Professor Badri Narayan spoke on "Identity and Interactions: A Case of Marginalized Communities of Hindi Patti".

Prof. Badri Narayan spoke on "Identity and Interactions: A Case of Marginalized Communities of Hindi Patti" on dated 24-02-23. The important points he highlighted in his insightful talk are as follows:

• Identity provides opportunity/capacity to talk and express your opinions publicly.

• Identity provides emancipatory feelings or conditions and political power (representation) as well.

• 4 or 5 out of marginalized communities become successful and these are the ones who are able to get the recognition of their identities among their respective societies. And the same successful people become able to write their CASTE HISTORIES, that is why we have very less in number such type of texts. Without caste histories or some popular claims/associations of/with some renowned historical individuals, you cannot make your identity highlighted as it provides fair share.

• When marginalized sections get EDUCATION, they get their IDENTITIES highlighted, only then they acquire their LEADERS.

• To get the recognition of IDENTITY, you need:

Education,

History of the respective Castes,

Community Leaders,

Resources/Savings.

• RELIGIOUS ASPIRATIONS are linked with IDENTITY ASPIRATIONS.

• To acquire some important places, has a relevant meaning to the IDENTITIES also.

• What next to the recognition of IDENTITY is to get the POLITICAL REPRESENTATION.

• IDENTITY POLITICS is in crisis nowadays. They are losing the political influence day by day. We can see some important recent examples in form of the results of legislative elections in Uttar Pradesh.

• As per 30 years of history, we can conclude that HINDU IDENTITY imbibes CASTE IDENTITIES. And the problem with the caste identities is that they appear more on social media platforms not on ground level. They need to go on grass root level and on grounds.

• When you get IDENTITY, you REALISE the problems; then there comes the NEED OF CHANGES and you ASPIRE to do the same; later you get REPRESENTATION & POWER; which resulted into EMANCIPATION.

• Recognition of IDENTITIES-----> Realization of ASPIRATIONS-----> Acquisition of Power-----> EMANCIPATION.

This talk was a part of "Two Days Interdisciplinary International Conference based on the theme- Communities, Cultures and the Environment:Forging Interactions and Identities" conducted by Department of History, University of Delhi dated 24-25th February 2023.

Badri Narayan is a social historian, cultural anthropologist & a poet. He is currently a lecturer of social and cultural anthropology at the Govind Ballabh  Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad.