ABSTRACT
Resources are found at certain sites and if these sites are inhabited, there is little chance than to relocate those who are living at those sites. The logic for the development-induced displacement lies in the inevitability of this process. However, the process demands adequate compensation for those who are displaced. For the indigenous communities in India the popular slogan has been “jal, jangal, jameen”, meaning water, forest, and land. The ownership of these usually has been communitarian and the change in the place of residence means loss of these vital resources. Cultural uprooting along with the loss of livelihood have thus become the issue of identity for these indigenous communities. The economic loss if intended can be compensated, but compensation for the loss of the memory and that of identity is more difficult and it is this characteristic related to place-making and homeland that make these internally displaced communities a diaspora. This chapter discusses the processes which contribute to the making of this “diaspora” within the national territory and their quest for justice.
