Social movements in india: From institutional politics to participatory democracy

Social Movements in India are changing. Increasing numbers of people are joining non-party political processes though institutional politics is still more influential than the former. This paper is an analysis of origin, background, and structure of these political processes which resemble participatory democracy and their roles in Indian politics. The paper explores how social movements like National !lliance of People͛s Movements (N!PM), Ekta Parishad, Mazdoor Kisan Sakti Sanghathan (MKSS), Tarun Bharat Sangh, India Against Corruption (IAC), etc. galvanized masses to join hands for a common purpose or a progressive idea. The paper also tries to look for answers to questions such as do the social movements create new class and gender forces/solidarities; do they emancipate and empower the masses; do they result in new political organizations; do they create checks and balances on existing political organizations; will they result in growing social cleavages and destabilizations, etc.