Paper short abstract:

The study attempts to analyze the phenomena of diffusion in the culture areas that are situated on the boundaries of two states in India.However, it was found that some of the cultural elements in these two areas attained a new form as the result of culture contact due to close proximity.

Paper long abstract:

In the era of technologically advanced world where people are connected with various means of communication, diffusion within the cultures have emerged as a common phenomenon. The easy connectivity among the cultures is leading to emergence of new cultural concepts. However, the cultures in close proximity are getting intermingled at a comparatively faster pace which makes the concept of culture areas an interesting subject of study. The study based on this concept was carried out in two geographical regions i.e. one within Jammu (Lakhanpur region) and other within Punjab (Pathankot region) .In this study attempts were made to analyze the cultural elements of two areas that have been diffused across the geographical boundaries, by conducting in-depth interviews of 200 participants using qualitative method. However, it was found that the diffused elements have also attained a somewhat different form in both the culture areas while the core elements of the tradition or practice remains the same. At the same time diffusion of the cultural elements between these two culture areas have led to a sense of belonging between the individuals of these two cultures which has finally resulted in feeling of solidarity between the people who actually belong to two distinct geographical regions on the physical map of the country. Hence, we can conclude that cultural diffusion as the result of culture contact is one of the cohesive forces that help in nation building process.