Overview

More than a numerical concept, a minority is a relational term that refers to a disadvantaged group of people with regard to power, status and resources, compared to the dominant group in a society. In India, there are religious, linguistic, ethnic, Dalit, tribal and sexual minorities. However, these minorities are not always static but sometimes negotiable in response to changing situations. For example, nationally identified religious and linguistic minorities like Muslims, Sikhs and Christians are identified as state majorities in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Mizoram respectively, whereas nationally identified majority Hindus are state minorities there. Again, tribal minorities are majorities in many Northeast states. But, the condition of sexual minorities like people of LGBTQ community is more or less same, irrespective of place and situation. The diversity that produces out of the co-existence of such variety of people undoubtedly gives India a special charm but one cannot deny that this diversity sometimes also creates a complex web of social reality, giving rise to a conflict between majorities and minorities over the question of power and identity, exclusion and inclusion that bring many adverse and uninvited results, though the Constitution of India safeguards minorities with so many rights and provisions like Article 29 conserves the right to language, script, and culture and Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM), the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) are also there to monitor these rights and provisions and address grievances but due to social prejudices, historical inequalities, political challenges and structural discrimination, minorities are often deprived of their minimum rights and provisions. The present book is an endeavour to bring issues and challenges of Indian minorities to the fore.

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