Social Studies VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Minority is the term which means the communities which are small in number in comparison to the communities which are more in number. For example, Muslims are in minority in comparison to Hindus.

The Constitution's safeguards to protect minority communities are very important because they ensure that India's cultural diversity is protected from becoming largely unitary and they also help to promote equality and justice to all.

Their marginalisation can be because they speak a different language, follow different customs or belong to a different religious group from the majority community. They may also feel marginalised because they are poor, considered to be of ‘low’ social status and viewed as being less human than others.

Today, Adivasis are portrayed as exotic, primitive and backward people. Cultural shows are presented with Adivasis dances. They are represented through colourful costumes and headgears.
Adivasis are blamed for their lack of advancement as they are believed to be resistant to change or new ideas.
This negative portrayal of the Adivasis has led to the marginalization of this community in modern India.

Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalized because:

1. They follow a different culture, language and traditions from mainstream Indian society which leads us to wrongfully classify them as exotic, primitive and backward.
2. They are used to a way of life close to nature and with the cutting down of forests they are being forced to migrate to urban areas where they feel out of place and not in sync with a lifestyle so vastly different from their countryside background.

Two reasons in support of the statement “Muslims are a marginalized community”:

1. The Muslim community has not been able to gain from the country’s socio-economic development as statistics on basic amenities, literacy rate and public employment. 63.6% Muslims live in kutcha houses as compared to only 55.2% Hindus; the literacy rate amongst Muslims was the lowest at 59% in a 2001 survey.
2. Their customs are distinct from other religious communities, so much so that they are identified as separate from the “rest of us” leading to unfair treatment and discrimination against Muslims.

The committee came to the conclusion that on a range of social, economic and educational indicators the situation of the Muslim community is comparable to that of other marginalised communities like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.