Post-Independence India through the Eyes of the Marginalised (The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy)

Post-colonisation India has grown significantly by producing itself as a powerful developing country at the global level. While the upward growth in economic terms is well appreciated, the degradation in the lives of neglected groups of society remains in injustice. The marginalised community of the country, mainly focusing on transgenders and Dalits, remain in darkness when the whole country shines brighter than the stars. After independence, India had gotten rid of many practices that stopped it from progressing, like Sati, and provided voting rights for everyone. But it is a saddening truth that the trans community in India only received voting rights within recent years. The constitution of India declares discrimination practices unacceptable. But there are still incidents in rural and urban areas where Dalit people are segregated from the other castes. Incidents of transgressions against transgenders and Dalits including moral policing and mob lynching remain unreported in many cases. Even when reported, justice is delayed or not provided at all. There are constant debates on the removal of reservations for marginalised communities from educational institutions and job postings. But the numbers have always shown that they remain under-represented. Transgenders do not even have reservations at any level. When the world looks up to India to learn from its unity in diversity, the marginalised remain marginalised.