INDIA

Hindi

राज्यविहीन व्यक्ति | Rajya-vihin vyakti

· Rajya: state

· Vihin: without/lacking

· Vyakti: person

Together:

“A person without a state.”

The contributor describes this as referring to someone who is not recognised as a national by any country.

How statelessness is understood

The contributor describes statelessness as both legal and social, associating it strongly with a lack of official documents or काग़ज़ात (kaagazaat).

The contribution also points to a wider experience of exclusion and non-belonging, particularly within bureaucratic systems where documentation is important for accessing government services and entitlements.

Everyday expressions

कहीं का नहीं | Kahin ka nahin

“Belonging nowhere.”

सिस्टम के बाहर | System ke bahar

“Outside the system.”

The contributor believes these expressions communicate exclusion and non-belonging but do not adequately capture the legal and structural dimensions of statelessness.

English

Rootlessness

The contributor uses rootlessness to describe someone who is not recognized and has no nationality.

The lived expression provided is:

“I am left feeling unwanted.” The contributor also associates the experience with being “hopeless”.