India’s North-East

Udayon Misra

Oxford University Press

378 pages, Rs. 995

India’s north-east has been the subject of much debate and analysis since Independence. The many ethnicity-based—and often militant and separatist—movements emanating from this highly multicultural region have resulted in several redrawings of the country’s internal boundaries, and have redefined the idea of Indian nationalism itself. These essays, written over three decades, throw light on the complex processes of the Indian state’s engagement with the region’s demands for autonomy and secession.