ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the conflict over values and norms in India: over what people consider to be right, proper, and desirable, and what they regard as legally and morally binding. Though it concerns the normative order in the broad sense, it also provides a distinction within that order between values and norms. The chapter shows the convention of terminology established by Parsons and his associate. It also focuses on the program of positive discrimination in order to bring to light some of the tensions inherent in the pursuit of equality in contemporary India. The chapter discusses the problem of creating and sustaining a civil society in the light of the conflicts over norms, values, and interests. Modern Indians sometimes say that the acceptance of diversity as a core value in Indian civilization gives Indians a special advantage in building a democratic society. India has one of the oldest and most comprehensive programs of positive discrimination.
