Democrats were the minority political group as they lost to the Republicans in the recent elections, 2004. Muslims are the minority in India, but they form the majority in Indonesia where they outnumber all other religious population. The larger group of Whites is the majority in England while Blacks and Asians are the minority in that country. Who turns out to be the minority, in general, depends upon the larger size of the majority.In Nepal's perspective, we can see all kinds of minority group. Hinduism being the major religious group, which comprises of eighty six percent of the total population, all other religious groups are under the umbrella of minority. Women have always been the minority everywhere, and no matter how loud the phrase "gender equality" is amplified, women are assaulted in different ways one or the other time. It is nothing new that it happens in Nepal too. Racial minority does not exist in Nepal as we people have the same complexion around the country. But our society is cursed with a bigger agenda than what the westerners have as "racism".Nepalese society is built of four castes and thirty six sub castes. This division was performed by a king some three hundred years back to distinguish between the warriors and priests, and low class workers. The higher two castes are the Brahmin and Chhetris, who have access to all the facilities. The lower classes were of Vaisya and Shudra, who were designated to do low task jobs. For us, they are the social minority.Minority does not reflect the smaller population in every occasion. The majority or the higher classes comprises of thirty-two percent of the total population while Vaisya and Shudra comprises of sixty one percent. And sixty percent of the underprivileged group falls under the category of untouchables - the Dalits, Kamiayas, Haliyas and a few more indigenous groups. These names are different, but they all perform the same function for the high powered majority.The minority crisis in Nepal reminds me of Guinier, who has stated in her essay, "The Tyranny of the Majority" that, "The problem of majority tyranny arises, however, when the self-interested majority does not need to worry about defections. When the majority is fixed and permanent, there are no checks on its ability to be overbearing. A majority that does not worry about defectives is a majority with total power" (Guinier 610). Those minority groups are facing the same crisis, and even more than that. Many of them are working as bonded labors. While general people work from 9 to 5, they work from 5 to 9-five in the morning till nine in the evening. And the wage they get paid is the worst of the figures. United Nations has reported that they get paid Rupees thirteen per day ($0.20) and get fined Rupees hundred the day they do not work. This policy is regulated for the entire year.The kamaiya and haliya system arises from debt relationship. It sustains bonded practices as a matter of accepted social phenomenon. It...
