Imagine a hypothetical situation in which you are expecting a close
friend or relative at your place, and the next thing you are aware of is that
he just lost his life when he asked somebody for the directions. Nido Taniam,
19, from Arunachal Pradesh was on his way to his relative’s place in the
National Capital, New Delhi. He stopped by at a shop to ask for directions. The
men at the shop taunted him for the blonde shade of hair that he flaunted. It
was not long before the scuffle took a racial turn. He was called a “Chinky,” and
when he showed his displeasure, was beaten ruthlessly with sticks, which led to
his death.
The best part of being a student of Delhi University is that I get to
meet people from every corner of the country. Many of my closest friends belong
to North- East India. Delhi, being the Capital of our country has quite a
substantial number of people who belong to the North- East. By no means are
they a rare sight here, yet all my North- East friends have been victims of
racial discrimination in some degree. Through the snide comments passed, the
eve- teasing, the strange suspicious looks, the whistling and sniggering, and
being called “Chinky,” “Chowmein,” and “Chilly Chicken” by random strangers,
they are made to feel like intruders and foreigners in their own country.
We take pride in the fact that we are a vibrant nation, tolerant to all
religions, languages and cultures. Text books of little children scream “Unity
in Diversity” but we fail to recognize the members of the North- East as
rightful citizens of India. In every other corner of the nation, they are
assumed to be Nepali, Chinese… everything but Indian.
They are treated as lesser beings and here are some of the reasons why:
They treat their women better than any other Indian community. Equality
between the sexes is not a mere theoretical farce with them.
They are simply great with everything related to music.
Their skills in English speaking are quite admirable, inspite of the
fact that they have their own mother- tongues. Most of my North- Eastern
friends speak better Hindi than me, a South Indian.
The North- East, being in the lap of nature,
is one of the most beautiful places of India, with untapped tourism potential.
North- East cuisine is worth dying for.
They form one of India’s most
stylish communities.
They are the home of public figures who have made our nation proud like
Irom Sharmila, Mary Kom, Baichung Bhutia, Armstrong Pame etc… Of course we
would have had many more such figures if the Government did more to improve the
region’s infrastructure.
Their geographical location is of utmost strategic importance to India
as it links our country with China, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar. Their
importance has only grown after the Government of India adopted the Look- East
Policy.
They are a peace- loving and chilled out bunch of people who mind their
own business.
It’s tragic and ironic, that while Indians portray themselves to be
victims of racial discrimination wherever they go, the reality is that they are
the most racist bunch of people ever. When our nation was born in 1947, the
Makers of India intended us to be equal and to be one. But when are we ever
going to realize that?
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