LANGUAGE WITHOUT A LAND: PARTITION, SINDHI REFUGEES, AND THE EIGHTH SCHEDULE OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Scholars have paid significant attention to the linguistic reorganisation of states in India but there is less consideration how demands movements redraw map linked history partition across colonial-postcolonial divide as well new minorities that created. This article draws at first unsuccessful pre-partition resistance Sindhi Hindus separation Sindh from Bombay Presidency on lines would make them a religious minority. The then discusses resettlement deterritorialised refugees, when they had claim belonging context reinvigorated calls for redistribution boundaries based majorities. As an alternative territorial representation, refugees successfully sought inclusion Eighth Schedule Constitution India, list officially supported languages meant originally enrich Hindi. reveals and partition's reshaped constitutional conceptions minority citizenship manner not yet acknowledged. transformed Schedule's primary purpose augmenting Hindi additionally conferring protections group languages. demand paved way other whose identity did necessarily neatly geographically defined state recognition Schedule. opened limited option safeguards without India.