How has democracy survived under such stress?

democracy                                                                           Dictatorship

Strengths:

• maintained  national unity, with over 900 million people
• reasonable institutional stability
• economic growth, industrialization
• benefits for about 1/4 of the population (200 million)
• qualifies as a NIC (Newly Industrialized Country)

1. Language: 16 major languages

• Map of India's states
• North and South languages not related
• constant conflict over which language is official
• compromise: use English

• Hindu 80+%
• Muslim 14%
• Sikh  2%    Sikh culture in change
• State tries to be secular, to avoid taking sides
• History of religious wars, communal violence
• long past, Muslim conquests
• Sikh defense
• 1949 partition: Muslims seceded, created Pakistan, Gandhi assassinated
• 1980s Sikhs tried to secede, battle at Gold Temple. Indira Gandhi assassinated
• communal violence after assassination (1984)  1-2- 3
• 1991 conflict in Sri Lanka spilling over to South India, Rajiv assassinated
• 1992 Temple at Ayodhya conflict, government fell
• Feb-March 2002 Ahmedabad train fire and communal violence -- up to 2,000 killed  more info
• Hyderabad mosque bombed, 2007 1 |
• Hindu - Muslim social separation (aug 06)

• defined by birth (father's caste), but marriages are arranged within caste
• caste defines occupation: farmer, dairyman, merchant, scholar, barber, official, etc.
• Outcastes, are outside the caste system "untouchables," "harijans"
• highly polluting , work with dead animals, butchers, leather
• are on a list, "schedule," "scheduled castes"
• affirmative action programs for scheduled castes
• reserved seats in schools at jobs "reservations"
• Somewhat successful, but big backlash from high caste students.
• 2006 - proposal to expand reservations to include 27% of places in colleges for "Other Backward Classes" (OBCS)
• In Tamil Nadu, where this is done, 69% of college places are reserved. (May, 2006)
• debate in 2006 about affirmative action in hi-tech industries
• Muslims are poor too; should they have affirmative action?
• scheduled castes resist expansion of rights to poor farmers, herdsmen (Gujjars)problems:  2007 | resolution:  2008

• at least 1/3 of the popualtion, esp. rural, low caste, untouchables, children
• indicators of "deep poverty"
• grain diet, poor grains (sorgham, millet, potatoes)
• lack heat, a/c
• lack clean drinking water, walk a long distance for water
• lack fuel, walk for wood, use manure for fuel (reduces soil fertility)
• no reserves to survive natural disaster (flood, drought, locusts, etc)
• sold into bonded labor/slavery
• seasonal migration for work
• can't afford marriage/family

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