At the onset let’s make certain things clear-
- North-east is not one whole state with its capital Guwahati.
- Just because the inhabitants of this region do not have the conventional Indian look does not imply that they are Chinese, Korean, etc.
- Media honchos please not there is so much more to report about the North-east other than earthquakes, insurgency and rape of north east women in other parts of India .
- Yes the north easterners have a broad and modern outlook, but that does not mean they are cheap or easy to get.
Acquaint Yourself With North-east India
Complicated, Mystifying, Diverse are the words that are used to define the Northeastern region even today across domains – academia, media and policy sphere. Undeniably, the region’s geography, history, ethnic symphony and culture have given it an idiosyncratic disposition but that does imply that it is cut off from rest of the world or maintains any exclusivity on its own. Sadly, very selective academic chase on issues like tribal customs and laws, gender equations, multiplicity of identity, etc, have shed some light about the people of this region. But this information remains limited to the academia and the common Indian remains ignorant and develops numerous biased, stereotypical notions about the region and its people.
The problem arises because at the basic level, wherein the people are not made aware about North-east. History, Geography and General Knowledge books at the school level hardly have any information and that explains the bias that develops in the minds of the commoner.
It is not very difficult, is it to know that –
- Out of 29 states of India as many as 8 comes in the cluster comfortably called North-east. Yes, it’s no longer the seven sister’s state for the brother has been pulled in as well i.e. Sikkim. For your information the seven sisters’ comprise of in alphabetical order Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
- It may be interesting to know that this region has one of the most complex international boundaries. It is surrounded by China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh and hence very close to the South-East and East Asian economies.
- The look of the north easterners has always been questioned and derogatory words have been devised to insult the people. Let’s clear the confusion- the tribes of the north-east have originated from the ethnic groups of Tibeto-Burmese, Proto- Austrioloids and Indo- Mongoloids, unlike the rest of the Indians who have Aryan or Dravidian origins. Hence, the physical features of the north easterners are different.
- This region alone is home to over 220 ethnic groups who speak as many languages primarily belonging to three language families Indo-Aryan, Sino-Tibetan and Austric. Other than the local languages English, Hindi and Bengali are also popular languages in the region.
Have you heard of the following people-
- Bhupen Hazarika.
- Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom aka MC Mary Kom
- Baichung Bhutia
- D Barman and R.D.Barman
- Adil Hussain
- Angarag Mahanta aka Papon.
- Arnab Goswami
- Jeje Lalpekula
- Somdev Devvarman
Familiar names aren’t they? Yes all of them hail from North-east and have contributed immensely in their field of specialization just like any other Indian.
(Note – this list can go on)
North-east is not what you think it is, it is so much more and beyond and you need to break the glass ceiling and set out to explore the region.
For some it has already begun with the Delhi University flagging off its Gyanodaya Express on 18/12/14, taking close to 900 students and teachers to the North East Indian states.
