MINORITIES AND GEOPOLITICS

South Asian minorities have often been considered in standards and habitual patterns of behaviour. But this pattern is being broken in interesting ways and this provides possibilities for a new imagination for geopolitics in the region.

- HINDOL SENGUPTA

NEW DELHI Following my essay in this newspaper last Sunday ("Subcontinent's greatest illusion is crumbling"), I received a flurry of comments on phone, messages, and emails, some despairing, others full of questions. Many asked about the future of minorities in the Indian subcontinent, and where the three main major countries of the Indian subcontinent, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, are headed.

There are a few things in this regard that are critical to note. First, contrary to popular belief, and despite the very serious scenario of increasing religious violence, minority behaviour in these countries is changing, arguably for the better. How do we know this? For one, consider Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, Islamist violence has been rising over the years as more and more groups become radicalised. From killings of atheist popular bloggers a few years ago to the continuing violence against Hindus, there has been endless violence targeting minorities and especially Hindus in that country.

After the departure of Sheikh Hasina in August, things have consistently grown worse, but for the first time in years, there has been a more united resistance from the Hindu community including organised protests on the streets of Dhaka, mass participation from many Hindu organisations, and common Hindu citizens of Bangladesh. Even though steadily declining over the years, Hindus still make up around eight per cent of Bangladesh's around 170 million.

This is a significant number that has discovered a voice, and a street footprint, to organize effective resistance and protest in the face of extreme provocation.