This book analyses the unprecedented, democratic transformation which is currently taking place in India, by employing a new analytical framework of the "vernacular public arena" where negotiations, dialogues, debates and contestations occur among "vernacular publics." This reflects the profound changes in Indian democracy as diverse social groups, including dalits, adivasis and Other Backward Classes; minorities, women; individuals from rural areas, towns, and cities; the poor and the new middle classes - the "vernacular publics" - participate in new ways in India's public life.Contributors demonstrate that the participation of vernacular publics has resulted in the broadening of Indian democracy itself which focuses on the ways of governance, improving people's lives, life chances, and living environments.
