I first discovered that ‘we’ were seen as ‘different’ when we moved to Chandigarh. I was 16, and rather surprised when we were visited at lunchtime by Mrs. Khunjoo , who lived in the next apartment. Surprised because we don’t generally expect visitors at lunchtime. Certainly not visitors who spring lithely over the balconies as Mrs Khunjoo did.
“Will you have lunch” my mother , ever hospitable asked her, the first time she manifested.
“No no sister,” she said. “i just want to see.”
“What do you want to see?”,I asked.
“No, please , just what you are eating ?”
She advanced upon our table. My Mother uncovered our serving dishes. She stared at it like some mystery was to be uncovered.
“Arre!” said Mrs Khujroo. “Rice? Dal?”
We do these things. We eat rice and dal but Mrs Khujroo was hoping that she would see something exotic.
“Do people from Nagaland really eat dogs?” asked my landlady when she first learnt that I was from the North East. She was offended when I walked out of the room. Mrs Vaidya (named changed to protect the innocent, namely me) failed to even realise that what she said could be offensive. Mrs Vaidya represents mainland India’s opinion about the seven states of North East India. But at least she has given me a place to stay. Many other North-Eastern students have been turned away because they don’t “look like us”. The other thing is institutional. Don’t believe it? Consider this.
One of India’s proudest moments was at the opening ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games. It was one of those moments when one feels proud to be part of such a great Indian Union. The Indian contingent marched in led by Abhinav Bindra proudly carrying our Indian flag. Before him, the signboard holder was wearing the Mizo tradition Puanchei dress. Such a proud moment for the North East to be finally recognised at a event of this scale.
The very next morning the Times of India front page had a photograph of the Indian contingent. “All the teams were led out by girls wearing saris in different styles, except for the Indian team, which was heralded by a girl in a Naga dress.” So much for a “knowledgeable” leading daily.
No North Eastern student in a mainland metropolitan city would be surprised by this sheer ignorance. It has become a part of their lives and an accepted fact that they do not belong here. Nor has the mainland made them feel like they’re part of this country. Hundreds of students come every year from the North East to seek admission in Delhi University. The joy of seeking admission is often cut short by the difficulties faced in the capital. Racial discrimination, language barriers, sexual harassment and trouble finding accommodation are only some of the numerous problems.
“How do you guys contribute to the economy besides tea and a few bombs to seek attention?” says an educated, upper middle class boy in a conversation we had about the various states in India. Of course, it did not matter that just one state, Assam, produces 55 per cent of India’s tea and 60 per cent of its plywood and a substantial part of its crude oil. Of course, he failed to name three out of the seven states. Of course, he didn’t even care to know the names of the capitals of the states. His attitude was clear; how did it matter.
“With a name like Ass-am, what do you guys expect?” he says.
“Have you ever been to the North-East?” I asked.
“Are you nuts?” he asks, this brave mainlander, always willing to mock the name of a state to a woman. “Dude, you guys are like dangerous. I might get killed or abducted or something.”
But then I don’t expect much better from him. He thinks Muslims should “go back where they came from”. (I won’t go into what it is like to be Muslim and North-Eastern. Not enough room. Not enough time.)
To the mainland, the seven states of the North-East are ‘sisters’. This term reeks of paternalism, a patriarchal way of reducing seven independent and diverse states into a single identity. This is why I get really angry when the media talks about the problems of the North-East. Manipur is not Assam. The problems of Meghalaya are different from the problems of Arunachal Pradesh. Trying to work out a single solution that will be inclusive is like trying to find one cure for all ailments.
Let’s consider what happens when Shabana Azmi decides to fast for the rights of slum dwellers facing eviction. The media arrive. The politicians make promises. And within a week, Ms Azmi can return to her biriani. Meanwhile Irom Sharmila has entered the eleventh year of her superhuman fast, protesting the indefensible Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that has been imposed in Manipur and most of the Northeast since 1980.The Act allows the army to use force, arrest or shoot anyone on the mere suspicion that someone has committed or was about to commit a cognisable offence. The Act also prohibits any legal or judicial proceedings against army personnel without the sanction of the Central Government. Is this how our own country wants to treat its citizens? When the government imposes such measures, it only speaks of the centre’s failure as a governing body. Even as the entire country marks the anniversary of Mumbai 26/11, most mainland Indians remain ignorant of the fact that hundreds of their brothers and sisters that die every year of government action.
Some argue that it is the sheer physical isolation that makes it impossible for mainland India to find out about anything about the North-East. States like Tripura and Arunachal and Mizoram aren’t even connected by the railways let alone any other form of infrastructural and educational development. Nitin Gokhale, an NDTV journalist who has written extensively about the North East and its problems says, “Physical isolation from the mainland has aggravated the already existing mental quarantine”. So we don’t even exist and if we do we’re not part of India.
What does it take to qualify to be an Indian? When Nehru spoke about our tryst with destiny, was he thinking the North East? When the Jana Gana Mana was adopted as the National Anthem, did anyone think of the North East? Is anyone thinking right now ?
NB : This is post by Leilah Zeenat Hazarika from North East India, living in Mumbai. Her twitter account is : http://twitter.com/leilah_zeenat. We encourage you to follow her to get updates about North East India.
The original post is found in her Facebook Notes here.
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{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
Loved your post. And your insight into diversity. I am from Mumbai and the stereotypes of diversity are a constant thing in my awareness. What is north east? A direction or an identity?
Frankly, I don’t know much about the north east either, the only possible saving grace being that the not knowing is something I keep thinking about. And it took a few Manipuri friends for me to even see how much I didn’t know. I am glad to have met you.
YES , North -East is a direction, with respect to KOLKATA . When th British rule India,Kolkata was the Capital of British India .Those indigenous people living in N-E wrt kolkata are TIBETO- BURMAN, race and are NOT INDIAN for many centuries. When the expansion of British India colonies took placed in late 19 century, the British India rule N-E.
After WW -II the Britisher Gave freedom in 14th August 1947.But The INDIAN GOVT. forcefully merge NE into INDIAN Teritory. AFTER THE BRITISHER LEFT .
Sorry to see alienation in the NE. Always knew it existed though.
And sadly, so many NE-ers endup forming their mainland impressions in Delhi and surrounding areas. Even for someone from down south as I am, these places come across as less than polite and abrasive. A Mumbai, a Bengaluru, a Chennai or a Hyderabad are much more likely to leave far more favorable impressions and happier memories.
As for whether the NE belongs in India, my answer is ‘YES’. In bold capitals, underlined. The idea of India, presently hijacked by noisy north Indian masculinity is evolving into a kinder, gentler, more confident (rather than merely aggressive) avatar. About time too. In time this idea of India as a social contract between diverse peoples of living their lives on their own terms within an overarching, flexible constitutional framework I hope will extend to influence Burma (which was part of British India and accepted as separate only in 1935) and Indo-China – traditional spheres of Indic influence.
OK, enough of my ramble. Have a nice day.
Thanks for bringing this to my notice. It is a shame, and one feels depressed at such blatant racism. Unfortunately most of India remains in the medieval era. No amount of ‘education’ seems to change the mindset of most Indians.
It is indeed shameful that we treat fellow Indians like this. The only solution is more contact between people of different states.
Very poignant article, but did no one notice the irony in the author intro saying, “This is post by Leilah Zeenat Hazarika from North East India, living in Mumbai.” Why not just say which city/state she’s from?
I agree with many points, but i disagree with the fact that this is only towards NER states. India has started to open up very recently and the cross cultural doubts are there and same. NER being isolated has problems but you can’t just throw all onus on other states.
As far as I remember the TOI reported the state correctly.
All my support for Sharmila.
I completely understand your feelings, but I suggest you to give India one more chance. We are slowly learning about each other and becoming aware of each other. It was not long ago that people from South India would be made fun of by asking if they lick their Rasam/Saar from their elbows to palm. Also, with increased tourism, travel and reading people will learn about NE and make it their own. The Shilong Choir recognition etc is a positive development.
Since it is the problem of the entire north east so we must unify ourselves to stand against it.
funny, it reminds me of all ‘south Indians’ being called ‘Madrasis’, many north Indians can’t even name the states in the south.
It is not so hard to understand, in foreign lands, people from entire subcontinent are either Pakis or Lankans or Indians – irrespective of their nationality. Similarly, in the west, every person from east-asia is a “Chinese”
That is normal, someone from NE can see the subtleties, others don’t.
Also wtf is so offensive in asking about eating dog-meat ? Nagas eat it, don’t they ? And what is so bad about eating them !
Also, there are not so hard to understand reasons for WHY there is little infrastructure in NE, it is disingenuous to blame others for it.
You’re right, the NE is meant to have been independent, but the British rule brought it into india which is what happened to Tamil Nadu as well. india is, at its core, just a northern narrow minded pastureland with no room for pluralism, multiculturalism and progressive thinking. The discrimination you mention is identical to what I encountered up in the north, and I am not even different looking from the cowbelt denizens, purely because I speak Tamil and no hindy.
It is time we looked at the future of our own countries and steer clear of india which is clearly destined to an embattled future. india’s enemies, i.e., Pakistan and China, are not our enemies. Therein lies the key.
P. Elangovan,
Looks like you are not educated properly. If there is a problem with certain people’s attitude whether they belong to north or middle or east or west or south it doesnt mean that the whole community is like that. There are lot of people who would have helped you during your stay in north and there would be lot of people in south who would have fooled you.
I am sure that you would have considered people from all african nations as African only.
You thinking is sick but you are going a step ahead and provoking others too in a wrong direction.
If you speak in same language in front of a educated person, be ready to get your butt kicked.
the North-east is a part of India. India was and continues to be an idea, an abstract in some sense. It accomodates more than it rejects. It’s just a matter of finding its rightful place in the mainstream India psyche and sensibility. India does not belong to New Delhi, Mumbai, UP, or West Bengal. People of the north east needs to realize that if they feel they too belong to India as much as a Bihari, Tamil, RAjput. At the same time, people in mainland needs to be considerate of the north east’s unique history, past and problems. Its a two way process. India is not defined or based on any particular religion, race, linguistic group, etc. It is plural, diverse and therefore accomodating.
I totally empathise with whatever said in the blog.
However, aren’t you guilty of looking at India as just that Delhi region ?? … At the most you can accuse that delhiites and few dumb folks in that region are this way.
The main reason is the negligence shown by the main-stream media. We rely a lot on media I mean we simply go by what NDTV or TOI reports. Everyone is crying about Telengana but no one is is aware of the situation in Darjeeling.
But u keep writing
What you guys told its different india is country now those who talk about division are illiterate i think.. North east boys and girls are earlily identified.. Their livin way is different same with south. Same with west indig also and almost all states has different culture so division is the correct way.. Guys education is important.. Uneducated people will not perspect expect their family and who knows they have respect for their family or not.. Lower class people auto drivers tea makers were involved in sexually harashment you will never ever heard that a student tortured a girl from north east.. Ya they will taunt.. Taunting is every where.. In every instituition.:) so guys just chill out let them barking.. Keep in touch
with your culture.. And stop wearing explicit dress.. Ya dressmh sense should be there.. Year western dresses at some good areas.. Not in local.. Market.. Or the place where you live..
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
What you guys told its different india is country now those who talk about division are illiterate i think.. North east boys and girls are easily identified.. Their livin way is different same with south. Same with west india also and almost all states has different culture so division is the not the correct way.. Guys education is important.. Uneducated people will not respect expect their family and who knows they have respect for their family ornot.. Lower class people auto drivers tea makers were involved in sexuallyharashment you will never ever hear that a student tortured a girl from north east.. Ya they will taunt.. Taunting is every where.. In every instituition.:) so guys just chill out let them barking.. Keep in touch
with your culture.. And stop wearing explicit dress.. Ya dressmh sense should be there.. Year western dresses at some good areas.. Not in local.. Market.. Or the place where you live..
our ancestors were not fool that they divide caste and religion.. Dont get mixed up.. South indian marry with south indian.. Same with all states.. What happens in mixing up.. Hits clear.. From western cultures.. Be united be in limit.. That is mantra .
Fellow bloggers!
My wife is an angami from nagaland and iam a tamil brahmin!over the period of 10 years of courtship with her I have immersed in learning of geo politics and history of the north east and in my personal opinion north east is facing what i call ‘AFRICANIZATION’ rather balkanization the reason behind this is during the first decade of independent india NEFA region was present which later on after various accords broke down into different states of nagaland,mizoram meghalay etc and look at each state now we have hill councils! The root cause of the north east problem back in the fifties and even in 2011 remains single ie,CARRYING FORWARD OF THE BRITISH POLICY BY THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT OF LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE VARIOUS COMMUNITIES IN NORTH EAST, mainland indians (with no fault of theirs) fail to understand the historical identity of nagas,mizos,garos,khasis etc as the time passed by the lower count of various ethnic populations withdrew the steam from an armed fight against the indian government adding on to that extortions by various underground groups has reduced the fight for freedom into a mafioso type law and order problem in nagaland,manipur and karbi hill districts .This has dealt a death blow to the confidence of various ethnic communities a lot of youngsters have lack of confidence in there own abilities have started to accept india as a lesser evil compared to the warring factions of NSCN IM,Kor U or KNLDF or a PREPAK.The nagas and manipuris want freedom but have nowhere to turn to and all the way India government has derecognized the right to sovreignity of these people and instead look into provide more funds in the hope that these areas will develope the same case as in african countries where european powers grant aids in the hope of some development.I go to nagaland every year i run businesses there i find nagas the most hospitable honest and innocent people.I think with globalization and planned development north east will come to fore ..what others have been discussing largely is people to people behaviour with folks from north east which will change with better education and more inter community exposure which takes some time ..the larger question is what right does the union of india has to decide for the rights of nagas ,manipuris or kukis? please be in there shoes and think why did indians fight for freedom against the british..why nagas cannot take care of there own issues why they need india? if smaller countries like bhutan,swiss and luxembourg can be independent why not nagalim,manipur and tripura can be sovreign outside the framework of indian constitution?sorry for a politically long post! feel free to give opinions
HI Golan
well said in a nutshell you have said it all India is an idea and if we want to make people from north east a part of this idea it has to be by mutual understanding of the aspirations of the people from north east and help them progress culturally,socially and materially which would reap benefits for india in the long run instead of picking up guns against eachother the onus is on us to make them feel indian !
i don’t know..i am from nagaland….i went to mumbai some years before one guy came up to me and asked me from which country do u belong ? what a silly question….i told of course india…he told from where…i told nagaland…he told that…u are a guest of honour for us…as if i were a foreigner…i told what an idiot u are do we say people coming from mumbai to northeast like that he instantly came up with the question why do u people from northeast look like chinky kind u know ..i instantly walked away disgusted cause he offended me enough to make me angry….
historically northeast is not a part of india .the indian forcefully annexed it after their independence from the brits ,just like what china did to tibet,we have no indian quality.And now they are colonising us.
a pack of indian ,ugly ,blackie, dirty ,filthy,indian sucks. i am from northeast i don’t consider myself as indian we have our own identity ,we have our own history,nothing related to india. please don’t force yourself into being indian . no one like it not even the indian .
hello,
Northeast peoples are educated and gentle and humble by nature.
i respect them .they are all our brothers .we all are united.but some bad
peoples of mainland treat them like foreigners.i have many northeast buddies .they all r great.one day when perception of mainland peoples
change ,which i hope, India will be great place to live and work…remember this 21st century India has really great future for all of us….. To northeast friends ..we love you.do not hesitate this is our country
Remember bad morons are everywhere(US,UK,Australia)we all are Indians and always will be.
thanks
Rahul(mainlander…lol)
New-Delhi
A created identity will never work, they have their own identity that they have carried for hundreds of years. Indian is considered as a multiple personality disorder syndrome. Where will this madness end then ? Keep expanding the definition to cover Afghans, Arabs, Europeans, Burmese, Chinese in the end ? Somewhere the boundaries have to be drawn. Thousands of stars shine bright at night, each one having it’s own identity and own beauty, to see them the sun has to go away, in the brightness of one sun, all these stars vanish. To impose an Idea on them, of “India”, thousands and thousands were killed. A country that itself has confusion about it’s identity before the world and can’t even keep peace within itself, what sort of an entity can provide peace to occupied tribes ? Who created these boundaries? Who decides them? Hinduism? Nimrod? who ? How many of them have to die to make Indians feel good about themselves ? Murdering human beings or kidnapping some one and claiming them to be your son or daughter or brother won’t work. Let them go, and let them have a referendum to decide wether they want to join with this created super state or stand on their own. As a people they can decide that, just as “Indians”, or whatever 2000 ethnic groups in it are , don’t want europeans to decide for them.
its better if north east is separated from india
There shud be more interaction between people in the North East and “Mainland” (If there is such a thing). Being Indian should not mean someone from a particular race or community. Nagas are as much Indian as Malayalis, Bengali, Assamese or Ladakhis. Nagas shud be tolerant of people who exhibit ignorance towards the North east.
Money must be spent on education in the North East. A person from the North East must have the same career opportunities as a person anywhere in India. They shud be able to maintain their identity and culture. They should be able to prosper in India.
Being told to be chinese is not a bad thing these days. The east asian counries have made tremendous progress in our world today. Japan is the worlds second largest Hi-Tech economy in the world today and a model for Indians. You should remember that India has now started to pursue a “Look East” policy. As part of this policy, the government of India have decided to improve economic relations with countries on its east rather than the west. With such ideas, it is important that the North East not be neglected and made to feel left out.
It must be said that the ancient Burmese, Thai, Indonesian and Cambodian empires were at one time Indian as well. We need to broaden or minds and not appear unwelcoming to our brothers in the North East. They have every right to live in our country as anyone else. So please s Hazarika, please do not feel bad. You are as much Indian to me as a Gujarati or a Bihari.
Keep expanding your definition of “Indian’ to cover Arabs, Europeans, and Latin Americans. People arn’t interested in your created multiple personality disorder syndrome , confused of your own identity. A nation is defined by it’s culture, borders, language, heritage, blood links, ancestral identity, familial ties.
If “South East Asians” are “Indians”, then, “Indians” are Turks , as the Turks and Afghans and Persians had their empire down there. You can take someone else’s daughter and kidnap her, and rape her repeatedly, and keep telling her, she is your daughter, won’t make it your daughter.
A created nation-state , created in 1947. We all have our own identities, that our forefathers gave us, not New Delhi. This whole “Indian” thing never existed in the past, forgieners put this name , in reality each nation-kingdom had it’s own identity , each tribe it’s own.
Nations keep changing, and it’s boundaries keep changing, I am sure tomorow, russia’s boundary can extend south wards and you can become russians. But the blood in you won’t change would it ?
the definer:
Your post only served to highlight your ignorance and expose how big a moron you are.
Arabs can never be Indians until they reject islam. Indian muslims do not have the same priviledges as Arab muslims.
An Arab is allowed to buy a home and live in Mecca as long as they want. An Indian muslim does not have the privilege. All Indian muslims are in effect second class muslims.
Europeans as well as latin America also follow a similar monotheistic ideology inspired by christianity. Monotheistic ideologies such as islam and christianity aim to destroy the diversity within India. They can never form the basis of an Indian nation and will eventually be excluded from India.
The ideology that forms the basis of India is also the baisis of east asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia. Have you forgotten the Ankor wat temple that lies between Thailand and Cambodia is a Hindu temple? You probably have no idea that the same Saraswathi or Ganesha we worship is also worshiped in Japanese temples. The Srivijaya empire of Indonesia also was an Indian empire.
The north east has a history of being part of India. This has been documented. Your silly post does nothing to change that view.
Chitrakut,
You claim whole Far East Asia was part of indian empire. which indiam empire are you talking about? I agree Far Eatern countires especially Khemers in combodia practised a form of “Sanatan Dharma” but they still had their own culture. It was not by any means Indian Empire.
During the medival times there was no such thing as india or hindu, these names were given to people of sub-continent by European and Muslim invaders. Before Muslim and European invasion different kinds of “Sanatan Dharma ” was practised by people from central asia to present day combodia.
According to you claim everything from central asia to combodia should be India which is totally bogus. Point is different people and culture can practise same religion it does not mean they are all the same people.
Just my two cents..
Chitrakut:’the northeast has been part of india’
I will really pleased if you provide me with your source of facts,on what basis did come up on the conclusions,please cite some references
Hello Chitrakut, I can tell you about many non-arabs who live in Saudi Arabia,mecca,Medina,etc. Just becoz Hinduism doesn’t allow Dalits( whom it considers filthy subhuman fouth class animals) into Brahmin temples,doesn’t mean an Egalitarian religion like Islam also has that practice. Islamic world from Spain to Indonesia has much more diversity that India has……. Although I respect India,i do not see Hindus respecting Muslim world. Islam is a great religion and some blabbering by you is doing nothing but fooling your own self! Anyways IT WAS MUSLIMS WHO RULED INDIA AND BROUGHT PROSPERITY TO IT,When we ruled,India had 25% share in the world trade and no one could even think of attacking India.It was the traitor Marathas along with Nizams who helped Brits to attack Tipu Sultan who was defending this country.This helped the Brits establish footprints in India.They themselves considered the Tipu’s ISLAMIC kingdom the Last MAJOR obstacle in their path to India’s complete capture..
As far as NE is concerned, EVEN Aurangzeb couldn’t capture it so it must be Given Freedom as INDIA has done INJUSTICE to them.
Yor are comparing apples and oranges, Islamic world vs India. One is a religion and other is country.
Both hardcore hindus and muslim just try to cherry pick isolated event of history for you own benefit.
As far as histroy please check you facts it was riches of india that attracted Arab and Truks. Akbar was only great king of Mugals only during his regin Hidustan really prospered. Other Kings were very brutal to non muslims. Non muslim were either taxed or forcefully converted. If you google if you find good historical documents reagaring presecution of non muslim in indian subcontinent during muslim rule. In islamic world non muslim are presecuted and there are numerous example in our day too. One example is persecution of Coptic Egyptian Christain. These coptic christain predates muslims of Egypt, so for you claim isam respects other religion is totally false. Even Shia and Sunni do not respect each other so no way there are going respect infidels (hidus,christains, non muslims)
Hi
First of all I am sorry that you came across that complete a**hole “mainlander”.
We are a completely f***ed-up nation. Not much can be expected from a country which invented castes (and caste-based politics, caste-based voting), untouchability. We spit on the roads we travel, dump garbage all around us. We have derogative names and comments for people of all states and religion. Its a lack of hygiene – both social and physical.
As regards to North-Eastern states, the day their economies get better, “mainlanders” will remember their capitals, districts, by-lanes,etc. and claim ancestry.
yes i am completely agree with you. NE is completely part of India but why the Indian Govt. are regularly negotiate to the entire NE i think gvt. use only natural resources purpose not for NE. i dont no when changes come.
wtf is the prob if we eat dogs …yes we eat silkworms …ants..any prob itz our food
man ….if tis goes on lyk tis we dont want 2 b apart of u …
no ones beggin for ur attention or respect
yes ne is a part of india as others. there r people who discriminate. but not all. times are changing. people are getting liberal as they r getting educated. hope you meet nice people who doesnt discriminate on anything and treat you same as his or her fellowmen.
I”m saddened to read about your experiences. However, rest assured that not all of us are blatantly bigoted like some of your acquaintances. (i would in fact punch that male ‘friend’ if i were you). Yes, I agree that NE states does not figure as much as it should in the national imagination and can imagine the feelings of alienation that this brings. But please don’t stop at mentioning problems, suggest what can be done to fix this.
aftr reading all the commnts ..i
came at a point tat indians have
treated people of NE v.badly ..n
nw also they do ,may be it has
lessen but but..its v.poor thnkng
of an Indian.
Govt.of india should take care of
every state especialy
Tripura..becoz tat land belongs
to Tripuri tribe..dan how can a
bengali refugee is leading a
state..n those people are
cuming 4m bangladesh..through
them out of country ..As Bengali
leads in WB,Marathi leads
Maharastra,Bihari leads Bihar
etc etc etc dan why a Tripuri or
Dberma is nt leading Tripura??
if indian govt. and indian people
cant treat or except The people
of NE india as a true indian
brother and sister than i think its
better to be seperated.
and that doesnt mean tat NE
should Be added to China,its
true that people looks same.but
Chinese may also treat NE like
Tibet. .better to form a seperate
COUNTRY Or INDIAN
govt.should change the
situation Or Chinese can take NE
giving a surety of proper
Independence.
No nid to fight
What to do is v.simple just take
public votes and comments and
do as what the people of NE
wants.
thats it!
all what i want is do not capture
any1s right.
i m jst talkng the reality.
not with any1 s favour..
aftr reading all the commnts ..i
came at a point tat indians have
treated people of NE v.badly ..n
nw also they do ,may be it has
lessen but but..its v.poor thnkng
of an Indian.
Y Govt.is not removing AFSPA??
Y Govt.is not putting NE language in money?
y Govt.is not taking any proper effective action towards the crisis going in Manipur?
y the people of manipur is taking Petrol @ 100Rs/ltr?
and y cooking gas is Rs.1500/cylinder?where the price is Rs.400 in other part of country?
and many more problems.
Govt.of india should take care of
every state especialy
Tripura..becoz tat land belongs
to Tripuri tribe..dan how can a
bengali refugee is leading a
state..n those people are
cuming 4m bangladesh..through
them out of country ..As Bengali
leads in WB,Marathi leads
Maharastra,Bihari leads Bihar
etc etc etc dan why a Tripuri or
Dberma is nt leading Tripura??
Who wants other person to lead his/her home?
if indian govt. and indian people
cant treat or except The people
of NE india as a true indian
brother and sister than i think its
better to be seperated.
and that doesnt mean tat NE
should Be added to China,its
true that people looks same.but
Chinese may also treat NE like
Tibet. .better to form a seperate
COUNTRY Or INDIAN
govt.should change the
situation Or Chinese can take NE
giving a surety of proper
Independence.
No nid to fight
What to do is v.simple just take
public votes and comments and
do as what the people of NE
wants.
thats it!
all what i want is do not capture
any1s right.
i m jst talkng the reality.
not with any1 s favour..
This is to Khasiman and James. I think both of you are behaving like racists.
To Khasiman, I think that you need to go throgh the history of your own state, before saying that India forcefully merged the NE with itself. Before the merger, The NE states were nothing but helpless pockets of tribal people, who could not defend themselves. But now, you are being protected by the government and you are given all the benefits that are generally enjoyed by the citizens of this country. I also dont think that you are that fair skinned that you can call the mainlanders dark. It looks like you are a Khasi, who are quite dark. If you hate calling yourself an Indian, then please call yourself a DOG.
To James- It is true that some mainlanders have behaved poorly with people from NE but that does not mean that we are all racists. In fact we aren’t. It is the people of the North East who during the Fifities and Sixties wanted to join India for their own safety. The Indian government never exercised any force at that time and never told anyone to join it. Your ancestors made a choice. if you are not convinced, why not ask them?
I am from NE India and i am proud to be Indian..jai hind. This is for those NEians who ridicule themselves not being an Indian.
I know how we treat mainlanders in NE India( in boarding we used really torture them) Racism is a part of human nature…just be patience…things will be better.
i am from madhya pradesh, i am feeling really sorry for how we treat our own countrymen. If some bollywood actress face racism in a British show, we all feel like Indian’s are being offended, but why don’t we ask how discriminatory & racist we are ourselves. We need a gold medal in olympics from Mary Kom of Manipur, We don’t want Baichung Bhutia of Sikkim to leave indian football, but why don’t we care for the 7 states of north east which are no way in tune with shining India?
Why in the world than, people from NE do not get agitated, why will not they be angry when they are discriminated against in their own country?
But I beg u to not divide our country in the name of mainland or NE states. All the NE states are as much as part of India as others.
Interesting article. I too study in delhi university and is very well aware of the discrimination north east people face here. But talking about discrimination, what the blogger forgot to mention was the fact that assam isn’t a very friendly state too when it comes to welcoming people from north india. Every now and then i read reports on bihar and UP labourers and workers thrashed up, abducted and even killed. bengalis too have faced their wrath. Sure enough people in new delhi and north india do look up at north east people in a very prejudiced way .but it just doesn’t mean that people start finding excuses to alienate themselves from this feeling of being an indian citizen .
Subhodip u r wrong about north east states begging to merge with india for protection.maharaj budhachandra of manipur was forced to sign at gun point.
Now we r part of india.
Oh come on man! North east is not a part of india.just accept it
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