In the context of the diversity of India, can it be said that the regions form cultural units rather than the States ? Give reasons with examples for your viewpoint.
Approach · directive: “can it be said”
What it asks · Take a position on whether cultural regions cross-cut State boundaries, using examples where regions and States match and where they do not.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Take a position: whether cultural regions rather than States form India's cultural units
- Give reasons with examples where regions cross State lines and where States coincide with cultural units
Open with · The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 drew States largely on linguistic lines, yet dialect, art, cuisine and tribal culture often cross those borders.
Cover
- Position: broadly yes; regions are the finer cultural units, States the political units built on language.
- Dialect regions: Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Bundelkhandi and Chhattisgarhi are grouped under 'Hindi' yet mark distinct cultures.
- Straddling regions: Braj, Bundelkhand and Konkan each span two or three States.
- Tribal belts: Munda and Santhal culture of Chota Nagpur crosses State lines.
- Sub-State identity: Telangana (2014), and demands for Vidarbha and Harit Pradesh, show regions distinct within a State.
- Where States fit: Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat broadly coincide with one culture; Goa's 1967 opinion poll kept Konkani identity separate.
Close with · A person can be Bhojpuri, Bihari and Indian at once; federalism lets such layered identities find political shape when they prove durable.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2017, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 224words · Minimalist IAS
The States Reorganisation Commission (1953) led to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, which created 14 States and six Union Territories largely on linguistic lines. Language, however, is one strand of culture, so in most of India the region, not the State, is the living cultural unit.
Why regions form cultural units
- Dialect regions: the Census groups Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Bundelkhandi and Chhattisgarhi under 'Hindi', yet each marks a distinct folk culture.
- Regions straddling States: Mithila painting belongs to the Mithila region of northern Bihar, while others cross borders:
| Cultural region | States it spans |
|---|---|
| Braj | Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana |
| Bundelkhand | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh |
| Konkan | Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka |
- Tribal belts: the Munda and Santhal culture of the Chota Nagpur region spreads over several States.
- Sub-State identity: Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 despite a shared language; Vidarbha and Harit Pradesh demands persist.
Where States are cultural units
- Linguistic States: Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat broadly coincide with one language and culture.
- Culture shaping borders: in Goa's 1967 opinion poll, the majority chose to stay outside Maharashtra, guarding their Konkani identity.
Verdict
Broadly yes: regions are the finer cultural units, while States are political units built on language that sometimes match them.
A person can be Bhojpuri, Bihari and Indian at once; federalism lets such layered identities find political shape when they prove durable.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
