Archive · 13 Dec 2025
Belonging and Displacement in Modern India
The author recently moved to a new apartment and felt a sense of displacement, realizing that home is not just about the physical space but also about the continuity and certainty of belonging.
This feeling is not just personal but collective, as India is increasingly defined by documentation and verification.
The Supreme Court's orders on stray dogs, reforms in the UPSC, and anxieties around the SIR (Summary of Information Record) all reflect how belonging is becoming something that needs to be continually proven.
These changes are creating new forms of marginality, where people feel they must constantly perform their eligibility to belong.
The author argues that belonging should be a human right, not something earned through compliance with bureaucratic processes.
The author's recent move to a new apartment made them reflect on the deeper meaning of home and belonging.
In India, increasing bureaucratic and administrative processes are making belonging a performative act rather than an inherent right.
Examples include the Supreme Court's orders on stray dogs, reforms in the UPSC, and anxieties around the SIR (Summary of Information Record).
These changes are creating new forms of marginality, where people feel they must constantly prove their eligibility to belong.
The author argues that belonging should be safeguarded as a human right, not something earned through compliance with bureaucratic processes.
- Who
- The author, a Delhi-based writer and researcher, and various individuals affected by bureaucratic changes in India
- What
- The shifting notions of home and belonging in India due to increasing bureaucratic and administrative challenges
- When
- Present day, with references to recent events and policies
- Where
- India, with specific mentions of the author's ancestral village and cities
- Why
- To explore how policies and administrative processes are affecting the sense of belonging and creating new forms of marginality
- Author
- Delhi-based writer and researcher
- Primary Focus
- Changing notions of home and belonging in India
- Key Issue
- Increasing bureaucratic and administrative challenges to belonging
- Examples Mentioned
- Stray dog relocations, UPSC reforms, SIR (Summary of Information Record) anxieties
- Central Argument
- Belonging is becoming a performative act rather than an inherent right
- Impact
- New forms of marginality and displacement, both spatial and bureaucratic
- Conclusion
- The need to safeguard belonging as a human right beyond documentation