Being a Northeasterner in India is not easy바카라a shadow of suspicion, that oddballish mistrust, tails each one who ventures west of those river valleys and forested highlands of the tourist brochures. Ask Nido Tania, lynched in Delhi. Or Richard Loitam, bludgeoned to death in Bangalore. There are more and some are lucky to be alive, spared to live the trauma of being unaccepted by their own countrymen for just being someone from a region with faces or food habits that does not agree with the typical Indian trademark. They suffer the humiliation every day, like dying a thousand deaths. The constant 바카라othering바카라 is a grim reminder of the majority바카라s contempt for a distinctive minority바카라the 바카라Chinkies바카라바카라 that often translates into bullying. That also begets a kind of reverse-racism when a member of the majority checks into the minority바카라s territory where tables turn in the form of numbers. So, any non-native is a Dkhar in Meghalaya or a Haring/Haliang in Arunachal Pradesh. But these are not words minted recently. They existed from long ago, primarily because most tribes and communities of pre-Independence, pre-British times lived an isolated life content with their remoteness. Anyone outside the immediate cluster was an enemy. Times have changed, as has the context. The shades of 바카라anti-outsider바카라 have paled over the years, but the crumbling stucco on both sides of the chicken바카라s neck that ties India with the predominantly tribal Northeast continues to reveal the fissures. More pronounced in the 바카라mainland바카라 of the Dkhars than in the land of the 바카라Chinkies바카라바카라because more and more of them have come out of their historical self-isolation to study or for jobs in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and the like.
The racist slurs hurled at Northeasterners living or travelling outside their region is akin to what the Blacks face in the West. The C-word is equivalent of the N-word바카라outright negativity directed at another person, the 바카라other바카라 person. How does racism look like? What are its forms, hues? Is looking 바카라different바카라 a crime? Are their foods 바카라disgusting바카라? Are they really 바카라uncultured바카라? 바카라Are you from China?바카라 This is the most common question a Northeasterners must answer because many have Mongoloid features. This may seem trivial for others. But it questions a person바카라s identity and nationality. An Indian soldier from Nagaland may be the bravest at the frontier (the Naga Regiment바카라s bravery at the Kargil war is stuff of legend), but he wouldn바카라t be spared the 바카라Chinky바카라 insult in plainclothes바카라mostly when returning home on a train, tired and lonely from months manning a position along the hostile India-Pakistan border바카라the Line of Control, the LoC.
There is, however, no line of control when it comes to racial prejudices. Efforts are made to raise awareness through films, visual art, books et al. The film Axone바카라titled A Recipe for Disaster in English바카라was made in this direction. It is moderately successful in showcasing and creating awareness about Northeasterners. The title itself is self-explanatory바카라full of the pungent punch that has driven many landlords in Indian metros to hound their tenants (mostly students) from the Northeast out of their flats, sometimes at the dead of night. Axone, or akhuni, is fermented soybeans from Nagaland, known for its sharp ammonia-like flavour that the uninitiated compare with unwashed, sweaty socks. Kanji of northern India, the purple carrot drink, would raise the same stink if left to ferment a few more days in its raw form. If kanji is the flavour of Holi, akhuni or its like is integral to kitchens in the northeastern hills.
Much of the bias, thus, springs from ignorance and pre-conceived notions. This lack of knowledge can be quite galling at times. This leads to tragic events바카라young men and women are killed in racist attacks, people spat on, called names. Nido, a young student from Arunachal, was punched and kicked to death because a few people in the neighbourhood didn바카라t approve of his hairdo and taunted him about it. He protested. How did he dare! The 바카라Chinky바카라 had to be taught a lesson with blows. One of the characters in Axone was inspired by Nido. It was important to tell his story. This is also the story of many like him. Nido바카라s death sparked national outrage; those who know and love the Northeast and its people hung their heads in shame. The authorities promised safeguards바카라one such is the Delhi Police바카라s wing to protect people of that far-off region. Yet, a girl from the Northeast couldn바카라t escape the 바카라corona, corona바카라 jeers when she went to buy groceries during the pandemic-induced lockdown in Delhi. A Mizo girl was called 바카라corona바카라 by a woman at a Pune store. Just for her looks, the girl was seen as a 바카라Chinese바카라, and hence a carrier of the virus. That same taunt was hurled at nurses from the Northeast working in Calcutta around the same time. Around 300 of them packed their suitcases and left the metropolis. There are ample reports of instances when nurses were denied entry into their rented apartments or hostels after a long, tiring Covid shift. Even hospital administrations are accused of not helping them. In Delhi, a 40-year-old man spat at a woman from Manipur and called her 바카라corona바카라. He garnished the slur with lewd comments. Such cases are dime a dozen, all 바카라lived바카라 experiences for many from the Northeast. The slurs rained more after the Galwan faceoff바카라바카라the 바카라Chinky바카라 conveniently morphed into 바카라Chinese motherf***r바카라.
Nido died for his K-pop dyed hair. Many have been attacked for similar, trivial reasons. The assailants didn바카라t like the 바카라other바카라 person바카라that바카라s the only excuse. The hatred leaps from many fronts, especially the distinctly different culinary culture in the Northeast. Dog meat is one of them. All Nagas are painted with a broad brush and mocked, especially by animal lovers, as dog-eaters. Some tribes do eat dogs, but tiny Nagaland is a land of 16 major tribes and fierce headhunters. Just as not all are headhunters, not all are dog-eaters. It바카라s the same as calling an Aghori sadhu a cannibal because a small amount of them, driven by the highest form of tantricism, eat flesh from corpses for moksha. There바카라s no instance of death threats on Aghori babas for 바카라cannibalism바카라, but Nagas were issued one바카라a dog lover and activist put out a video on social media in which she carried her rant to extreme and declared she would behead any Naga she came across. Nagaland Police arrested her in Mumbai for the hate speech. Nagas questioned why a chicken or a goat바카라s life바카라both common food바카라was not as sacrosanct. Point but there are no easy answers as food habits develop over time and are based on availability. What is undeniable is people바카라s right to choose their food.
With the big reach of social media바카라of course, with pros and cons바카라and other platforms, there is more information available. More and more people are becoming aware. Television advertisements show a lot more NE faces than what it used to a decade ago. Then again, prejudices are hardwired to the human psyche바카라which explains why an Assamese or a Khasi in Meghalaya has a repertoire of racial jokes about his neighbouring tribe. Racism against the Northeasterners is wrong and the reverse against the 바카라other바카라 by the Northeasterners is equally wrong.
ALSO READ
