Are North-East People Not Indians?

New Delhi: - People from the North-East have for long been targets of discrimination in several parts of India. But the recent killing of Nido Tania, a young boy from Arunachal Pradesh sparked a national uprising among the North-East people, especially in the national capital New Delhi where the boy had been living. It is really shocking and at the same time shameful that we treat our own brothers and sisters in this horrific way. They are not foreigners or aliens. They have the same right as any Indians have. India being a democratic country, like other Indians, they too have a right to move and seek livelihood anywhere in the country. But despite that they have to face the wrath of people of their own country. Even after this treacherous incident there has been little change in the behavior and attitude of people. This makes one thing clear, that no legislation can bring a change in the mind-set of people. It needs to be imbibed into the minds of people that change has to come from the deeper roots of the Human Psyche. New Delhi has been home to several communities of people from every nook and corner of the country, since its inception as the capital city of India in 1911.

The North-East region of India consists of 8 states and has a population upwards of 35 million. The states have their own unique culture and history. Within the states, however, there are differences in food, language, religion and lifestyle which are poles apart from the rest of India. The communication gap and the fact that the North-East is somewhat isolated from the rest of India, and because of the several conflicts among the Extremists and insurgent groups have created a stereotype that the North-East is a very dangerous region. This is also the reason for the migration of the North-East people to various parts of India in search of a better and more peaceful life. A study conducted by Jamia Millia Islamia’s centre for North East studies and Policy research with the national commission for Women (NCW) found that nearly 60% of women from North East India who moved to major metropolitan cities in India are reported to have faced harassment and discrimination. They are called as ‘Chinkis’ due to their facial resemblance to people of East Asiat. City wise – New Delhi is reported to be the most intolerant towards women from North East India at a staggering rate of around 80% of women respondents facing racial discrimination and are popularly believed to be an ‘easy’ and ‘cheap’ sex prey.

New Delhi is not the only region where people from the north-east region are being discriminated against. Places like Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad also witness a fair amount of discrimination, though it is much less than in Delhi. At the same time, one should not presume that other social groups in India are not discriminated. People from the Southern part of India are widely called as ‘Madrasi’ ignoring the fact that there exist various other ethnic and social groups in South India. Similarly, a North Indian in the south is referred to as a ‘Bihari’ (In a negative way). The sole purpose of pointing out these names that have been existing is that we have forgotten and ignored the differences that exist and simply went on generalising, based on the region or the part of the country they come from.

The existing problems will only be resolved once people start recognizing the differences and become tolerant towards them. The Indian government is not doing enough to stop this discrimination. The implementation of laws has to be stricter and heavy punishment should be given for any form of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, religion, language and their sexual orientation. Recognition of the various ethnic and social groups is vital for peaceful co-existence which would otherwise lead to social exclusion of a group or community of People. India is a very unique country with such beauty in the diversity of social groups. Children from a young age should be taught to appreciate India's multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society as such a grounding early in life will surely instill in young minds a widening of outlook and help to preserve and promote the rich cultural diversity of our country. The National Council for Education and Research Training (NCERT), which is an organization founded to assist the national and state educational boards on academic matters related to school education, should introduce certain aspects of the “Northeast ethos” into the curriculum to integrate each aspect of the northeast into the consciousness of the people across the country. I remember the famous quote of Nelson Mandela that ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’.