1) South Asia as a region emerged in the post-colonial period after British withdrawal from the subcontinent. The British previously referred to the region as India or the Indian subcontinent. 2) Two important factors shaped South Asia - the cultural synthesis of religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, and the colonial experience under British rule. 3) Post-independence, South Asian countries pursued divergent nation-building strategies, often prioritizing one religion, language or ethnic group. This has led to tensions between minority and dominant groups in these countries.

1. International Indexed & Refereed Research Journal, January, 2013 ISSN 0975-3486, RNI- RAJBIL- 2009-30097, VOL- IV * ISSUE- 40
Research Paper—Political Science
South Asia As Region
Historical Perspective
January,2013 * Dr. Anupama Saxena
* Lecturer in Political Science, Govt. Girls College Kothputali
South Asia a as a concept, as wall as nomenclature for sown at the time of the very birth of post-colonial states
the region, sandwiched between the Persian Gulf on in the sub-continent.3 When one looks at the historical
the West, South-East Asia on the east and China on the evolution of South Asia, two important factors emerge
north, has been of a relatively recent origin, say of the out. One was the cultural synthesis which gradually
past 20 to 25 years. The British during their empirical become the fact of life in the sub-continent. The basic
and colonial rule used to describe the region, as India contributing factor in this regard was the tendency of
or the Indian sub-continent. After the withdrawal of the tolerance and absorption towards the incoming alien
British, for a good number of years the region contin- cultures, influences and rulers shown by the dominant
ued to be included with South-East Asia under the socio-cultural and political forces in India. Not less
broad nomenclature of Southern Asia1. Even now when important in the evolution of composite sub-continen-
'South Asia' has become a widely accepted expression, tal culture, was the fact that area housed the birth
ambiguity about its geographical confines continue to places of two of the major world religions, namely,
linger. Hinduism and Buddhism with their various branches
The inclusion of Afghanistan on the west and and sects.
Burma on the East in South Asian grouping has always The Christian and Muslim influences through
been a matter of debate and dispute and continues to the process of absorption by these basic religions of
be so. Politically however, neither Afghanistan nor the region. As a result Islam and Christianity became
Burma now Myanmar would prefer to be included in the peculiarly sub-continental in their content and flavour.
South Asian region. Some voices in the South Asian Notwithstanding the Pakistan insistence for its close
countries, like Pakistan and Nepal are heard even in religious ties with West Asia, the nature of Pakistan
favour of including China as a South Asian power. This Islam is so very different from that of the West Asian
is neither tenable geographically nor social-culturally. Islam. For that matter, even the Islam in Bangladesh is
The transformation of the Indian sub-continent into much too liberal and accommodating than the Islam
South Asia had been designed by the British them- that has been practiced in Pakistan. It is unfortunate
selves, through the manner in which they left the sub- that the political import of this composite culture is
continent, dividing India into the states of India and being ignored either fully or partially in evolving and
Pakistan and leaving the former princely states with an pursuing nation building strategies in the modern South
option wherein they could either join one of the two Asian states. Perhaps the cost of this ignorance is
new states or even remain independent. evident in the socio-cultural tensions and conflicts
In view of geographical location of the former confronting the rulers in these countries.4 The second
princely states and political factors operating in the important factor was, of course, the colonial experience
sub-continent at that time, including the drive on the which, because of its exploitative intent and thrust, had
part of Indian leaders not to allow disintegration of the also exercised integrative influences. It is usually claimed
new Republic, the option of independence for the by scholars and statesmen of Nepal that country was
princely states was only of a theoretical and hypotheti- never under the colonial rule. This is true only in the
cal significance. Nonetheless, the process of keeping formal sense.
the former British empire integrated as India to the In actual experience, however, Nepal, through
extent possible, did generate deep suspicions and ap- the linkages between the British and the Ranas, had all
prehensions between the two new states of India and the adverse implications of the colonial rule. The re-
Pakistan. cruitment of the Gurkha troops for the British army was
The controversies on integration of its worst manifestation. This formal independence in
Hyderabad and Junagarh into the Indian Union as well turn, deprived Nepal of all the benign impact of integra-
as the conflict on Kashmir which still remains unre- tive influences exercised by the colonial rule on other
solved, may be cited as illustrations to the point. 2 In a countries. The impact of colonialism which continues
way, therefore, the seeds of intrastate conflict were
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2. International Indexed & Refereed Research Journal, January, 2013 ISSN 0975-3486, RNI- RAJBIL- 2009-30097, VOL- IV * ISSUE- 40
to remain a powerful legacy for the new states to grapple even industrial development introduced by the British
with, had many important consequences. Some of them, particularly in the constituted divergence in economic
like the movement of labour force from India to patterns of development amongst the South Asian
neighbouring countries in SriLanka and Bruma (now countries. Since independence the South Asian coun-
Myanmar) or integration of markets and modernization tries have pursued divergent strategies of economic
of economy in some sectors with the development of development. But many of the basic economic prob-
transport and communication, integration of the sub- lems resulting from low productivity, lack of capital,
continent into a single strategic unit in order to serve high population growth, dependence on European and
the British defense and security interests better in Asia now even the Gulf markets and primary produce eco-
may be mentioned here. During this integrative/ex- nomic are common amongst the South Asian coun-
ploitative thrust, many of the interstate as well as intr- tries.5 It would need a great deal of coordinated attempt
astate irritations, dissentions and diversities were ei- if these problems are to be resolved in future.
ther under - played or suppressed to suit the colonial A mention has been made earlier of the com-
interests. However, as soon as the colonial rule was posite culture of South Asia and indifference towards
withdrawn these dissentions and conflicts came up in its political thrust in some of the countries. This is
a big way. There is a view that the British withdrew in evident in the divergent nation- building strategies
a haste. Whether this was so or not, its implications pursued by the South-Asian countries particularly
could be seen as many of the contentious issues in- between India on the one hand and its neighbours on
cluding boundary demarcation were left unresolved the other. Most of India's neighbours have clearly and
South Asia as it has emerged after the British with- openly drifted from a secular thrust into pursuing sec-
drawal is essentially a Indo- centric region. This is so tarian policies based upon the dominance of one lan-
not only in the geographical sense where of course, guage one religion and one community, Islam and
India's huge size and central location make it the core Punjabi dominance in Pakistan, Islam and Bengali domi-
South Asian power. nance in Bangladesh, Buddhist and Sinhalese domi-
The Indo-centric nature is also evident in nance in Sri Lanka, Hinduism and hill peoples domi-
socio-cultural and economic fields. There are good nance in Nepal and Drupes and Buddhist dominance
number ofreligious and ethnic contiguities in the South in Bhutan are clearly evident. These sectarian policies
Asian states like Hinduism and Buddhism between have alienated dominant minorities in each of these
India on the one hand and Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka countries and consequently given rise to tremendous
on the other, Islam between India on the one hand and internal pressures on political and social systems. This
Pakistan and Bangladesh on the other. Tamils are present is even resulting in intra-regional relations in South
in India as well as in Sri Lanka, so are the Bengalis in Indian heartland has, however,The Indo-centric nature
India and Bangladesh and the Sind his and the Punjabis of the South Asia also defines the structure of power
in India and Pakistan and Maithili's, Awadhi's and hierarchy in the region. India with its size, population
Bhojpuri in India and Nepal. These ethnic and religious and economic resources dominate this hierarchy.6
identities are augmented by those of language, caste India also has huge military strength as com-
structures, festivities etc. But all these contiguities are pared to most of its neighbours individually or put
necessarily bilateral in nature, between India and one together. The only exception in this respect, to some
or more of its neighbours individually. There are no extent is Pakistan, who with the help of the external
multilateral affinities. sources particularly China and U.S. continues to pur-
We noted earlier that Islam in Pakistan, sue its drive for parity with India.7 Pakistan by itself is
Bangladesh and Maldives are different in their orien- also not a small country on the basis of size, population
tations. Similarly, Buddhism in Sri Lanka is not the same and military power criteria. The gap between Pakistan
as Buddhism in Bhutan, and so on. All the other and India particularly in the military sense is consider-
neighbours of India do not even have their borders ably narrow than what is generally made out.8 It is this
touching with each other. They have only one thing in narrow gap and the persistent Pakistani drive for parity
common and that is India itself. This essentially bilat- with India that account for the continuous conflictual
eral nature of the South Asian contiguities and identi- relationship between the two countries. India despite
ties is often overlooked when multilateral interactions its traditional potential to be a great power, lacks the
are prescribed for interstate relations and conflict reso- necessary wherewithal to become a guardian of re-
lution proposals in South Asia. Economically the re- gional political and security order. There in lies the
gion is a monsoon area where crop patterns and agri- dilemma for India in its role in the region as also in
cultural practices have extensive similarities. The un- world affairs, at large. The smaller countries on the
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3. International Indexed & Refereed Research Journal, January, 2013 ISSN 0975-3486, RNI- RAJBIL- 2009-30097, VOL- IV * ISSUE- 40
other hand, have also not been able to resolve their favor of a disharmonious relationship. It remains to be
dilemma as to what kind of India they would like to live seen if the wisdom and skill of the South Asian leaders
with in their neighborhood. This reciprocal dilemma would be able to fathom the roots of the region's dis-
has generated many apprehensions and fears amongst harmonious relationships and chart a course which is
the intra-South Asian relations. somewhat unprecedented and more productive. May
These fears have been responsible for en- be the SARC would become an instrument for advance-
couraging and facilitating the inflow of extra-regional ment in this respect, but it is a long and arduous way
powers influences in the region. This has further com- to go.
plicated the regional power hierarchy and skewed it in
R E F E R E N C E
1 S.P. Varma, "South Asia as a Region", in S.P. Varma and K.P. Varma and
2 K.P. Misra (ed.), Foreign Policies in South Asia, New Delhi,. 1969.
3 On Kashmir question between India and Pakistan see, Sisir Gupta's study on
4 For detailed discussion of the sources of divergence, dissensions and conflicts in South Asia, see Stanley
5 oxford University press, New York, 1982, S.D. Muni, "South Mohd. Ayoob (ed.), Conflict and Intervention in Helm,
London, 1980, Khalized, and Religious conflicts in South Asia, Conflict studies, no.178, Institute
6 Wolpert, Roots of confrontation in South Asia,
7 Asia." in the Third World, Croom O. cit.,Chapter4, partha S. Ghosh, Ethnic for the study of conflict, London, 1985, S.D.
Muni," Regional Insecurity in South Asia, in problems of Communism, Vol.23,nos. 1 and 2 April- September 1985 pp.
117-146; and A. Jayaratnam
8 Dennis Dalon (ed.), The states of South Asia
9 Integration Vikas, New Delhi,1982.
10 Ramakant (ed.), Regionalism in South Asia, Jaipur, 1983.
11 Ghosh, op. cit., wilson and Dennis, op.cit. Gunnar Myrdal, Asian drama, Also Systemic Divergence and
12 Problems Wilson of National
13 John W. Mellor (ed.), India A Rising Middle Power, New Delhi, 1981 Also Surjit Mar Singh, India's Search for Power, Sage,
1984.
14 See Military Balance (ILSS, London), Manual, or SIPRI
15 military strength of South Asian Stephen Cor " South Asia After Afghanistan", Problems of Communism,
16 January -February 1985, Janes Defen Weekly, 9 February 1985,Year Books, for Countries.
84 RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION