| Authors | DR MANJUNATH SWAMY |
|---|---|
| Article Type | Research Article |
| Language | English |
| Journal | North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities |
| ISSN | 2454-9827 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 7-11 |
| Publication Year | 2026 |
| Publication Date | January 01, 2026 |
| DOI URL | https://doiglobal.org/10.2026/NAIRJCSSH.002 |
The unification of Karnataka was one of the most important regional movements in twentieth-century India. Before 1956, Kannada-speaking people lived under several administrative systems: the princely state of Mysore, the Bombay and Madras Presidencies, Hyderabad State, Coorg and smaller princely territories. This fragmentation created differences in education, employment, law and political representation even as print culture and literary organisations strengthened a shared Kannada identity. Using a qualitative historical method, this paper examines the origins, leadership, institutions and political negotiations of the Karnataka unification movement. It argues that unification was neither an automatic result of linguistic similarity nor merely a provincial demand. It was a democratic project that converted cultural consciousness into a programme of administrative integration. Organisations such as the Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha and Kannada Sahitya Parishat, writers such as Aluru Venkata Rao, and leaders working through the national movement created a public sphere across political boundaries. The States Reorganisation Act brought most Kannada-majority territories into the enlarged Mysore State on 1 November 1956; the state was renamed Karnataka in 1973. Unification created a common political framework but did not eliminate regional inequalities or plural identities. Its legacy lies in reconciling linguistic unity with federalism, democracy and internal diversity.
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DOI: 10.2026/NAIRJCSSH.002
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North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities
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