The past few weeks had been super hectic. Assignments, internals, events and many things had keep me busy. The last time I updated this blog was a couple of months ago, July to be precise, and October is almost over. Wow, time flies. The summer and winter of Delhi are extreme on both side. This month is not hot anymore and is not too cold yet, making it the best month of the year. When the cool breeze blows over my face every morning as I headed to college, I can feel a change, a sweet feeling of home, of family, of childhood, of Christmas, a feeling of nostalgia. My dad called few days ago and told the whole family is celebrating Christmas together this year. Last year, my family was scattered and we celebrated our Christmas in four different locations across the country. Not just my family, even my old childhood friend circle who were now scattered in different part of the country have been cooking up plans for the winter to be together. Some thought this winter might be the last chance for a get-together, because time flies and who knows what is in store tomorrow. I have been getting endless calls from every corner from people thinking I’d be convinced from what they said. Last year, when I told them that I would be in Delhi for the winter, they told me how bored and cold and lonely and deserted the city will be. Christmas in Delhi was just fine.
A few days ago, a student leader from Manipur was beaten in Bangalore because he could not speak Kannada. The local beat him black and blue and told him “this is not China” when he tried to explain the matter in English. A day later after the incident, two boys from Nagaland who worked in a BPO near Gurgaon were beaten by locals. After they were beaten, the culprits told the victims they would have killed them “had they been from Manipur” and warn the victims to left the area along with other NE living in the city.
For the past couple of years, people from the north-eastern region of the country living in metropolis have been discriminated by the so-called “mainland” Indians. Many have already fallen victims of such hate crimes. Many have been harassed, beaten, cheated, looted, raped, murdered, the list goes on. I wrote a similar post in the month of January post the incident when a 20 year-old boy from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to death because of his different hairstyle. Many youngsters from the North-Eastern states are influenced by western culture and culture of the Far East countries like Korea and Japan. They tend to imitate them, dress like them and act like them. The Korean wave is very much alive in NE states. As a matter of fact, the local cable operator in my state has 2 Korean TV channels that air everything Korean – serial, KPOP music and whatnot. Come July, a guy from Manipur was murdered .
We are as much Indian as the rest of the country is but because we have a very different culture from the so-called mainland, people tend to stereotype the region as outsiders or foreigners. To our people, we are known for our rich culture and tradition but to the majority of the people of the country, we are misinterpreted. No history book from high school to college has text that defines the history of the region. Because of this, the region remained in oblivion to many. For instance, the only thing that people know about the state of Manipur is Mary Kom, thanks to her achievements.
People from the less developed region like the NE flooded to big cities like Bangalore and Delhi in search of work and employment. Many got employment in call centres, shopping malls and as hotel waiters. After the salary is released, many workers sent a fraction of their hard-earn money back home which in turn is used for many purposes. Civilization reach late and many of us are first generation learners. Many still doesn’t have a single government employee in the family. My tribe does have a few MPs, a few doctors, and a few engineers. We do not have any big entrepreneurs or civil servants like IAS yet. I am sure you can imagine where we stand.
Many talented youngsters come to cities to pursue their studies. My state topped the news when it comes to bandh, killing and bomb blasts. Every alternate day, there is a bandh, killing and bomb blasts somewhere within the state. There are countless insurgencies group fighting for anything and everything under the sun. Sometimes, institutions are closed for weeks and even months at times. In a situation like this, no parents will want their children to pursue their studies within the state. After my 4 months stay in Delhi last year, I was to go back to Manipur to continue my studies. Just before I left, my parents called me and told me that it would be better for me to study in Delhi, citing various reasons like “Delhi is Delhi”, “you cannot have quality education here” and so on.
The young generation of learners from the region have been fighting for justice and equality since long. Every day, new incidents hit the news. None knew that Delhi would come to these. From what I heard, Delhi back in the 1990s was the kind of Delhi I had dreamt. People treated Kashmiris, Tamilians, Marathis, NEs equally. People from the NE roam freely at night without fear. Now Delhi has turn into a beast. Oh, atleast I think so. Many thought Delhi has turn into a beast, many thought Delhi is the worst city for people from the NE to live, many thought Delhi has become the rape capital of the world. It might still be the worst city to live for people from the NE, but look at the incident that happened back few days ago in Bangalore. Just because the victim could not speak Kannada, he was beaten. What reason can we give for this if not discrimination? While we were at Bangalore, let us not forget Loitam Richard who was found dead in his hostel dorm room after beaten by his hostel mates back in 2012. Let us not also forget the mass exodus of NE people living in Karnataka few years ago. It is not just Delhi, but it is spreading far and wide.
One day in my first semester, I was my college canteen along with a friend. He wanted to eat chole bhature and told me to take the order. The lady who took the order told me something in Hindi. I told her in English that I did not understand, she replied again in Hindi for which my friend hit back on her in Hindi which left her quiet. Later my friend told me the lady was telling how strange it was to see someone like me ordering an Indian food – a food not belonging to the NE, and how I was supposed to be knowing Hindi when I am in Hindustani. Does she mean that I cannot eat “Indian food” if I cannot speak Hindi? This is another proof how we have been alienated at every angle.
To end this on a brighter note, I have started making plan for Christmas, though it is still too early but yeah, I got the feel. My third semester examination will begin a month from now and will ends in the first week of December. I am 0% prepared
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