Our social sciences textbooks from grade one onwards ingrained in us how India is the seventh largest country in the world, second most populated country, and world’s largest democracy. We are the epitome of multi-ethnicity, multi-linguality, and plurality of religions.
We acknowledge and celebrate all the major religiously auspicious days. However, beneath all the diversity do we really feel being inclusive in India is the curious question we need to ask as we walk forward from the celebration of 75 years of Indian Independence.
The India Inclusion Audit 2022 mainly focused on questions of exclusivity and marginalisation; and explored the grounds of exclusion.
RELIGION is the number one factor participants felt that they are discriminated
on by others. India is the birthplace of some
of the world famous religions, like, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism; and we do have people following other major religion of the world namely Christianity and Islam. Our constitution gives the right to follow any religion and respect other religions. Yet people still feel outgroup from their own religions and by other dominant and powerful religions.
Though religion leads the chart, along with it caste, ethnicity, race, and colour too are grounds for marginalisation. Increasing incidents of honour killings are proofs of extreme exclusion on lines of caste and ethnicity. Peoples from the seven sisters of india (North East), Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep Islands, often face racial slurs and namecalling, because others of them mainland India lack familiarity and knowledge of them.
Due to colourism people, particularly women, face discrimination often by the relatives and immediate society. Fair skin is perceived as the sign of beauty, and it provides better prospects of groom and opportunities.
Considering GENDER, the data illustrates that a good number of population get discriminated because of their gender identity and sexual orientation. Women often are victims of glass ceiling at work places and in other spheres of life.
The society, governmental laws, and legal systems are still not geared up to understand, acknowledge, and protect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and others’ (LGBTQ+) rights.
Same LANGUAGE-speaking people often end up being together and interacting only among themselves, which hugely excludes the rest. Some of the Indian languages, due to its thick dialect and phonetics, give rise to the phenomenon known as ‘Mother Tongue Influence’, thus people mispronounce English word; and that leads to discrimination and exclusion.
On ECONOMIC parameters India lives in two different worlds. According to the State of Inequality in India Report 2022, over 10% group earn up more than 60% of the total wealth in India, indicating a vast wealth inequality gap over the past 40 years.
One’s PROFESSION is linked with ones social status; either because of monetary position or because of the power and title it holds. Government employees have better marriage prospects; foreign education and jobs overseas are wow factors in social gatherings.
POLITICAL exclusion in a democracy
would mean denial of rights, denial of political participation, denial of right to organise, denial of personal security, denial of rule of law,
denials of freedom of expression and quality
of opportunity. India, under the right wing government, is increasingly becoming politically non-inclusive. Now with the arrival of the large corporates the political mechanism runs for the benefit of the economically rich class, bringing in more and more alienation.
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES and MENTAL ILLNESS are often related. The intersection of having a disability and living with a mental illness creates a unique identity, with complex needs and concerns. In addition to the obvious discrimination people with disabilities experience, they also have the pressure to adjust to a culture that engages in ableism.
In conclusion, we have excelled in technology, found cures for terminal diseases, invented satellites travelling millions of miles away into the space, yet our human history is marred with conflicts between various social groups. People have been killed in the name
of religion, colour, and caste. Employability is still reliant on merely the knowledge of English and academic marks rather than emotional
and social intelligence. If a nation is looking forward to develop and grow to be a great nation, becoming inclusive is not an option but an imperative.
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