Why care about the Arunachal border when we don't care about the Northeast
Yesterday two news items brought to light the true colours of India. The first was that of India's plans to construct a road network along the McMahon line in Arunachal Pradesh, a piece of news that even made China sit up. The proposed 1,800km India-China frontier highway is set to run parallel to the China border. The Northeastern states that border China are always combed to look for any incursions, especially since China also has rail networks close to Sikkim. As a mark of strength and foresight, the Indian government intends to increase connectivity to this region with the rest of India.
The other news item was of T Michael Lamjathang Haokip, 26, Ngamkholen Haokip, 28, and Rocky Kipgen, 25 , who hail from Manipur, being beaten up in Bangalore, for not speaking in Kannada and were asked to "leave the state."
This goes to show that while India is proud of its borders, and will not have any other country inch its way into the Northeast, it is a shame that it doesn't care for the people of that region.
Why do we care about Arunachal? When we don't care about the Northeast? Don't the people matter, or is it only about the map?
Haokip and his friends are not the first to be at the receiving end of hostile jabs from fellow citizens in the mainland. Earlier this year, Nido Taniam, a 20 year old student from Arunachal Pradesh, was beaten up in a Delhi market, for retorting against those who were mocking his attire. Taniam succumbed to injuries. It is a matter of national disgrace, when a society mocks and stereotypes a section of its own people.
What is the point of being all gung ho in protecting these states, when its youth is not welcome in its capital, or its cosmopolitan cities like Bangalore?
Though there have been feeble attempts at creating awareness of this imbalance, by incorporating people from the Northeast into primetime television. Hindi entertainment prime time game show, Kaun Banega Corepati, which in its promos for this year's season, had a teaser that showed a young woman in the "hot seat" being asked, "Kohima is part of which country?", she is given an option of India, Bhutan, Nepal and China.
The contestant then asks for an "audience poll", where the contestant gets the answers from the studio audience. When the audience gives her the correct answer - India, the host, Amitabh Bachchan comments, "Yeh baat toh sabhi jaante hain," the contestant replies to this, "Jaante sab hain, par maante kitne hain?". Everyone knows it geographically, but do they all accept it as an Indian entity?
People from the Northeast have been treated like outsiders in their own country, this is an occurrence across several Indian towns and cities and across economic classes, where people they are labelled "nepali", "chowmein" or "Chinese". Even the women are treated with disrespect. Why would a nation be so united in this absolutely shameful act of deriding and ganging up against its own?
The government needs to address these issues, the societal flaw, where people discriminate against people of the Northeast. Awareness needs to be brought about through education - not just the geographical importance, but cultural and historical importance of the Northeastern region needs to be added to our textbooks. And an attempt must be made, from childhood to erase the "R for Racism", to inculcate the basic moral values of treating people of all colours and regions equally.
The roads built though this schooling, or via lectures in city colleges where the youth (from distant bordering states) come for higher studies, will help break down the borders within the country.
It would be cheaper than the highway, but equally reinforcing in keeping the morale high of the youth of the Northeast, who need to feel at home and more importantly, feel safe in their own country.