Every time one visits the northeast, locals make a resounding request- please help us get attention. Please treat us like Indians and not as outsiders. Why do they feel this way? Why don’t we listen to these seven of our 28 states better? Why does this section of fellow Indians feel isolated even in today’s digitally connected age?
Recent events such as the Assam riots and the panic exodus of northeastern people from certain cities makes it clear we have not been listening to them. The region has several issues, but they fail to get mainstream attention. They fester, and we often don’t discuss them until it is too late.
Apart from addressing issues, we also need to show empathy and compassion towards the northeast residents. The usual route is to be politically correct and say how we are all one and should treat them as our brothers and sisters. Frankly, such sermons don’t work. India might be one country. We may be mostly good people at heart. However, we are probably the most internally racist nation on earth. Yes, we all stand up for the national anthem. We also cheer for our cricket team and Olympic medalists. When that ends, however, it’s almost like we try to find a reason to hate and mistrust one another. And as part of our shallow thinking, one of the first things we discriminate against is someone who looks different from us.
The northeast people are beautiful and attractive. They also have slightly different, more oriental physical features compared to the rest of us. Hence, the rest of us use it as a reason to ignore, mock or exclude them. It is shameful, disgusting, primitive and sick. Did our schools not teach us to be open-minded, or did our parents reinforce the racism? It is nothing to be proud of. It reflects poorly on us, the discriminators, rather than the northeast people. It is also worrisome. For if we cannot accept such superficial differences between our own people, how will we ever engage with the globalized world? Are we going to mock every foreigner who comes to India for business and is not white (for white people, we are automatically servile)?
Is this the nation we want? Where people look for differences rather than similarities? There is more in common between the northeast people and us than we think.
The northeast youth is hungry for a good education and a decent job -much like the rest of India. They also suffer from a lack of good leaders; have unethical politicians, poor infrastructure and high inflation. They also see people’s natural resources being plundered. Like us, the northeast people pay over Rs 70/litre for petrol, an energy price loaded with taxes even as politicians’ friends get coal mines for free.
Yes, the northeast citizen is one of us. If we all work together, we can put pressure on our leaders to end some of these problems. Or we can continue to fight internally. Just what the politicians want, so they can continue to loot us while we become their vote banks.
The rest of India needs to reflect on how our shallow racist thinking has hurt not only the northeast people, but also ourselves. Meanwhile, they could take proactive, practical steps that will put the northeast back in the reckoning.
Here are five ideas that could work and need further thought. One, tourism in the northeast needs to be stepped up. It has some of the most spectacular sights of natural beauty in India. A few more hotel permits, a couple of world-class resorts, some promotion and slightly better connectivity, can work wonders there.
Two, lobbying for a low-tax / SEZ type city or area can help. India needs a place like that anyway. It will attract investments, jobs and a cosmopolitan culture badly required in the region. Three, Guwahati to Bangkok is only 2,400 km by road.
Imphal-Bangkok is less than 2,000 km. In contrast, Guwhati-Mumbai is 2,800 km away. There are talks of a Thailand-northeast highway, and that must be put on top priority. The northeast can be the gateway to East Asia. It can control a significant portion of India’s trade. Once you have business to do, people don’t ignore you. Four, the northeast can give incentives such as land for the media to move there. Once there is enough media present, the region will be better covered. Five, some spectacular events – whether it is the biggest music festival or a carnival -that ties in with the local culture, yet attracts the rest of the country, can integrate the region better.
The northeast has been in the news for the wrong reasons. The rest of us have let down the people there a little. In times to come, let us open our minds to these seven beautiful states. Let us also hope the northeast finally finds its rightful place, and is no longer an ignored child, but a blue-eyed star of our national family.