The article, “A lonely fighter lost among patriarchs” (Feb. 8), was interesting and shed light on northeastern India’s forgotten activist Rani Gaidinliu. A search for material on her shows that the postal department had even released a one-rupee stamp on her, but how many are aware of this? The piece made me recall a recent conversation I had with a friend who told me how a college mate of his once asked an Assamese acquaintance whether Assam was a part of India!
We need to be more aware of the northeast and its potential. Our brethren there are often stereotypically portrayed as “dancing tribals.” Meaningful material about the northeast should be a part of the educational curriculum everywhere.
K.B. Dessai,
Margao
AFSPA is an inhuman Act that was enforced under circumstances that were different from those that exist today. As the lessons learnt after the recent attack on Nido Tania show, the time has come to foster trust and faith in the northeast and inculcate a sense of national belonging. The government must try and lift AFSPA partially in areas which have shown no violence or insurgency in the last few years. It could even be a crucial step in fighting naxalism.
Lavi Gulia,
New Delhi
