The Times We Live In - Housebound

In the developing world, you never know what is going to happen. Although India usually isn't making the headlines for major upheavals or social unrest, it just so happens that this week we're caught in the middle of an interesting dispute. The Gujjar, an ethnic group and caste in India, are currently demanding "Scheduled Tribe" (ST) status from the government in order to have protected land throughout the country. As their demands are not being met, they are taking action with a number of protests. These protests mostly consist of blocking major highways, and this is spreading into the National Capital Region (NCR) here in Delhi since yesterday. Incidents between police and protestors have left more than 40 dead up until this point.

That being said, everyone from the office was sent home early yesterday as a precautionary measure and to make sure no one would get stranded at the office if the traffic and/or violence spread. We were again sent home early today, and the office will be closed tomorrow due to the Gujjar's threats to protest in and around Delhi tomorrow.

Everyone is safe and sound, staying put in their homes. The threat is not so serious that many people are threatened, but again these are the times we're living and we don't really know what to expect. For the most part it's just roadblocks and paralysis of transportation which is creating headaches throughout the region.

If you're interested in learning more about the current situation, check out Google News. Here's one brief article on Gujjar tension - Gujjar agitation: Capital on alert.