This is all neither here nor there. What I want to know is what does ancient India mean, and what specific boundaries does it have?
Once you realise you cannot apply the idea of nation state to 5000 year old history Indians talk about pan Indian identity, which is something I don't put much stock in, just because people 1000 years ago lived in a comparable way means nothing, clutching at straws, IMO.
We can split up the sub continent any way you want, according to people's, languages and regions.
THE USE OF THE WORD INDIAN IS ARBITRARY AND INTERCHANGABLE.
Nothing arbitrary about it
Now do you get it ? Holism