Has your village/town/city remained under the same State since Independence? If not, what was the name of the earlier State?
This question requires a personal response based on where the student lives. A sample answer would be:
No, my city/town/village has not remained under the same State since Independence. Earlier, it was part of a larger State before the reorganisation. For example, if someone lives in Karnataka, the earlier State was called Mysore. Similarly, if someone lives in Gujarat, the earlier State was Bombay State.
The boundaries of several old States were changed in 1947 and later in 1956 to create new States. This was done to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same State. Some States like Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were created later to recognise differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography.
Explanation
This is a reflective question that asks students to trace the history of their own region. The textbook context mentions that in 1947, boundaries of several old States were changed to create new States, primarily on linguistic basis. The States Reorganisation Commission report was implemented on November 1, 1956. Students need to research their local history to answer accurately. Common examples include: Mysore (now Karnataka), Bombay State (divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat), Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh), etc.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify your current State of residence.
Step 2: Research if your State existed in 1947 or was created later.
Step 3: If created later, identify the parent State from which it was carved out.
Step 4: Mention the reason for reorganisation (language/culture/ethnicity/geography) as per the textbook context.