Having travelled for my reporting assignments across the country (barring a few states) and that too in the most remote and primitive areas, I never felt India as a single country. Having different cultures, habits, food and all are fine but we don’t have even some basic things in common.

What unites countries like the US and UK is some basic infrastructures. In US, all freeways looks alike, all subdivisions (leave the cities) are same and every merchandise are same. Now add stores like Walmart and Target etc which do not change even their product positions from store to store, you get something that is common.

In India every state administration has their own whims and fancies. In most infrastructures planning, there is no uniformity. Even traffic junction behaviors change in the same city. In Ahmedabad, where I live, at some junctions, turning left is free while at some junctions you are fined. So when a city itself has no uniform structures, you cannot expect it at district or state level. Take the case of speed breakers. Every citizen in India are free to build their own private speed breakers at a place of their choice. This has resulted in car manufacturers advertising that their product’s ground clearance is the highest.

I am all for Centre-State cordial relationship and more power to states. But that should not become a starting point to divide the country gradually over a period of time.