How is India an example of a state-nation?

The term ‘state’ refers to an abstract entity consisting of a set of political-legal institutions claiming control over a particular geographical territory and people living in it.

The term nation refers to a peculiar sort of community that is easy to describe but hard to define.

‘State-nation’ is an alternative to ‘nation-state’ where various “nations”-be they ethnic, religious or indigenous identities- can co-exist peacefully and cooperatively in a single polity. India’s constitution incorporates this notion. Despite being a culturally diverse country India has shown that it has been very cohesive. It is evident from the country’s performance on the indicators of identification, trust, and support its citizens are deeply committed to democracy, despite the country’s diverse and highly stratified society.

Hence India is an example of ‘State-Nation’.