I recently returned from a month-long trip to India, my birth country. It was exciting, exhilarating, invigorating, and above all gave me an opportunity to re-experience the culture, the people and the connections. Of all the visits I have made since I left for North America in 2001, this was the longest. Lots have changed since I left but the duration of this trip helped me see more. I found this to be a good opportunity to see India in the light of inclusivity, albeit informally.
At work, my team, in collaboration with the Global Justice Program at the institute, has been instrumental in developing this diagnostic tool called Inclusiveness Index. This tool measures the level of inclusivity by race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and by the most recently added climate change domain, for US state and nation-states. Gathering data from multiple sources, and developing an index since 2016, updated annually, to measure inclusivity has helped us look at the yearly snapshot and the trend in how these administrative units fare year-over-year. As per the 2024 Inclusiveness Index, India ranked 128th out of 152 countries for which we calculated the index, ahead of Pakistan (146th), Sri Lanka (147th) and Afghanistan (149th), but behind Bangladesh (120th), and way behind Nepal (106th). Inclusivity by gender, disability and religion has seen significant decline in the last few years, whereas inclusivity by sexual orientation has seen significant improvement over the years. There has been good media coverage of the index in the US and globally. Times of India published a news article on 2023 index, and Norway’s The Local covered the 2019 index results.
I have written this piece as a personal reflection of the intersection of my work, and what I experienced during this visit. I highlight the good, and areas that need work to make India an inclusive society.
A cherished richness whenever I visit is the versatility, vitality and vibrance of the Indian community. Apart from having denser cities, the grain of development is such that one does not have to drive far for any needs. The streets and markets are bustling with activity, and it doesn’t seem the streets sleep at all. Visiting friends and family is relatively easier compared to such visits in western culture. Though I did coordinate and ask for a suitable time to meet with friends and family, in most cases dropping at someone’s house unannounced is acceptable and often displays affection. This informality is a welcome relief from a formal system in North America. I have an architectural background, so I really admire good architecture, old or new. The climate in India allows such beautiful architecture, and you can find countless buildings that should feature in most of the architectural magazines.
Evidently, India has made huge strides towards a digital economy. The availability of free wifi at Delhi airport, a somewhat organized ride-share location, and the ease of making payments using an international credit card made it easy for me to reach home relatively quickly from the airport. Also, I noticed cell phones are everywhere regardless of class or positionality within society. That itself says a lot about the penetration of digital services and the electronic footprint of all transactions that take place. Not to mention the convenience people have of ordering their needs online and getting them within a day if not within hours. Add to that the amazing food options from a wide range of restaurants. All this with a low delivery fee. I have not seen my family stepping out for any need unless it is a big-ticket item or services which must be accessed by being in-person such as going to the courts. The overhaul of these in-person services is long overdue, and the changes are happening at a pace that desires a good push. The ease and relative safety (there are many cases of electronic theft and frauds in India. It reminds me of the Netflix series Jamtara) of electronic payments is making everyday life quite convenient.
Ever since its first census data gathering in 2001 on disability, there seems to have been some work done towards expanding economic opportunities for people with disabilities. Lots need to be done in India, and worldwide, in this area, but I would like to highlight some of the examples I saw in India. I could see many people with disabilities employed in various sectors in India, especially the financial sector. Banks have instituted many jobs for people with disabilities. The job and career sites now have thousands of jobs advertised for this social group. However, the accessible infrastructure is lacking everywhere. If you can’t find it in Urban India, it does not exist elsewhere in the country. I did not see any semblance of this infrastructure in Pune or in Mumbai, the cities I traveled to during this trip. In my conversation with disability activist, Preeti Monga, I learnt that there is lack of education and sensitivities towards the needs of people with disabilities, and that technology can be really helpful in learning and imparting education. However, much needs to be done about the areas where inclusivity is declining.
I also visited Haji Ali Dargah and Mosque in Mumbai which is an epitome of religious harmony. The dargah contains the tomb of Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, a saint who practiced Sufism. People from all religions visit this place and there is no discrimination. You are allowed to visit, pay your respects and feel the serenity of the place. I wish everyone was allowed in all religious places with no reservations of caste, creed or religion.
However, the moment I landed in Delhi, I felt the air to be heavy. Delhi now has the distinction of being the most polluted city in the world as per Aljazeera. With AQI of 1700+ during my time there, the residents breathe the equivalent of multiple packs of cigarettes every day. People with Asthma and other respiratory illness, kids and seniors all suffer from the effects of living in a so-called gas chamber. But life goes on as normal for most residents. My brother’s house, where I stayed for most of my trip, has an air purifier in every room. My 85-year-old mom, suffering from health issues, rarely leaves the house. But for others, it is BAU (Business as usual). Using masks outdoors seems unusual in India, and you could see only a handful of people wearing it. The problem of air pollution has existed for many years, but no solution is in sight as of now. Politics and structures, be it local and federal, have failed its people. There are solutions that have been tried but not a comprehensive one yet. It seems like the political class has forgotten about its people.
Not only air pollution, but the waste management system contributes a lot towards the overall well-being of the people. In and around Delhi, the waste management system seems quite rudimentary. There are three major landfill sites in and around Delhi, some overflowing with solid waste which have turned into a mountain many stories high. Apart from the stink, the potential of airborne illness from these sites is high.
Add to that the noise pollution from the vehicular traffic. The traffic, each mode of transportation jostling for space on the overcrowded streets and highways, and the non-stop honking of motorized vehicles while makes it vibrant, it can also drive someone crazy. The road outside my brother’s apartment building gets active as early as 4am with buses, cars and autos (a three-wheeled taxi with no side covers), all merrily honking, only at times to inform the vehicle in front. Crossing the road in busy traffic is a skill you have to develop if you do not want to wait endlessly at a pedestrian crossing, a facility which is totally ignored by moving traffic. The availability of ride-sharing options is a great convenience but adds to the already congested roads. These ride-share cabs might not be the best maintained vehicles unlike in North America, and in most cases are driven by people in the lower-income bracket. (Side note: Some time ago my cousin lost his job, and I suggested to him to drive an Uber. He declined stating that it is not considered a respectable job there.) Add to the traffic the existence of human-driven or electric rickshaws, which are slow moving but are great for traveling short distances. These rickshaws hardly follow any traffic rules including any signals. Thankfully, local traffic, especially due to congestion, does not move that fast to cause widespread accidents. All the vehicles also compete with non-vehicular human traffic such as cows and dogs on the street. Navigating the unpredictability of their movement adds another complexity to the traffic.
Despite improvements in the digital economy, India has a huge economic divide in the country. The level of comfort of accessing services online is more for middle- and upper-class families. The lower income class is fighting for necessities. I spoke informally with a lot of Uber drivers who, as I mentioned earlier, come from lower-income backgrounds, informing me that while this job allows flexibility, it does not provide enough for their families. Like in many other countries in the global south, lower-income folks are stuck in between survival and growth. With expensive private healthcare, lack of social security net and lack of good public education network, there is financial pain for people in this economic category. There have been some effort from local government towards education and economic inclusion, but a comprehensive nationwide plan to address economic inclusion can go a long way. Organizations like Development Alternatives are doing non-governmental work towards “a secure, healthy and fulfilling life, in harmony with nature.” During this trip I also learnt about this group, CGNet, which uses social media to provide help to rural India in raising their grievances with administrative officials and get these issues resolved.
At the surface level it seems there is social harmony, and everybody is nice, welcoming and inherently inclusive. Once you scratch the surface one sees the lack thereof and societal fragmentation of huge proportions. My visit to my friends, family and during my local travel, I found many examples of a deep societal divide along social cleavages.
Something interesting and unexpected happened prior to this trip. Two months out, I got connected to a few of my classmates from high school in Delhi some 40+ years ago. A WhatsApp group was formed, and we caught up on our lives since we graduated from school. We made a commitment to meet up in person when I reach Delhi. Like with many WhatsApp groups where political activism has created fissures in relationships, our newly formed WhatsApp group started to show signs of stress even before I landed in Delhi. Despite acknowledging differences in our social and political leanings, the conversation was being steered towards celebrating the rule of majority over minority population. One “friend” left the group calling me a Khalistani (Sikh separatist) when I shared my egalitarian views. Another friend got offended when I reminded the group that it is unhealthy to disparage minority communities. I reminded them that politics cannot be equated with humanity, and we should use our learnings, wisdom and intellect to help society, not bring it down. However, there was no room for that.
The political climate has pitted one community against the other, and the sentiments run deep. Additionally, there is simmering discontent on inclusion of LGBTQ and trans folks in mainstream society. Also, worldwide, gender divide is quite stark but there are many examples in India where violence against women continues unabated despite legal efforts to stem such violence. Any effort to bring awareness of othering, or discrimination, is met with a wall.
During a conversation, one of my friends raised the issue of “woke” left-wing ideas of inclusion by sexual orientation, exactly the kind we highlight in our Inclusiveness Index project. His contention: Soaps and streaming shows airing on OTT platforms intentionally include LGBTQ characters. He said he believes in equality and would like them to prosper and move up socially, but he found a well-crafted argument to disparage gay community – inclusion of these characters misguide our young kids. Who can refute the suggestion of impropriety when the claim is that it impacts children? He presented no evidence of kids being harmed, and no counterargument could make him change his position. I hope he understands that reel-life and real-life situations are a reflection of each other. Everything that is shown on OTT platforms is an influence, be it on kids or adults, e.g. positive influences in the areas of sports, education, human development, gender equality, economic opportunities, charity, leadership, humanity and negative influences such as in the areas of crime, ostentation, tyranny, gender violence and many others. I believe my friend puts sexual orientation in the latter category. Another friend who studied from an elite school in Delhi and did his master’s from the US commented on school systems in the US. His contention was that there are some nefarious acts in US schools that encourage kids, or provide tacit support, to change their gender. “Today someone is James, could be Mary tomorrow and then James again the following day.” He complained that the “woke” culture is pushing young minds to believe that they can be fluid in their gender identification. These are exactly the homophobic tropes people use to disparage LGBTQ community and create anxieties among cisgender folks against this community. Maybe if these people were friends with members of the gay community, they would experience how these words generate fear, disappointment and trauma for this community. Having said that, I am aware there is huge progress in India towards including gay and trans community in the mainstream society. In 2018, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was declared unconstitutional based on the case filed by Naz Foundation. State and local governments have created jobs for the trans community, and LGBTQ community is relatively more acceptable in the Indian society. It’ll still take decades before we see a semblance of equality in all aspects of life for this community.
Social media is full of examples of religious othering. Muslims are being openly discriminated in the garb of being anti-national. One of my relatives talking about a known Muslim family categorized them as “not the terrorist kind.” On my way to the airport, my Uber driver was stopped by cops, and was asked for his registration and license which he went out to show them. The driver came back quickly telling me that it was because he himself is a Hindu. He said if he were a Muslim, it would have taken much longer as cops would have asked for all sorts of documents. On my response that this discrimination is not ok, he pushed back saying it is justified as “Muslims are bad and create problems in this country.” Social media is filled with everyday acts of discrimination and violence against Muslims but those are passed on as fringe occurring. The ongoing frenzy of finding temples under mosques, to retaliate citing the arrival of Muslim invaders around the 13th century, is considered a justified action, despite the existing Places of Worship Act, 1991 in Indian Constitution that prohibits any changes to religious places as they existed on August 15, 1947, the day of India’s independence. The discrimination, or othering, by religion is so blatant, anybody can see it, but not for the uninitiated. My own friends and family either do not see this as othering or believe this is justified. Highlighting these bracketed me as the one who is highlighting the difference, in turn creating division. How does one talk of belonging if the othering is not even acknowledged?
Another such incident that I witnessed shook me to the core. I realized the hatred for Muslims runs so deep that there is no filter anymore when people discriminate against this community. My mom needs round-the-clock care due to her age-related illnesses. My mom was narrating an incident that happened with the evening caretaker who is a Muslim, let us call her Razia (name changed) in front of the caretaker who comes in the morning and happens to be a Hindu, let us name her Poonam (name changed). Razia was taking her to the bathroom in the evening when a lizard fell on the ground in front of them. In a quick decision to protect my mom, Razia killed the lizard. When my mom narrated this incident, Poonam quickly shared her conclusion “because Razia is a Muslim.” And no one in the room batted an eye. It seemed they all agreed with this dehumanizing conclusion. There are no Hindus who kill lizards, or any other animal, insect or trees? What kind of conversations, education, training, and information exchange are ongoing that everyone has this deep sense of hatred and discrimination against the community? Are they not people? Do they not have families to support? Don’t they have a right to decent living conditions?
On the gender front, India has been a conservative and a patriarchal society. From time immemorial, women are subjugated to oppression and subordination. We cannot forget the 2012 Nirbhaya murder case and the most recent 2024 rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata. Many other gender-based violence go unreported. However, we should also celebrate the progress India has made in women empowerment. While data on Gender Inequality Index from UN shows a downward trend since 1990, women occupy double the seats in parliament in 2022 than in 1990. Also, there is more than 300% increase in women with some secondary education. This reflects in society. More women have taken leadership positions, have advocated for gender parity and have helped sensitized the nation towards benefits of gender equality. I met and spoke with a number of strong women who believe gender equality is paramount and are leading the charge towards making the world a better place.
There are organizations and institutions working on the ground, contributing to society in a positive way. Some are trying to spread the lessons of tolerance and humanity (e.g. Lokayat), and some “seek to build bridges between networks of Alternatives around the globe and promote the creation of new processes of confluence” (e.g. Global Tapestry of Alternatives). Some engage in researching on social sciences (e.g. Tata Institute of Social Sciences) while some engage with public on beach cleaning and waste management (e.g. Afroz Shah Foundation). Civil society is doing its share to make our society more inclusive and promote belonging. We need to check our prejudices and work towards making India, and our world, a more inclusive place.
Editor's note: The ideas expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of the Othering & Belonging Institute or UC Berkeley, but belong to the author.
