The Meos of Mewat : Perspectives on ethnicity and nation building

Abstract

The paper profiles an ethnic group-the Meos, whose homeland is centered in the backward and neglected region of Mewat, now in Haryana. Though the Meos had converted to Islam by the time of Babur, they had strong roots in Hindu culture, and a centuries-old amity existed between the Hindus and Muslims of the area. It was in the early 20th century that the Meos were infected by communal Hindu-Muslim hatred. Though this was eclipsed by a rising wave of patriotism and nationalism, it resurfaced in the surcharged atmosphere of the pre-partition days. Post-independence, in the wake of the Babri-Masjid demolition, there was communal rioting and retaliation, and a hardening of attitudes. As the case of the Meos shows, there is a need to facilitate the participation of ethnic groups in the process of nation building.