ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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Dalit Sikh Settlers in Shillong

In North East India, the indigenous assertion and mobilisation of various ethnic communities often lead to the dislocation and impoverishment of the settled minority communities. The relationship between tribal communities and settled minority communities is often driven by conflicts in sharing resources and accessing political power. When the Khasis, the dominant ethnic community in Meghalaya, assert their indigenous claims over the minority Dalit Sikhs, it would displace their land and resources leading to further insecurity and impoverishment.

Tribes and Urbanisation in North East India

An analysis of urban development in post-independence India shows that the country has inherited an uneven regional distribution of city and town formations. No other region illustrates this better than the North East. This complex topic is examined with reference to the “tribal metropolis” of Shillong in Meghalaya, which is experiencing a rapidly changing urban landscape. How urban space is governed in Shillong is analysed. In doing so, contestations by various stakeholders regarding urban expansion and development along with its implications for the tribal population living in the vicinity of the city are examined.

Meghalaya Elections 2018

What pushed the National People’s Party to align with the Bharatiya Janata Party that has won only two assembly seats, is the ailment that afflicts all the governments of the small states of the North East. These special category states survive on central grants for as much as 90% of their requirement and are expected to raise the remaining 10%. They, therefore, need a friendly government at the centre.

The Khasis as Hindus

Hindu religious practices may have influenced present day monotheistic Christinatity prevalent among the Khasis. However the cultural and religious linkages between Hinduism and Christianity in Khasi Hills need to be investigated keeping in mind that there was no defined centre for the Hindu faith and the influence may have been more syncretistic than partisan. 

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