Subject: Re: [BoundaryPoint] Indian mess - French to blame?
Date: Apr 26, 2001 @ 00:18
Author: Brendan Whyte ("Brendan Whyte" <brwhyte@...>)
Prev    Post in Topic    Next [All Posts]
Prev    Post in Time    Next


While India demanded the 'return' of 'foreign enclaves' to the 'motherland'
in 1950s and 60s, those of Pakistan in India have sat awaiting India's
ratification of a treaty signed in 1958 and then renewed with Bangladesh in
1974. It apears the enemy of Pakistan is not as evil as those darned
Frenchies and Portugeezers!
India invaded Goa in the early 60s, refused Portugal access to Dadra-Nagar
Haveli, and no doubt helped the 'freedom movements' in Pondicherry.
all of these have retianed their original boundaries, partly from the
preferecnes of locals for that. So it was not the shape of these fragments
that was problematic, but the fact that Europeans controleld them. India is
quick to forget that the very concept of India is pretty much one intriduced
by waves on invaders, Afghans, Pathans, Mughals, British...
Daman and diu have been administratively separated fomr Goa, as have
Dadra/N.H.. Chandernagore was separated fomr Pondicherry by the French, and
merged first into India. But the boundary survives as a municipal one. A
tiny garden along the hoogly just south of Chandernagore that was also
French has disappeared though.

Pnodicherry survived partly also becvause of local politics. Local
politicians made big $ out of alcohol when surrounding Madras was dry. Mahe
is still nothing more than a soak-pit for long distance Indian truckers.
Girls and grog.
Provincial boundaries in India were reorganised on language linesi n 1956.
This reorganisation also reconnected West Bengal, which had been divided in
two by partition. For 9 years the state consisted of the districts around
Calcutta, and the separated northern districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and
Cooch Behar (after integration in 1949). The intervening Bihar area
wasBengali speaking, so was added to Bengal. Most enclaves between provinces
were dowe away with in 1950 when all the prinxcely states were merged into
new provinces or joined to old ones. The govt rapidly moved to swap enclaves
around before the constitution came into force in 2/1950, as it would be
much hardeer after that. This explains why some enclaves remain. Local
politics and advantages of being a wret enclave in a dry state, like a small
Madhya Pradesh villagei n Gujerat, make it hard for the centre to get
agfreement fomr both states involved to change things. Invariably local
politicians stir up illiterate peasants against changes, and blood flows.
With states based on language now, it is a thorny issue. Occassionally
things do happen . Like the recent creation of 3 new states. But even so,
despite the 1956 reorganisation, some parts of state boundaries remain
disputed or contested. Often in rivers where 'chars' or silt islands form
after floods. Cultiuvation of these is a source of conflict, sometimes with
knives and guns and the state police forces! Other claims are to entire
districtrs on historic or language or cultural grounds. And being sensitive,
it is hard to get solid information on it. and with the population density
sand the amount of rice one can grow on a small area, arguments over a few
acres mean a lot over there.
But politics is mainly to blame, with parties eager to stir up trouble to
entrench support for themselves in local areas. This is how the BJP got to
power, by making causes in Bengal where it had no support until it opposed
the tin bigha lease.

Not that the maps you referecne are 'not to scale'. I am still trying to
piece together decent mapping of Pondicherry.

The Indian sources say the pondicherry borders are lost in history, so
because of their age, and indian sensitivity on borders and rapidly decaying
documents in archives, i doubt the explanation for the enclaves there will
ever be explained properly.

BW



>From: "Peter Smaardijk" <smaardijk@...>
>Reply-To: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
>To: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [BoundaryPoint] Indian mess - French to blame?
>Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 14:58:10 -0000
>
>India is not known for its simple boundary solutions, but the
>boundaries of Pondicherry are a bit of a mess, acc. to
>http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/pondicherry/h3s2502.htm . My
>question: are the French to blame for this? In that case, India
>inherited a nice administrative nightmare. Why didn't India do
>anything about it? It is not an international boundary anymore (as is
>the problem with the Indian/Bengal enclaves).
>
>And where did Chandernagore go? I remember there was a French
>settlement of that name near Calcutta. Did it become Indian before
>the other pieces did? It is not part of Pondicherry.
>
>Any other background information on union terr./state boundaries in
>India is welcome, too!
>
>Peter S.
>

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com