Paper
Youth Participation in Lingayat Reservation Movement: An Anthropological Perspective in Pune,Maharashtra,India.
presenters
Aishwarya Patil
Nationality: India
Residence: Maharashtra
Presence:Online
The Lingayat reservation movement in India began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as a response to the
widespread discrimination and social exclusion faced by these groups. In the years following India's
independence in 1947, the government implemented a number of policies to promote the education and
employment of these groups, including quotas for admission to educational institutions and government
jobs.
The very reason for the Lingayat movement to come to the fore was social beliefs and practices, which
denied human dignity and respect to many in society (Siddalingaiah, 2012, pp. 1–24). Followers of this
movement ‘rejected a hierarchy of occupational groups based on birth and substituted a more egalitarian
social structure’ (Michael, 1982, p. 606). However, the present situation in the community is contrary to
these rejections of such beliefs and practices (Darga, 2018, p. 109).
There are 90 lakh Lingayats in Maharashtra. Particularly in the Marathwada districts of Latur, Nanded,
Osmanabad, Parbhani, and Beed, as well as Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, and Solapur. However, the demands
of this community have not been taken into consideration.
Reservation has outlived the constitutional definition but it is necessary to continue it because social justice
could not be achieved within that time frame. Other sections have innovated an ingenious way of claiming
its share of the cake. More number of communities are joining the reserved fold; also more numbers are
claiming a minority status. We should analyze this breaking of the walls of reservation. Is the Lingayat
claim for minority status is the sequel of this, and why not?
Keywords:
Lingayat, Reservation, Religion, Maharashtra, India.