Introduction

When india gained independence in 19 forty seven, this india that we now inhabit was anything but inevitable. It wasn't just a question of holding british india together after splitting it in two. There were almost 600 princely states, all with their own agreements with the british and many wanted to join neither india nor parkisan. Using force on these princely states would not have gone down well with the international community. So they had to be persuaded to join india of their own free will. A balconization of india seemed inevitable, but it did not happen. Step by step, the country we now know as india was politically constructed by a handful