There seems to be a western fascination with the idea of breaking India into different countries. <i>River of Gods</i>, a sci-fi novel by Ian McDonald, imagines India as 12 separate nations.<p>I don&#x27;t ascribe this to malice, but to sheer bewilderment. From a rational perspective, India should not really exist. It is just too large and heterogeneous to stick together.<p>When I was in the US, some people asked me if I &quot;speak Indian&quot;. The rational brain assumes that if they speak French in France, Italian in Italy and German in Germany, they must speak Indian in India.<p>Half an hour later, I figured out why the west never can and never will understand India