Amid the more glamorous sessions in Bangalore Literature Festival, featuring Chetan Bhagat and Rani Mukherjee, were sessions of substance that brought forth important issues.
One of the sessions, Does India neglect its Eight Sisters? stood out for the range of aspects of the Northeast region discussed, from its varied culture and social structure to its political and economic systems. Moderated by Neelesh Misra, a journalist, the session included the fiery Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, the current General Secretary of the Tripura Pradesh Congress and editor of TNT - The Northeast Today Magazine , Binalakshmi Nepram, a writer, well-known for launching Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network to help thousands of women who were affected by gun violence in her home state Manipur and writer Dhruba Hazarika from Assam.
The sessions shattered myths about the ‘Northeast’. Binalakshmi pointed out: “Many people consider the Northeast to be only jungles, where people eat anything that moves. There are several such misconceptions about the region.” She then went onto break every notion about the region, starting with the title of the session itself. “It’s wrong to say ‘eight sisters’. It’s seven sisters and one brother, which is Sikkim.”
She added that the region has a rich culture, with 272 ethnic tribes. Speaking about the glorious history of the region, Binalakshmi says: “The Chinese attacked Manipur and we defeated them. Manipur fought against the Burmese too. There were two Women’s Wars in Manipur, one in 1904 and the other in 1939.”
Dhruba pointed out that the term ‘Northeast’ is incorrect. Agreeing with Binalakshmi, Dhruba said: “Each tribes has a vibrant, active and flamboyant culture.” Pradyot also spoke of the error of the term. “We speak about the region as a homogenous identity. This is factually, logically and practically incorrect. The session asks if the ‘Northeast’ is neglected. I would say yes!” Pradyot added that the political system has failed the people. “We have had the worst political leaders who are dalals or agents of businessmen,” said Pradyot.
Neelesh posed the question if insurgency has become a convenient excuse for mis-governance. Pradyot said Tripura merged with India willingly in 1949. “But the government failed to protect our land.” He also blamed the culture of vote banks that has been imported by national political parties for letting down its people.
Binalakshmi spoke of how The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is a blot on Indian democracy. “Who creates insurgents out of citizens? Eighty per cent of insurgent groups have been created by politicians and intelligence agencies.”
And then, to applause, Binalakshmi said: “In Manipur, you will not see any beggars. There are no servants in houses. The people have great dignity. And that is what we are fighting for, we are fighting for our dignity. In 1947, Manipur had its own constitution.”
Dhruba said that the Mizoram Peace Accord has led to peace for 20 years. “I disagree that militancy is an excuse for mis-governance.” Pradyot added that while the Peace Accord was successful in Mizoram, it hasn’t been so in Tripura.
Pradyot said that the centre at Delhi cannot decide what is right about the region. “You need to have local intelligence.”
To Neelesh’s question, ‘How should the perception of the Northeast become more realistic? Binalakshmi said that we need to break stereotyping the ‘Northeast’. “How we are portrayed in Hindi films should change. I was once told that some magazines say not to put a north-eastern face because it doesn’t ‘sell’. In history text books, we don’t find a single chapter on the Northeast, that needs to change. But militarisation is a big issue. 50,000 people have died over the last six decades. AFSPA is a black mark on democracy!”
