THE music video “Ek Sur”, more popularly known as “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”, was released on India’s Independence Day in 1988. It was a small contribution to the country’s herculean post-independence task of building a unified national identity. The song’s lyrics were written in all 14 languages recognised by the constitution at the time. (The number has since increased to 22.) Playing off India’s many cultures, the performers sing: “When your song and my song meet, they become our song.” In typical Indian fashion, the video is both kitschy and irresistible. It has since attained legendary status, eclipsing even a hi-fi, star-studded 2010 remake. “Ek Sur” represents one piece of the ongoing effort to define who and what is “Indian”, one of modern India’s most pressing challenges.

On a smaller scale, the southwestern state of Karnataka struggles with some of the same issues. Karnataka was created in 1956 from adjoining, mostly Kannada-speaking districts in four different states. The three other southern Indian states were created using language-based distinctions around the same time. The reorganisations were meant to strengthen…Continue reading

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