As India and Pakistan once again teetered on the brink of an open conflict, the familiar tremors of war ripple through the region, stalling any hope for unity in South Asia. For many decades, the subcontinent remains a battleground for military clashes, political agendas, fractured identities, and delaying regional cooperation. Despite sharing deep-rooted historical, cultural, and civilizational legacies, South Asian nations have struggled to establish a cohesive regional identity.

This failure of regionalism—exemplified by the stagnation of organizations like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)—requires a radical rethink. Perhaps the key lies not in diplomatic boardrooms, but in geography itself. ‘Himalayasia’, a new moniker for South Asia proposed by Md. Rashidul Islam Rusel, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, is a people-centric vision for South Asian unity anchored in the shared heritage of the Himalayan region. As geopolitical tensions intensify, it is time to ask: Can South Asia look beyond borders and conflict, and rediscover its common ground, literally and figuratively, through a shared geographical identity?

Failure of regionalism 

South Asia is home to a large population, rich cultural diversity, and shared historical experiences, yet remains divided—not only by borders, but also by fractured identities. Political rivalries, particularly between India and Pakistan, have long paralyzed any meaningful effort at regional cooperation. Institutions like the SAARC have proven largely symbolic, stalled by mistrust and suspicion. The dream of regional integration, which transformed Europe into a union of once-warring nations, remains elusive here. But why has South Asia, unlike many other world regions, failed to formulate a functional community with a shared regional identity?

The failure of regionalism in South Asia stems from deep-rooted historical, political, and cultural fractures. While the European Union was born from a collective desire to never return to war, South Asia’s attempts at unity have been repeatedly undermined by unresolved legacies of the subcontinent's partition, communal tensions, and competitive nationalism. Unlike other regional blocs, the South Asian identity has not been internalized by its people—it remains a abstract diplomatic project rather than a grassroots emotional reality.

‘South Asia’ lacks cultural resonance

The names used historically to describe the region—India, Hindustan, Hind, South Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent—are either politically loaded or historically exclusive. They either originate from colonial narratives or reflect the dominance of one State over others. This terminological ambiguity reflects a deeper struggle to articulate a collective identity among the region’s diverse nations.  

After the 1947 partition and subsequent creation of Pakistan and later Bangladesh, calling the whole region “India” became not just inaccurate but offensive to others. While ‘India’ once referred to a civilizational space shaped by shared histories, philosophies, and cultural exchanges, its modern usage is now inextricably tied to the Republic of India. As a result, regional terms have become entangled with questions of nationalism, memory, and historical justice. For countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, whose very creation was predicated on breaking from the idea of a singular Indian nationhood, such labels often obscure rather than illuminate their distinct trajectories. Even, ‘India’ or ‘Indian Subcontinent’ carries colonial overtones, suggesting a peripheral relationship to a European center.

Terms like ‘South Asia’, though neutral-sounding, lack emotional or cultural resonance. Used primarily in academic, diplomatic, and developmental contexts, it fails to capture the lived experiences and interconnected past of its people. As scholar Aminah Mohammad-Arif notes, it is an “artificial and exogenous category,” without the mythical or historical gravitas of names like ‘Europa’ for Europe. It is just a directional indication on the map rather than an assertion of collective destiny.

Names are more than labels—they are vessels of meaning, memory, and aspiration. A name can foster a sense of belonging and shape how people perceive themselves and others. Without a name that acknowledges both plurality and common heritage, the region remains conceptually fragmented. Just as Europe, Arabia, or Latin America evokes strong civilizational identities, a region like South Asia needs a name that connects its people and blends them with their geography and history.

Reclaiming an identity 

South Asia, once a cradle of civilization and a confluence of cultures, now stands divided by lines history never intended. Beneath the layers of partition, politics, and pain lies a shared past—of rivers and mountains, languages and legends, songs and spices. The idea of 'Himalayasia' calls upon that forgotten memory, reminding us that before we were citizens of fractured states, we were people of a common land and our roots stem from the Himalayas, which connect the so-called ‘South Asia’ from Afghanistan to Northeastern India.

The Himalayas-oriented Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins appealed to the birth and development of some of the oldest civilizations in the region and, thus, shaped modern South Asian society. The mountains impact almost every aspect of human life in South Asia— such as agriculture, religion, literature, arts, and spiritual life.

The very name ‘Himalaya’ comes from two Sanskrit words Hima (snow) and Alaya (abode), a classical language of South Asia. The term 'Himalayasia'—comprising two names Himalaya and South Asia—does not privilege any one nation and is free from colonial discourse; it centers on a natural feature that has shaped the region’s ecology, mythology, and philosophy for millennia. It evokes balance, reverence, and continuity—qualities sorely needed in imagining a future not built on erasure but on renewal.

In reviving this collective spirit through a name that echoes both geography and harmony, this submission does not just strive to rename a region it attempts to reclaim an identity that has long yearned for recognition and re-imagine South Asia beyond mistrust and division.

(The authors are Master's Students, Department of International Relations, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Views expressed are personal. They can be reached at anwargop499@gmail.com. )