“The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities”, Ayn Rand, Russian- American writer and philosopher said. The world consists of people belonging to different races, religions, creeds, gender etc and live together in harmony. Among the large group of individuals we share many groups having different ethnic, cultural, or linguistic lifestyles. There are many minorities which need to be protected and preserved for the future. Their rights and security are necessary for preserving the very culture of a country or a place.
India is a country with diversity, from north to south and from east to west, there is a variety of culture, language and different ethnicity. For preserving the rich heritage of the country, National Minorities Rights Day is celebrated every year on December 18 with an aim for recognising the rights of minorities in India. Each and every individual is equal in the eyes of the law and the Constitution of India guarantees rights to every citizen irrespective of its caste, creed, religion, ethnicity.
The Minorities Rights Day was first celebrated in India on December 18, 2013 based on the United Nations Statement on the Individual Rights belonging to Religious or Linguistic National or Ethnic Minorities. The Ministry of Minority Affairs looks after the provisions for the minorities in India The National Commission for Minorities regulates and controls the issues related to minorities in India. According to religion there are six minorities in India including people who follow Jainism. Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam and Christianity. The Constitution of India protects these minorities and preserves their culture.
Apart from religious minorities, there are many ethnic groups in various parts of India. Various states like Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh , Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura, West Bengal have various ethnic groups and cultural and linguistic diversity. India is a group of culturally and linguistically different people. The different culture makes a colourful identity of India across the globe.
Internationally, the Minorities Rights Day was recognised by the United Nations for protecting and securing the minorities around the globe irrespective of their race, creed, gender, religion and place of birth. It was recognised in 1992, stating the provisions for countries to protect the minority rights. It explains that persons belonging to minorities should follow their human and fundamental rights and freedom and celebrate their culture freely. The UN suggested the countries have national organisations for the welfare of minorities and special rules and reservations for them.
Thomas Jefferson rightly says, “The minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.” Therefore, the Minorities Rights Day promotes harmony and peace among different religions, cultures and languages and reminds us about the equal rights and equality before law.
References
- https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/article/minorities-rights-day-2020-history-importance-and-why-is-it-observed/695981
- https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/minorities-day-2020-significance-theme-all-you-need-to-know
- https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/minorities-rights-day-2020-history-significance-theme-and-everything-you-need-to-know.html
- https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Minorities/Pages/internationallaw.aspx
- https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/national-minorities-rights-day-2020-know-why-india-is-a-country-of-unity-in-diversity-2340347
- https://www.sankhalainfo.com/minorities-rights-day/
- https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/minorities-rights-day-2020-date-history-significance-and-quotes-1750722-2020-12-18
- https://scroll.in/announcements/981585/national-minorities-rights-day-2020-significance-in-a-multi-religious-society-like-india
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_rights#National_minorities_in_the_law_of_the_EC/EU
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