the north east india – where it stands today

Taboo.

adjective ta·boo \tə-ˈbü

: not acceptable to talk about or do

:forbidden to profane use or contact because of what are held to be dangerous supernatural powers.

That’s how Webster defines the word.The taboos exist because of us. Because of the nature, itself. No. Neither the “main-stream” Indians nor the “chinky” Indians are responsible for this. India is the homeland of North East. Or is it the other way round? Think about it. Our country is home to them. And they spending every moment of their life in this country. And I forgot to mention xenophobia. I have even heard people commenting about Chinese looking people and the fear haunting them. Wait. What. Honestly?

Omitting the rape cases, things are not as smooth as they go. People have slowly started assimilating for their own good.

Next we come to the stereotypes.

North eastern girls are shameless.

• You may have come across this too. They happen dress in a way which men find them desirable. Do people who hold on to such taboos know that its not just clothes, but the perception of shame also, which is culture. Let me spell out that loud for you. C-U-L-T-U-R-E.

Dog eaters.

• Its a known fact that some Naga and Mizo tribes eat dogs. Mainstream Indians say the hill people have no compassion because of this. Just like the way we love goats, chicken and not to mention beef, they too see them as food. Can you consider it now? It a lifestyle choice. They have settled the way they want to. And we, most of all people have no right to point fingers.

North Easterners are spoiling Indian culture by pretending to be very Western or rather South East Asian

• I was watching Pink the other day and Andrea caught my attention. While she was being questioned in the court, she was the only person who was continually asked – “So you’re from the North East?” How come was this not asked to other people present who came from Rajasthan or Andhra Pradesh? As Deepak Saigal put it. Talk about colonization. Before the Japanese Forces got a hold, the north east was not isolated. They had their own religions, worshipped gods, river nymphs. As the British came in during the 1940s, many settled in the Brahmaputra Valley. Many in Myanmar. And many were converted into Christianity by the British. The church exposed them to the standards of the present world, scripts for their own languages, education and solace from the demons (us). That has made them look up to the church and its “Western ways.”

They are the seven sisters. They are landlocked between. They want peace. They want a little bit of humanity. They are far from mainstream India. Huddled in their daily chores.

Raise your voice. They too have a story to tell.