes of Supreme Court judge Sudhanshu Dhulia, CEO of NITI Aayog Parameswaran Iyer and former surveyor general of India Lt Gen Girish Kumar.
“This book is a work of painstaking research and hard work. It is a major work on our contemporary history and politics,” said justice Dhulia in his praise for the book.
“We, the People of the States of Bharat” is currently available for pre-order online. (PTI)
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