Understanding Regional Spaces vis-à-vis “the” Indian Space: A Study of Récits

Stories and story telling have been, since times immemorial, the most significant form employed by mankind to make sense of the space around them. This space, physically and the concept behind it, altered with time, but the common denominator to understand and define it remained constant: Stories. Spaces eventually grew into civilizations and each civilization, across the globe has, to date, its stories that define, not only its length and breadth, but also the cosmic truth by placing the origin of the universe around the civilization. One such Grand Space is India and its civilization that is the oldest surviving in human history. However, what makes India unique is that within its grand ambit have survived Spaces that are regional and inhabited by peoples with their own narratives, “little stories” limited to their physical and corresponding psychological spaces. The research paper strives to understand these Regional Spaces and their cultural paradigm with specific reference to select regions of Himachal Pradesh. The paper attempts to place the Grand Narratives of the pan-Indian civilization vis-à-vis the Folk Narratives of the regional communities, juxtaposing them and foregrounding the foundational contrasts between the two. The paper also aims at assessing the impact of the influx of Grand Culture on the regional and its implications.