Most Indians think racism exists only in the West and see themselves as victims. It's time they examined their own attitudes towards people from the country's North-East
The mysterious death of Loitam Richard in Bangalore, the murder of Ramchanphy Hongray in New Delhi, the suicide by Dana Sangma and other such incidents serve as reminders of the insecure conditions under which people, particularly the young, from the north-east of India have to live with in the metros of this country. What these deaths have in common is that the three individuals were all from a certain part of the country, had a “particular” physical appearance, and were seen as outsiders in the places they died. These incidents have been read as a symptom of the pervasive racial discrimination that people from the region face in metropolitan India.
An institutionalised form
Quite expectedly, such an assertion about the existence of racism in India will not be taken seriously; the response will be to either remain silent and refuse to acknowledge this form of racism or, fiercely, to reject it. Ironically, most Indians see racism as a phenomenon that exists in other countries, particularly in the West, and without fail, see themselves as victims. They do not see themselves harbouring (potentially) racist attitudes and behaviour towards others whom they see as inferior.
But time and again, various groups of people, particularly from the north-east have experienced forms of racial discrimination and highlighted the practice of racism in India. In fact, institutionalised racism has been as much on the rise as cases of everyday racism in society.
In a case of racial profiling, the University of Hyderabad chose to launch its 2011 “initiative” to curb drinking and drug use on campus by working with students from the north-east. In 2007, the Delhi Police decided to solve the problems of security faced by the north-easterners in Delhi, particularly women, by coming up with a booklet entitled Security Tips for North East Students asking north-eastern women not to wear “revealing dresses” and gave kitchen tips on preparing bamboo shoot, akhuni, and “other smelly dishes” without “creating ruckus in neighbourhood.”
BRICS summit
Very recently, in the run-up to the BRICS summit in New Delhi, the Delhi Police's motto of “citizens first” was on full display, when they arrested or put under preventive detention the non-citizens — the Tibetan refugees. But the real problem for the security personnel cropped up when they had to identity Tibetans on the streets of Delhi. This problem for the state forces was compounded by the fact that Delhi now has a substantial migrant population from the north-east whose physical features could be quite similar to those of Tibetans. So, the forces went about raiding random places in Delhi, questioning and detaining people from the region. North-eastern individuals travelling in vehicles, public transport, others at their workplaces, and so on all became suspects.
Many were asked to produce their passports or other documents to prove that, indeed, they were Indian citizens and not refugee Tibetans. In some cases, “authentic” Indians had to intervene in order to endorse and become guarantors of the authenticity of the nationality of these north-easterners. The situation became farcical and caught the attention of the judiciary reportedly after two lawyers from the region were interrogated and harassed. The Delhi High Court directed the Delhi police not to harass people from the north-east and Ladakh. How much easier it would have been for the Delhi Police, if only citizenship and physiognomy matched perfectly.
But should one expect otherwise from these state and public institutions, given the fact that racism is rampant at the level of societal everyday experiences? For north-easterners who look in a particular manner, everyday living in Indian cities can be a gruelling experience. Be it the mundane overcharging of fares by autoricksaw-wallahs, shopkeepers and landlords, the verbal abuse on the streets and the snide remarks of colleagues, friends, teachers, or the more extreme experiences of physical and sexual assaults. It is often a never-ending nightmare, a chronicle of repetitive experience.
One also wonders if racial attitudes, if not outright racism, influence many more aspects of life than one imagines. For instance, whether there is any racial profiling of employment opportunities, given the concentration of jobs for north-easterners mostly in the hospitality sector, young women in beauty salons, restaurants and as shop assistants.
Visible and unseen
Of course, racism is difficult to prove — whether in the death of Richard or in the case of harassment of a woman from the north-east. And it should not surprise us if racism cannot be clearly established in either of these cases because that's how racism works — both the visible, explicit manifestations as well as the insidious, unseen machinations. Quite often, one can't even recount exactly what was wrong about the way in which a co-passenger behaved, difficult to articulate a sneer, a tone of voice that threatened or taunted, the cultural connotations that can infuriate.
How does one prove that when an autorickshaw driver asks a north-easterner on the streets of Delhi if he or she is going to Majnu ka Tila, a Tibetan refugee colony, that the former is reproducing a common practice of racial profiling? This remark could be doubly interpreted if made to a woman from the region — both racial and gendered. How do I prove racism when a young co-passenger on the Delhi Metro plays “Chinese” sounding music on his mobile, telling his friend that he is providing, “background music,” sneering and laughing in my direction? And what one cannot retell in the language of evidence, becomes difficult to prove. Racism is most often felt, perceived, like an invisible wound, difficult to articulate or recall in the language of the law or evidence. In that sense, everyday forms of racism are more experiential rather than an objectively identifiable situation.
Of course, every once in a while, there will be an incident of extreme, outrageous violence that is transparently racial in nature and we will rally around and voice our anger but it is these insidious, everyday forms of racial discrimination that bruise the body and the mind, build up anger and frustration. Fighting these everyday humiliations exhausts our attempts at expression.
If one is serious about fighting racial discrimination, this is where rules must change — by proving to us that in Richard's death there was no element of racism. Given the pervasiveness of racism in everyday life, why should we listen when we are told that those who fought with him over a TV remote were immune to it?
To recognise that racism exists in this country and that many unintended actions might emanate from racism can be a good place to start fighting the problem. To be oblivious of these issues or to deny its existence is to be complicit in the discriminatory regime. Also, the reason for fighting against racism is not because it is practised against “our” own citizens but because it is wrong regardless of whether the victims of racism are citizens of the country or not. One way to be critical of racism is to recognise and make visible the presence of racism rather than merely resorting to legalistic means to curb this discrimination.
(Yengkhom Jilangamba is a Visiting Associate Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi.)
Keywords: Loitam Richard death, racism
The brahaminical system that is considered the culture of India is the most racsist tradition that has survived history till today
There is lot of racism in India. Caste, language and culture based. Its
all racism.
Generally Indians have not accepted NE people as equal. Treat them with
respect or give them freedom!
this is because people of one region do not know about people of other
regions ...and india is so big a country and so diversified ! i don't
think it is racism ... i think its lack of mingling and understanding
... as i went to college i met friends from various states and liked
them very much ! so i think its what is lacking that students can't
even name the north eastern states ...also i don't see any person from
there as a significant figure at the center , the govt need to start
programs in ensuring that every one of us get a feel of the cultural ,
regional , religious etc etc diversity of india .... its not the
people who are bad ..its that they never knew about north-easterners
...they never heard any significant news about them ..i mean though we
are one country ...but we are far away on understanding each other !
i would like to suggest that students at an early stage should be
toured to other states..as far as possible..so they that their views
would be more dimensional !
Unless the law does its job consistently, racism would prevail. The law
in general, is good in India but only in paper. This animalistic
behavior should be curbed at any cost.
India is probably the only country in the face of planet earth where we
discriminate our own people the most.
In other countries racism is usually shown towards foreigners. In our
country every person from out of state is literally a foreigner to the
other state.Not long ago there was a huge politically sponsored anti
Malayalee wave in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. Not that the
Malayalees are any more tolerant. They don't tolerate people from
neighboring districts within Kerala especially if it is an issue of
employment. For people North of Andhra Pradesh every body South of
thema is a Saal Madrasi (which is not said in kind words by the way).To
Kannadiga's anybody from Tamilnadu or Kerala is a Konga. Telugu people
have thier own issues among Kammas Reddies and the many more in
addition to external differentiation & the UP guys calling the Bihari
buddhus & more.Although things have drastically improved for most part,
there ismuch to be improved especially in our treatment to NE.
It is very SAD that even in the relations this racialism is evident. othervise we should not nickname one with dark complexion as "kalu" or a girl of fair complexion as "mem" or a relation with small eyesand nose as "Chini". All this is so deeply embeded in our daily life that we inncently and at times at cost of hurting feelings of others proudly announce these names publicly. all this racial descrimination should be curbed from the grassroot i.e. family level then only we may be able to bannish it from society.
Racism is not just restricted to one part of India.
The problem with racism is that it has become an inherent part of us.
The racist trait has taken a deep root inside all of us.
Until and unless each person realizes or feels what exactly racism is
and how it can hurt people who are subjected to racist behavior, no
amount of laws or legal actions are going to help.
The change has to come from within.
Indians = Racists No 1. We cry of racism around the world but forget what we do with our own country men. Caste, Religion, Regionalism, language... etc etc. It exists in many forms..
Happy to see so many comments against RACISM by my fellow Indians. I
sincerely hope the comments made here have come from the bottom of the
hearts and not just to attract the moderators of THE HINDU for your
comments to appear on this page.
Please for god sake stop this stereotyping and racism.
I do not agree on this article +, reviews written by few of the
brothers n sisters...
I hope there was no racism, bt the fact which cannot b denied is, more
then 70% of the Indians are racist. They dun like what other wears,
wad they eat, n comment on how they look.
Am an Army man, been to many places, been to NE also. People from NE,
if they see us they obviously look at us with some eyes, bt the
intention is only to know more about us. The way they welcome, the way
they greet is way far better then other main Indians.
When these people go outside, we look at them as they r outsiders,
talk about them.
Ask urself guys, how many of u called these guys as chinky, small eyed
fellows, nepalies, kancha, bahadur, thapa.... lot more..
then how cum we r predicting that there is no racism in India?
It is sad to read all the comments above. Racism is there in our everyday life within the community itself. But one has not argue the dangerous part-the Racist nature of the state, which has borne racism from this attitude of the state. Mainstream Media also plays a big responsibility in creating a racist Indian mentality because most of the media is run by all the insensitives. (The Hindu is exceptional...Cheers) AFSPA is an act imposed on the areas based on certain racial features and it shows the racist nature of the Indian state. It is important to remember this, When the PM was asked,"Why AFSPA is not imposed on the naxalite areas?" He replied,"They are our countrymen." What do I say more about the Indian Racist State. India needs to be decostruct. What say?
Definitely, Indians are also racist in nature. Who on earth would not be? Everybody will tend to think of something funny or strange on seeing someone which is not their kind. And by the time you have more of your kind round up against the less or fewer other kind, all those funny thoughts and comments come up in your mind. This is true. Let us not try to lie to ourselves thinking that we are immune to such thoughts and circumstances. The point here to see is that how differently we show ourselves at such situations. Some of us just grab the opportunity to show dominance. Some of us just show our stupidity, the sheer lack of knowledge of different type of cultures which enrich the beautiful world around us. Some of us do also think how exciting and interesting the other culture might be as well. The point is, our character and personality express ourselves at such situations.
Yes the credit goes to the educational atmosphere we are brought up. We only looked for the marks. 80+, Bravo
There also exists a similar racism if not more in the NE for the mainlanders. Any outsider would find it difficult to survive in the Manipur University campus. Bengali students were not allowed in Gauhati Univ & Medical & Engg Colleges in the eighties and were forced out.The discrimination is not restricted to college campuses, it is institutionalised.
Only difference is in NE you have to pay up or leave, whereas in Delhi you gang up and cry wolf.
I couldn't agree more that Racism exist and will be.
Racism is a trend which we cannot just eradicate in a day or so !! its
gonna take more than decades to completely remove it. First step, is
to start educating people about the acceptance of each other.
More importantly, eradicate class system, caste system. Also inter-
marriage can play major role in eradicating racism.
I agree with people who highlighted everyone one faces Racism not only
the NE people. I have seen it, experienced it and work my way out to
avoid those circumstances.
Yes. Racism exists in India. It is not just with NE people. People from North India call the South Indians especially Tamils, blacks. Until we eradicate such behaviors, we can't complain about Australians and their racism.
I commend the Hindu for bringing out such issues that many of us
are totally oblivious to. But if you think the racism problem only
affects the NE people you have to be kidding yourself. In India we
have a type of institutionalised racism that none of the
commentators have talked about -- "reservations". In most western
countries reservations or affirmative action is for disadvantaged
minorities, it is only in India that you see "reservations" for the
so called "backward classes" who make up the majority of the
population (and vote bank)! The most obvious cases of racism is of
course the bi-annual Hindu-muslim slaughter that we have become so
immune to.
Now a days there is instant media outcry when a NRI gets roughed-up
in a western country. The first questions asked is "Is this a
racist attack?" Having lived outside India for over two decades, I
can honestly say that I faced more racism and discrimination in
India than outside India.
The honesty of the writer is appreciated. While I do agree that some
kind of profiling do exists but racism would be a very harsh term for
that. People do suffer from prejudices arising out of race (but
extending much beyond that in terms of Region, religion and/or caste).
But mostly these are quite innocent in nature. I have traveled to
almost whole of India and have never came across anyone who could be
termed 'Racist' in strict sense of the term. Having said this, I do
stress on the point that we need to be sensitive about this issue and
avoid anything which could even be interpreted as an act of racism.
The article written by the author is a very though-prrovoking one.There is indeed a
sense of alienation felt by people of North-East towards India, which has spawned
separatist movements in the region. I have personally not seen such episodes in
my interaction with people from the North-East in Delhi.However there is a lot of
diversity in India and too many forms of discrimination as mentioned in a post
above. At the same time i have also heard friends who have experienced racism in
North-East where they don't accept other Indians. Anti-immigrant agitations
including especially against Bengalis have been rampant in North-Eastern states
like Assam and Meghalaya. The moral of the story is that racism is everywhere in
the world.The key to racism is prejudice among human beings.It stems out of
prejudice and social exclusion.This is a tragic but unfortunate fact of human
nature. People always try to exclude those they percieve as different from
them.Racism is one form of this malice.
As the title led me to believe, I expected a more circumvent view of
the prevalence of racism in India instead of a very constricted view
of it as something faced by hill tribes of NE alone. That is not only
unfairly biased but also quite disappointing. Painting such broad
strokes, does the author imply that in the racial map of India there
exist just a singular narrative: that the NEians are the victims and
the 'mainlanders' (to use author's own classification) the
perpetrators and the sole villians? What about ill-treatment of tea-
tribesmen in the heart of Guwahati city in broad daylight in the
presence of policemen? What about the subjugation of 'dkhars' in
Meghalaya? What about similar condescending behavior meted out to the
so called 'mainland' people in Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur or Arunachal
Pradesh? What about the racism prevailing in the Northern India
towards South Indians and vice versa? What about the cultural
stereotyped notions that pervades across many communities towards one
another viz: 'Bongs', Punjabi, 'Madrasi', 'Mallus', Marwaris',
'Gujjus', 'Biharis' and so on and so forth. This overtly simplified
notion of the Indian racism scene not only trivialise the whole issue
but also hints at either denial by, and/or ignorance of, the author to
the vast cultural diversity that this country still holds.
I do not want to generalize and condemn everyone, because there are
ALWAYS exceptions. There is no doubt that racism toward the people of
the North East is not the only kind of racism in India. There is racism
between North and South Indians too. What is disturbing, however, from
my personal experience, is that North and South Indians are united in
their racism towards people of the people of the North East.
This makes sad reading. It is a pity that our fellow citizens from north east should feel
alienated in their own land. On the contrary they deserve more attention as it is very
imperative that they join the mainstream as much and as son as possible. Social
organizations like rotary can play big role to involve these children to integrate in the
societies they are settled in. Police Dept can play a very big role in confidence building
measures. Prolonged alienation is not god for the unity of the country. It is to be noted that
our pm is a mp from Assam,,,
It is funny how people think that this isn't a form of racism. And personally, I totally agree with the writer's opinion.
Nothing new. I grew up in India and remember seeing expressions change on people's faces when they found out my name. I went to St. Xaviers and the most tolerant people I saw there were the Christian and Parsi teachers. I remember as a child how some Government official's wives who would come to our house on a rotation basis to attend a Women's social club would not drinking water at our house as we were Muslims. This continued even after I finished my engineering in my first job when I would be constantly taunted when an India Pakistan match was on. Secretly, I was always a West Indies fan due to their dominant and exciting play!! On the other hand, I have friends who are Hindus that I have known for over twenty years who are the amongst the best human beings I know. Here in the UK, things are not very different. Racism not only exists between WHite and Ethnic population (Black, Asians etc) but also between Asians along the lines of religion and castes and/or sub-castes.
Racism exists very much in India and getting worse. It starts from high class to low class such as Bhramin to Schedule caste and tribes, Northern states vs southern states. Even our national song had discrimination in it. It mention clearly most of northern states and limited to Martha and Dravida, instead of mentioning South Indian states. Did Tagore find it that difficult to add one more line to the song. I don't even want to get into religion now.
Discrimination based on colour, height etc of a person is more common even in South India. If tall and fair people are liked and admired, then the opposite is also true : short, dark people or people with Chinese looks will be discriminated. This is more of an instinctive response and my experience is that most western countries there are lots of people who see beyond physical appearance. This is especially true where there are large nos of one ethnic group like even though from Kerala, i had to run away from the Abu Dhabi branch of an international bank where people of one Kerala community were present in big numbers.
we all are focusing on NE, I am from Chennai and so called "upper cast" family, I think state political and social system under Dravidian party rule are created enormous racial in balance between Brahmin community with other.
If we're talking about racism, then why is it that we confine ourselves to our countrymen from the North East? The author, in my opinion, missed out a point - what about the atrocities, or provocative behavior towards people from Bihar/Uttar Pradesh/Kashmir, etc in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Kerela? Several instances of "North Indians" being subjected to physical/emotional trauma in schools/colleges may be cited at length - are they not qualified enough to be assessed as illustrations of racism? There's quite an irony to this article's title.
The seeds of this NATIONWIDE phenomena were sown by our forefathers, we're just shoveling more compost into the soil.
Well said. Indians are the most racist group of nations brought together. Take this, none of us has chosen our skin color or parents or country, so stop being so boastful about it, openly or subconsciously.
I vividly remember a Mizoram student in college we had Joseph L, and all us treated him with respect in the class for all four years.
Muslims constitute the worst sufferers in the race of victims of these racial profiling, stereotyping. Legally, in Islaam all are equally Muslim. But I see people practicing the Khan, Shaikh, Syed, Mirza, Qureshi, Memon type of family based prejudice because of cultural influence.
In fact Islam teaches no arab is greater than non Arab and no non arab is better than an arab, the only criteria before almighty God to judge is Righteousness, good deeds.
The very act of belittling fellow human based on their being is worst. Clean your heart. Supplicate and treat your friends, neighbors, colleagues with same respect you expect from others. Peace.
This is one of the reasons why we never seem to evolve or grow as a nation. All our books and politicians keep repeating that we are secular, and yet, the reality is quite shocking. We are not tolerant as a nation, and the proof lies in the number of crimes committed out of hatred for one's religion, caste, creed or culture.
We are really quick in judging people by merely looking at them. We keep complaining about racism when we go abroad, and yet comfortably ignore the reality back home. Unfortunately, I don't see the situation changing anytime in the future.
Yes, every one has a point to make. Racism exists more pronounced in India if the skin colour is dark. I am a south indian with supposedly dark complexion. I had moved out of South. But the discrimination, a dark skinned colour person faces in the sorroundings and sometimes in the household is too strong even to the point of making that person feel hopeless. It took a great deal of healing touch for me to get out of that insinuations and discriminations and be a person God Made me to be. Every one needs to grow up to accept every one, more so, their external appearance as she or he is God's beautiful creation. God, in his infinite wisdom, created each one beautifully, which may not look that great in our mortal eyes and narrow mind and miniscule wisdom. The day when every one appreciates every other person without prejudice and teach their children to do so would be a day of deliverance from racism. Till then, all we can do is forgive shortsightedness and pray for them to be mature.
THANKS JILANGAMBA. India is home to racism, no doubt! When we have the
BONGS, GUJJUS, MALLUS, MADRASIS, CHINKIS, PAHARIS... how can we say
racism does not exits in India. But the credit goes out to our
education system. In books India is just about Aryans, kingdoms in
North, the fertile plains of the Ganga. Our basic books hardly
mentions about the History and Geography of NE. Regionalism is taught
to us by the books. Change the content of the books, include all the
regions' history and geography without any discrimination. I hope this
would solve the problem of misunderstanding a little. NE too has a
rich culture and heritage let all Indians learn about it. Not just
about the Aryans'.
Who said there is no racism in India ? Go to south India you will hear
terms with negative meaning as Bihari babu, etc. Go to north India you
will hear 'Madraasi' etc. Its not saying only. Their response to your
request also will be mild and discriminatory. They pretend they didn't
understand you. But I hope education will improve the situation. People
should be made aware of things and this should be a relatively easier
problem to deal with if proper steps are taken as we all have one
nationality as common basis.
This is not the first such incident trying to catch our attention,but has been there for quite some years. In a culturally diverse country, people should learn to respect their fellow citizen's behaviour and treat them as friends rather than participating in the act of racial discrimination. Any act of such heinous crime should be brought to justice with an iron hand.
The problem in India is that we feel the existance of racism only when we experience the same. Racism is one word that is utterly misused in India. Sad to say but we are the most racist society in the world. Only by talk we consider ourselves united. Else wherever we go there is discrimination aka racism. North Indians hate South Indians & redicule them. The same is reciprocated in South India. With respect to NE, they are discriminated across the country. Much as stray incidents cannot be considered as discrimination, I guess ppl like Arnab Goswami would have a had a tough time to reach the top coz he is an Assamese. Unless there is a systematic change in the soceity, there is no way racism can ever be eliminated in India.
In my engineering days, students from north east used to stay only in one part of the residential area. They barely mingled with the local students whether it was matter of study, sports or extracurricular activities. Same happens when South Indians go to north or vice versa. Again I repeat, mixing up with the people leads to mutual understanding and this leads to mutual respect which is the only solution. It is just like "Be a Roman, while in Rome".
India is a country with a diversity existing every 50-100 Kms.It can be wrt to food,clothing,festivals and n no of thing.The main issue is when we stay outside our native land i.e in other part of the country,most of the people looks for people belonging to their states or people belonging near to their neighbouring states,their habits and customs get in synchronised.And in college or Job itself group of North,South or NE is formed to be precise Bengalis,Biharis,Tamils etc.
The intermingling of groups in most of the cases doesn't happens.But when people of different groups move out of India to other country they become best buddies irrespective of the fact belonging to different states.Outside India we are diversified by States but Unified by being an Indian,same thing does exist when people stay in India be it a college of working in an organisation.In my view College should promote and organize events that would bring students of different cultures under the same group.
I feel the article is misguided. There are three deaths given as
examples of racism (there are probably more) but I would like to point
out that in none of those cases the verdict has been passed that the
crime was committed on racist grounds. Those people could have very well
been murdered for other reasons. Let me remind the author that close to
40,000 murders took place in India (2010-2011). Just because these few
people hailed from the N.E India does not make India a racist country.
To make North-easterners look less alien, there were suggestions
above about better integration of their culture, geography and
economy with the mainland. The major impediment to this has been
their secessionist movements and the Indian govt's heavy-handed
response with AFSPA etc. Such integration cannot be achieved when the
govt does not want the mainland to see its oppressive policies
employed there, and when the secessionists see tourists as augmented
income by abduction.
Increasing the representation of north-east in the legislature might make the govt more responsive to their needs, undercutting the rationale for existence of their secessionist movements, and also make the north-east more visible in the mainland.
The questions which this article raises are worth considering.In my opinion however, the boundaries within which the topic is discussed is too narrow. Not negating the fact that "North Eastern" citizens are discriminated against(be it subtle or blatant), it is also true that the same holds true for people of any other region if they move to a culturally and linguistically different state. Be it a "North Indian" in Maharashtra or a "South Indian" in Delhi. We have developed these very narrow identities which have become so integrated with our self that it is now impossible for us to dissociate from the same. That is perhaps the reason why for example in a heterogeneous gathering we can see many small homogenous groups. In a class of 100 with students from all over the country why is it that the first instinct of a N.indian is to befriend a N.indian; that of a S.Indian to mingle with S.Indians; N.eastern with a N.eastern and so on.
We should indeed reconsider the way we define ourselves!
Discrimation is widespread in India in all it's forms such as religion, race, color, creed, caste, wealth, habits, intelligence, language, region and so on. Racial discrimination is perhaps put on the back burner in the minds of Indians because the other forms are more virulent than racial. A madrasi in the north, a north Indian in the south face similar problems as do north easterners in Delhi and other places. Sometimes we are alien in our own land. Such is the condition of our country and we try commenting on other countries where there is much less discrimination per se. We need to start looking inward and reform ourselves. Indians who go abroad stick to their Indian habits which are despised. Adaptability is the key word. Be a Roman in Rome as the saying goes.
Not only North east people for that matter, people from any state moving to the other state in the same country are treated as foreigners and become a victim of rasicm.the funniest yet regrettable part is, the people who fall as victims in other states act as potential harming agent when it comes to their own state.
Reading the comments on the article, i feel that whether we like it or not MOST OF US INDIANS HAVE A HABIT OF RIDICULING PEOPLE of other faith, region, caste etc. We are not a single nation but a UNION OF PEOPLES who have been clubbed together to form a nation. Everywhere we go one always gets to hear a snide remark behind his/her back whether be it because of their language/accent/even if they look different then the local inhabitants. I recall one incident during my childhood when i visited Mumbai with my family. On checking into the hotel, the manager tried his best to be friends with us. He asked us as to which place we belong. My father thought the manager might not know the place so we told him we belong to Assam. As can be expected he made a smart-ass comment and inquired if it was a place in Nepal. My family laughed on hearing this type of silly question (and that too from the manager of a reputed 3-star hotel). Whether this is racism or not its upto one's judgement!!
Indians are the most prejudiced people on this planet. Driven by the casteist mentality, they find it easy to dislike/mistrust/discriminate any group that can look or act like the 'other'. Just ask any African student in our colleges. Indians mistreat and misbehave with no shame or embarrassment towards anyone that is different in any way. I see this even when they go abroad. It is very common to see Indian immigrants in UK and US avoid/mistreat darker skinned folks from African and the Caribbean. The same people complain loudly when the Caucasians look down on them and complain loudly about 'racism'!
Diversity is a strength and tolerance should be a core value for any citizen of the world's largest democracy. Clearly the parents and schools are not teaching us these values.
Some comments here have tried to deflect the (true) allegation that North-Easterners experience pervasive racism, by lumping it together with other forms of discrimination, along the lines of caste, region, and religion. These other forms of discrimination are in equal need of eradication. But it is importantant not to confuse racism with them. In India, racism relates to the way that Indic majority (Dravidians and Indo-Arayans combined) treat the three other racial groups in India: whites, blacks, and North-Easterners/Tibetans. Sixty years after the end of colonialism, we still pay white people to come to our parties so that we can take photos with them; we refuse to rent flats to African students; and we assume that all Naga women are prostitutes. Indian society contains many levels of discrimination, most of which are sanctioned by religion, and as Indians we are discriminators along many lines. But in our thinking, let us not confuse racism with other forms of discrimination.
The increased presence of our co-citizens from the NE Regions in the metropolitan cities like Bangalore,Pune,as students in the Universities,Technology schools etc or as careerists in various sectors,is an encouraging sign of the unfettered mobility,a sine qua non,for national indentity and oneness.But,alas! This is only a deceptive mask.Underneath lies a struggle by them against overt discrimination,insideous humiliations,,snides,etc,,- all lucidly narrated in the article with a hurt-sensitivity but alleged as racist inspired.This needs to be probed,curbed,ended.
Psychologists have now established that we carry various biases of which we are unaware and which we deny and refuse to acknowledge,even in plain sight.While simple biases are of nuisance value,intense ones morph into racism and manifest in collective vile behavior.In my opinion, it is not so much racism that has engendered the aforesaid hardship to our NE brethren as sheer exploitation arising from ignorance and/ or sadism
After reading all the comments above, particularly some which I don't
want to name, I am more and more convinced that the agents which
catalyzes and activates racism are very much alive and in fact are
getting stronger among the so called educated peoples of 'India'. The
basic force behind this phenomenon is what we called 'nationalism' or
'patriotism'(in more radical sense) which again comes from the notion
that subscribes 'India as one'. This basic assumption without any
subjective analysis has been running the Indian state since its
inception. The above objective notion of 'India' provides a very
limited space for the other inherently different groups within the
'imagine nation of India', it is no surprise that this group is
largely represented by the NE. A place where even the differences are
not recognized, respecting differences is a far cry. No wonder Racism
is rampant against the North Easterners.
Being a college student, it feels frustrating and humiliating when non-
NE peoples make fun and chant racial slurs on the roads and even on the
college campuses. There's no respect for NE students at all. We have to
live up everyday branded as Chinese or Nepali's or Outsiders. I don't
feel myself as an Indian due to this discrimination.
Racism is in our foundation. Based on color, religion, caste and
language.
Our leaders chose to create states based on the language, and form the
nation (India-Pakistan) based on religion.
Had they drawn horizontal and vertical lines across India to create
states, we would have less problems today.
India certainly has racism and most Indians are racists in the broader sense of the
term - prejudice. Matrimonial columns are a good example to understand Indians'
stereotypes. Irrespective of State or country a person is from, everyone has racial
prejudice. However, there are differences in how people express their prejudices.
Expression of racial prejudice ranges from subtle to blatant. While subtle or masked
racism exists everywhere, blatant racism is prohibited and punished by law in many
countries. As eve teasing is punishable in India, there must be anti racism and
discrimination law and policies in India. Racial tendencies must be also discouraged
by families, educational institutions, work places and social networks.
Its very sad and disheartening to read through this article. This behaviour against people from the Northeastern part of India, is anathema to all the great values our nation has always stood for. But I think a more holistic curriculum - that educates our kids on NE states and their contributions to the larger pan-indian culture , would alleviate the problem a great deal.
Let us make Friends from the all over the world.And I dont like to
call Indians by their geographical place like north indian or south
indian or northeast indian or west or east indian.We all are Indians
and facing more or less similar problems in our day to day lives.So
I want underline here that please All Sensible Indians Should Speak
very carefully in Public places because We are proud of our rich
cultural heritage and natural wealth in India.We are proud of
Yengkhom Jilangamba for writing Very Good Article and for Breaking
Silence on this issue.Thank You.
We are a country where fairness cream (mens and women) is one the best selling
products for cosmetic companies. They guarantee 'whiteness' in few weeks!! How can
we point fingers towards foreign countries when we have such a farce and user-
friendly definition of Racism in India. Apart from NE Indians, see how we behave with
Afro community on the streets of Delhi. Bollywood movies jokes about them all the
time (not in a very good light) and movies depict the NE Indians as chinese..Appalling
I would not like to comment on anything but I would just like to ask the author what he thinks about the discrimination being carried out by the Northeasterners on people from Northern India earning their livlihood by doing menial jobs in Northeast.
Racism is born out of ignorance, inferiority complex and a lack of self
worth to say the least. People who racially abuse or discriminate fellow
humans are the lowest of the low. They must be treated with the utmost
contempt and criminally charged. In Britain acts of racism are criminal
offences; its enforcement is thorough. India must apply its laws against
discrimination just as diligently. If not, India will remain a
mediocrity and a backward country.
It is interesting to read the "mainland" versus "NE" description in this news and
comments. If NE is not in "mainland" India, then why should NE be in India?
Overall, it was a crime to put together such a heterogeneous and chaotic group of
people living in the sub-continent as a Nation. The results have been
overwhelmingly bad: partition, then terrorism, poverty, riots....and all these now
spreading to the beautiful Kamrup, which now INdian fondly call NE! This Indian
state is one of the worst things to happen to the beautiful place of Karmup where
peace loving people of Assam, Khasis, Bhutia, Manipuri, Naga and Mizos lived for
centuries and resistant both Moghul and British invasion.
Indeed, a good enlightening article.There is no denying that our
society is free from racism.However, the article focuses only on
racial discrimination faced primarily by people one particular region,
but is not the end.The fact is lot of us have the tendency to
stereotype whenever, we see dark complexion or so called "asian" looks
etc.I have seen instances of south indians facing tough time in north
and vice versa, the migrant laborers just because of their appearance,
language have to face numerous slurs throughout the day. Its high time
we should reject this stereotypical attitude, we should look beyond
the appearance and shed the prejudice based on physiognomy.
Kudos to the author for writing a great article. I am from Chennai and it was only
recently that it struck me that while all the parts of India are well documented and
get popular press coverage, the North East is the one that is left behind and
completely forgotten. It is amazing that this discrimination happens in a variety of
different forms and ways. We (all of us including me) are responsible for this and we
should collectively stand against this.
I agreed with the title but not the content of the article. There is racism in India.. but it is called casteism. My understanding of racism is showing anomosity or denying opportunities on the belief that one race is better than the other.
I am not sure the examples the author gave qualify as racism. Given the enormous diversity of India, some amount of segregation by race is inevitable. It makes it easy for people to understand and appreciate differences too, in a way. The negative side of this approach is the taunts associated with such a skewed understanding. As other commenters have pointed out, all Indians face this in some form or other. Having a little thicker skin will get us thru and help us become part of the mainstream. It is a bit unfair to sensitive people. Thats how it works.
However, I dont think the issue raised is at the same level of seriousness as casteism (or "racism" of the West).
Delhi is racist towards everyone else, the 'rape capital' is not to be
taken as reference. North-eastern people live a comfortable life
especially in states like Kerala. And there is a difference between
treating people as inferior and calling names, Indians don't treat their
north-eastern people as lesser beings.
Absolutely - It has existed from ancient times, through colonialism and continues to exit till today. It even more rampant today than before thanks to the so called economic growth. It is not just racism but casteism - upper caste,lower caste and the so called Indian defined untouchables, religion biased, regionalism, gender bias, rich-poor(socio-economic) bias, language bias and a whole lot other reasons that we Indians use to discriminate against each other.It is so ingrained in our mind and society that we grown to accept it as a norm. Further the so called politicians that we elect play a big part in maintaining the status quot only to further their selfish personal gains.Unless every human being feels that in the eyes of GOD all are equal, racism in India or the world is not going to change.
All I can do is say SORRY to my NE brethern, and blame our education system for failing to inculcate the correct attitude towards other fellow Indians.
Racism is indeed alive and well in India. It is common for North Indians to look down upon South Indians - wherever they live. North Indians even have a derogatory name for South Indians, taunting them as "Kallus" or "Blacks". This happens right in the heart of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka where there are sizable populations of fair skinned North Indians. It is common knowledge that Hindus taunt Sikhs with all manner of insulting "jokes" which are mean spirited and intended to intimidate.
The discrimination basically stems from ignorance of the history, culture and identities of the people of the North East. I have never travelled beyond South India, but I am aware of the culture, politics and identity of UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and J&K by the history books I read in school, the media stories and accounts of people from there or who travelled there. The school history books should dwell on the history of all regions, not just focussing on the dynasties that ruled the North. The Indian railways, the Highways department and AAI should extend its network well into the North East. Tourism should be promoted in the states aggressively for travel to and from North East. The media should report more on the happenings in North East. Currently we get reports on elections, government formations and disasters only from that region. Finally we should learn to appreciate the different cultural and food requuirements of the people from North East and ensure it is available all over.
Indians in USA cry when there is real or imagined racist behaviour shown by whites towards them. But Indians themselves behave obnoxiously towards the African-American and Hispanic people, that I feel ashamed and embarassed to be an Indian. Indians have a long long way to go, both in India and abroad to mend their ways. Maybe they will change after 5 more generations have come and gone. It is not just racism but casteism, regionalism, gender bias, rich-poor bias, language bias, and a myriad other reasons that Indians use to discriminate against others.
first of all Racism is what it is when it actually involves the hatred
for the person or thinking him or her inferior.. So when a Rikshaw
drivers asks if somone is going to Majnu ka Tila, it is not racism. I
am an NIT student and we also used to make fun of our north east
frends on their hindi and even their looks but it was not racism and
they never felt bad about it. Rikshaw driver doesn't think them as
inferior nor hates them. I am not saying that there is no
discrimination but the real descrimination is where Nort Indians were
beaten in Maharashtra in day light in front of cameras and in front of
all the Indian so called leaders and when no action could be taken
there then this article's point is really a small one.
Racism and discrimination primarily based on skin colour is very prevalent in India. One
merely has to watch TV ads that promise lighter complexion, and speak to any African
student studying in India. There is also plenty of prejudices across various states: Northern
Indians think they are "superior" racially, while southerners think the former are "barbaric".
While education can reduce "overt" racism, human nature is quite resistant to rational and
logical thinking; racism will continue for a very long time.
Thanks for this article.India is one of the most racist countries in the
world and its not just directed towards the NE people.From the
advertisements of fairness creams to matrimonial sites, there is a
particular dislike for anything but fair.The North Indians always
believe they are racially superior because of their complexions.SC/STs
are systematically subjected to abuses in colleges and universities.Its
time to do something on this aspect and on a war footing
There is racism all over India. Any Indian will look different if they go to a sufficiently far away place within India. But people have still not gotten used to the fact of living in a large and multi-ethnic country. Add to that the tremendous ignorance and parochial social attitudes. People are racist within their own linguistic communities against other castes and religions. 60 years of independence and still there.
I agree with all the points that the author makes. However when it
comes to racism, it is not that it goes only one way. In NE The
attitude towards tourists from the mainland is however overwhelmingly
warm. Overall the communities are welcoming and friendly. However it
is true that Indians from the mainland face similar experiences of
discrimination in the north east though on a smaller scale. Especially
when they are working/staying in the area.
Indians from the mainland are sometimes ridiculed here for being
supposedly 'dirty','ugly' and 'dark'. The anti-outsider sentiment is
also very strong in many states.
So while I empathize strongly with the experience of discrimination
faced by North Eastern people in the Mainland I would also wish to add
that the narrative of discrimination is not unilateral. Perhaps it is
in human nature to differentiate and be suspicious of those you cannot
identify with. Or maybe a result of the flawed way in which India was
constructed
I also agree with the fact that racism exists in India and is an
abominable practice. Indians be they from north, south, west, north-east
are Indians and have same rights. Having said that, how about problems
faced by outsiders in north-east - we heard stories of many people
assassinated with only their fault being that they belong to other parts
of India. Both for me is condemnable. Only free exchange and movement of
people can solve this problem
When I was in India as an Engineering student, there were students
from NE. However, I never felt any friction existed at least in our
university. Neither did my brother, who graduated from another
university in Bhopal told of anything in particular. However, he did
say that the students from different geographical region do amalgamate
together to survive 'ragging'. Further, the dressing habits (in my
perspective) do create a lot of problem (irrespective of the origin).
For example, when I was an employee in CTS and TCS, the share-
auto/auto rickshaw would charge me or my co-employees double if we
were in the IT garb (shoes, id cards, etc). However, when I take the
same auto by wearing rubber sandals and shorts, the charge is normal.
Should I consider this a racial discrimination? The reason the
rickshaw drivers give is that we earn more so we "should" not have any
problem. The same could be extended to people from other regions.
However, I agree with the possibility given by the author
I think when it comes to discrimination and bigotry, I cannot help feeling that it is not better ingrained in Indians than with anyone else. I have seen discrimination based on state, regions, towns and even streets in my life as an Indian and that real scrounge of dividing people, religion. Throw in caste as a catalyst to dividing people, and you have a diabolical mix of emotions that adds to dividing people and discrimination. The discrimination is deep, not just skin deep, but really deep. Have we improved? Yes, somewhat, but nothing to sing about. Having lived int he West for 21 years, I have concluded that Indians are their own worst enemies as far as discrimination and racism is concerned.
Its very sad. Sometimes Indians (from "the mainland") dont even consider North Easterners as Indians. They assume they are Chinese or East Asian. Imagine how sad it must be to come to another part of your country and be treated like a foreigner. Ofcourse we also have the traditional South vs North, Marathis vs North, Marathis vs South etc going on but I think discrimination against the North East is far more severe.
Understanding the fact that Racism exist in every form in all parts of the world,and the subjectivity involved in all forms of racism, what we are failing to see in the case of our fellow North-Easterners is that , they are right full citizens of a COUNTRY/NATION,fighting for their constitutional right to live a non-discriminatory life in their own county,fighting for acceptance in their own land. There can be innumerable debates and intellectual exchanges on this issue, but no amount of these discussions will change the perception of the non- North Easterner Indians, unless one gets to experience a day in ones life " through the eyes of a North Eastern citizen of India". The pain, the agony, the frustration,the feeling of insecurity, betrayal, unwelcomed, unloved, ill treatment,mocked at for their uniqueness in culture and language ,targeted as being loose and immoral,generalised as dog meat eaters and much more all in Day in ones life -imagine living such a life for 365 days.
This is a timely article and empathize with the author. Having lived in northeast, I know that the discrimination is something that all our fellow citizens from NE face in 'mainland' India. On our trip to MP together, one of my Manipuri friends lamented that he was asked if he was from Japan and Korea but they did not think that he could be an Indian from NE.
Country as a telugu poet Gurajada said is not a piece of land but a people. It is our collective responsibility to ensure every Indian can live with their heads held high anywhere. Efforts to bring such a change starts with everyone of us.
With Reference to the comment by my Brother Om Pratap singh ,I would
like to say that Not only Indians are Brother but whole of Humans around
the world are brothers and sisters.
Racism,Religious "Stereotypism" and thinking that all muslims in our
country as Potential Pakisthani or more Clearly Potential terrorists is
also present in the subconscious mind of Most of Indians...
This should be curbed...
The Hindu has once again proved that it cares more for the society. I had been waiting long time for this issue to be addressed. I live in UK and i am tamil. I have lived here for 3 years, and all the racism i faced was not from the whites but from a bengali and a pakistani. The mockery i faced for having a dark skin was literally unlimited. I feel ashamed when Indians complain about racism and they don't even care when they do it to others.
I cannot possibly imagine a more racist country than India in the world -- everywhere you go in every sphere, including overseas there are powerful caste groups.
Always the people are discriminated on the basis of caste -- the maximum brunt of this is borne by the Dalits and so-called lower castes.
And those who stand up against casteist forces be it in college or any other place are looked upon like aliens by "respected" people.
Most of the '7 sister states of the North East' have been in some
ideological clash with Mainland India. Isn't that also racism ?
Racism/discrimination is present in all forms and is not only restricted
to North-Easterners. North Indians look down on South Indians, South
Indians look down on northie's in a certain way, Kannadiga's think they
are the best in world, A marathi thinks he is the best. Lets face it
there is racism based on skin color. A fair skinned person is more
likely to get a job over a dark -skinned person even if the dark skinned
person is as good are slightly better than the fair skinned person.
Wish I could write like this... I would have written in the same
tone... This were the thoughts that cropped up my mind when I read
this article, very well written! For somebody who has stayed in Delhi
for more than 15 years I cannot disagree any when you say "everyday
forms of racism are more experiential rather than an objectively
identifiable situation." "It is something which is most often felt or
perceived like an invisible wound." What's more infuriating is the
stereotyping and profiling of people like us from NE. This should be
dealt sensibly so that we from NE feel proud to be part of India.
(period)
To discriminate is in the nature of an Indian... One could argue that
our entire social structure is based on discrimination. What is being
described here is a form of discrimination. It shouldn't surprise us!
Not at all! It is deplorable & we really need to introspect as a
society/culture.
My question on this particular issue that is being raised is - is it
just the people from the North-East who are discriminated against on
the so called Mainland? Don't the North-Easterners discriminate
against the "Mainlanders" in the North-East? In Assam, Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Manipur?
One of the most loved and respected Police officers in Karnataka 10
years back was Sangliana from Mizoram. There was even a Kannada movie
made around him. So to accuse Bangloreans of being racist towards
'chinky' people of North East is being a bit rash.
It is well understood that racism exists in human society in different
spheres of life. Why not even spirit of tribalism exists among
different communities in North Eastern India? I am from this region
and we often hear one community fighting against another even though
they belong to the same race. What do we say regarding this? We tend
to blame western countries for racism. Yes we Indians also need to
introspect ourselves. I have been here in New Zealand for about a
year and never did experience any racial discrimination. According to
me it might take sometime to do way with such attitude of racism. Even
within North and South India people fight against each other base on
region and language. This is indeed a complex issue. Indians are
respected outside the country may be because of the achievement being
made, but there are certain section of people who may feel their jobs
are taken away. It is correct to think in their own opinion. So one
needs to deal this matter carefully...
The article is worth reading it. But, it again failed to give any
direction or conclusion that how to eradicate this problem. To me,
whenever you set your foot out of your zone of comfort, you are bound
to get problems. It is not specific to your place of origin or gender.
It become more of a problem, when we are not able to achieve what we
wanted to be. In those scenario, even small troubles look like big.
Whereas, in happy time, in our comfort zone, same circumstances looks
nothing. Thus, however, we as Indians, have this in very practice to
mock people for whatever reason we could get viz. jokes about sikh
people, bhojpuri accent, south indian foods and all that. So, those
things should not be taken so personally.
Another thing to mention is that, the problem is created by a few and
also perceived by a few; so those should not be generalized to the
extreme. However, this kind of article reminds us to the problem and
must be appreciated fully. Still..phir bhi dil hai hindustani.
Bangalore and Delhi cities know for world class research institutes to prestigious institutes across nation. That allures students and working youths from across the nation to come and purse their profession and join their dream coruses. Two cities are ture cosmopolitian and you can find all kind of cousines and resturans in both the cities as well variety culture also along with local. In such condition how can claim that racim on the basis mere incidents of these two happenings. If such cases tookplace repeatedly and happened on the grouds of racism then can calim and blams for that. In the present ICT era youths are using more interent and social platforms and mobiles to chats to prepare for their examas also. These tools might indirectly responsible for their failure of love affairs or finding new girl/boy friends might lead to depress or pick an quarrel with rivals to take the revenge (recent incidents links to this). In India there is no racism and parents should inculcate their
i feel the dirty habit of commenting about others be it food, dress and
judgemental about it is the root cause of all these as we are the worst
in these. i dont see any other community stare at others other than
indians
we are one of the worst racist in the world as i have witnessed if not
THE worst. we are hypocrites where every thing exists in our society
starting from child abuse to racism but we try to pretend it doesnt
exist and we are one great society. whenever we speak of our greatness
we always go back to vedic age because no one can prove or disprove. SAD
We are racist, casteist and sexist and I think most of us agree on this. So many years we are following this and will take time to adapt ourself to the new world
Believe it or not Racism is high in india comapred to any other countries. Kanadigas doesnt like tamils, tamils doesnt like mallus, mallus doesnt like anybody, northies doesnt like southern ppl. More over we have caste systems inside each states and they have their own discrimination, and also religious discrimination. Atleast in west they are do racism only on COLOR. But in India we have recism and racists in each and every corner or our society.
In this modernized & over-confident word, we have been practicing to show off our attitude that 'how better i am than you'. It's just not about people of some particular regions, but sadly it is being epidemic across the nation. People from south are disrespected by North Indians & vice-verse. We have just forgotten to express love & kindness. It is just confined to our school books :(
Ethnic racism has many different forms in South Asia. I have been subjected to it in
Tamilnadu and am familiar with it. If you do not look like a dark dravidian you are
subjected to racism, especially in Madras. The brahmin Iyengars, of course, practice
their own form of racism against the dark dravidians. The so called Aryan-Dravidian
racism is the oldest (since at least Rgvedic times) and is still prevalent in Madras. The
tamiliams call it dravidian pride but it really is racism at its core against all non-
dravidians in Madras.
I feel that NE people are treated in a very bad way.Whenever somebody sees any NE person on the street he stares at him/her as if he/she is some alien and especially women are treated in a very obnoxious manner.Being an indian,one must not indulge in such activities.we should understand that although NE people live far away from our cities but they are the integral part of our country.How can we mock at our brothers and sisters?They deserve everything which an indian deserves..afterall they are also indians.We should place ourselves in their place and think what we would feel when somebody treats us like this in our own country -forget about foreign nations.They have all the rights to treat us the way they treat us.Be it shahrukh khan controversy or shilpa sheety's in big boss ,we became extremely irked and annoyed and demanded apology from the foreigners.what about us then?should we not apologize for what we do, and that too,daily?
There is no need to discriminate with the skin tone of people. Why should we discriminate people based on skin color, religion, region, community, gender & so on? We are all humans. There is only one race for humans. Freedom is curbed based on discrimination. I would like to pin point various FAIRNESS CREAMS ADVERTISEMENTS. They portray racism openly. It does not matter if you are dark or fair. The potential of a person is determined based on their personality & skills they possess. We have to curb this type of discrimination. I hope India will get over this soon to protect its own citizens.
Just a weird thought. Is it possible that the kind of Chinese movies
broadcast in India, wherein people from the region are depicted as funny
and weak has anything to do the mentality that is built on the so called
insensitive people? Because people may identify them with the north east
people because of the common mongoloid look.
I, as a victim of state sponsored Racism in the form of a parliamentary Act, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act,1958 would like to appeal to the liberal Indians to question the policy of the Central Government and the Indian Military towards the North Eastern States of the country and help us in securing our Democratic Rights in the world's largest Democracy.
Hi, I agree with the comments made by B S Kumar and Manish Kumar..I have never seen or felt any such discrimination towards North Easterners I know. Also, it seeems a little inappropriate to call this racial discrimination which is motivated simply by appearance. Imagine years ago when South Indians hadn't migrated and begun working in such large numbers all over India..with the absolute lack of info, all southies were called MADRASIS irrespective of whether they were karalites, telugu, bangaloreans or whatever. With time, they themselves; through their education, migration, working in all sectors shoulder to shoulder with the northerners, erased misplaced notions and gained acceptance.
I think the same will happen with time even with northeasterners provided they also receive the same opportunities of education, etc. (For example, there are 3 northeasterners among the girls, that I know in the IIT I study at..)
There are other barriers, like cultural, language, tht will change.
I agree with the author only on the argument that Indians are
"racist", But racism against N-E is just the tip of the iceberg. We
Indians, look with contempt at others on the basis of there color,
region, caste, religious belief, eating habbits, looks..etc.. and the
list doesn't stop here. North indians against south indians, and vice
versa. Maharashtrians against biharis and UP walas. etc. India needs
to rise above these social prejudices if it wants to be seen as a True
Democracy and superpower. My advice to people is to shun the racist
veil and look beyond..you will find the other Indian, just like
yourself.
While recognising the prevalence is good step towards the cause, I feel the north east folks can help themselves somewhat by intermingling more with the rest. As a personal observation, I see most of them hanging around among themselves and not really interacting with other ethnic groups. As rightly pointed out by Mr S Kumar earlier, racism exists in many forms and spaces and wont be wiped out overnight. But surely if they can mingle more and showcase their culture and tradition (which rest of India is mostly unaware), others will look upon them with more respect. On a sidenote, this issue deserves an episode in Satyamev Jayate. They can probably make a difference!
Racial difference will always be there as people look different. However you feel victimised when you are looked down upon in foreign land. This discrimination is faced by people belonging to poor states like Bihar, Jharkhand, North-East etc etc. The only solution is to develop your state so that you stand as equals & not refugee. For example a German migrant will not be looked down upon in USA but a Somalian refugee will be despised.
Take the particular case mentioned of identifying Tibetans in Delhi. Can
the learned writer come up with a solution how to do it without drubbing
the self esteems of non-Tibetans? By any means you have to ask for the
identity of the persons in Delhi. Will there a need to go ask a person
who has clearly south Indian features for his identity? Naturally people
who has close features of Tibetans will be asked to produce identity.
How this can be termed as a racial prejudice?
I do not know what exactly is meant by racism. It is natural for anyone to feel comfortable among his own people. The Japanese is not comfortable among the Chinese and Chinese is not comfortable among the Japanese. I have lived and worked in most of the North East. A member of a Naga tribe is not welcome in Mizoram. A Kasi is unwelcome in Karbianglong and so on. These things cannot be helped and are to be found all over the world. Problems arise when authorities entrusted with the maintaining of law namely, the police do not act neutral. That is the area that needs to be improved
Well i believe more then the racism it is the economic backwardness or
the visibility of the region in India. Racism prevails every part of the
world. But the main thing is how we accept it. In US, we indian's some
time face so called Racism but not the peoples from Japan or China.
Because those countries economic growth shadows this evil racism view.
Racism actually links to socio-economic development. Without economic development one cannot think of stopping this from this world..i
believe.
It is a fact beyond any doubt that we are culprit of being racist and castism.We learn t it from our fore fathers,from religious preachers and society.Although we may boast of some improvement but it may take long time to treat every citizen of India as "Indian First"Any one from south India is branded as "Madraasi"from the hills is "Pahaari"and north East is "Chinki".Unfortunately our educated society also uses these terms in casual conversation.Unless we open our eyes a time is not far when we may find ourselves as divided lot.
This is a critically well-analysed piece to read and ponder upon certain realities of the insensitive people. Yes, one must accept first that "there is racism in India" if one likes to bring a solution to it. Denying it is denying social justice. Many may say NO. But people who faced in their day to day life existence knows better what the pain and trauma is racism all about. The racist comments, the stereotyping, and many many others. I would say even the Indian state structure is racist in nature. Armed Forces Special Powers Act is one example. UN has declared as a "Racist Act" but Indians pay no heed to it. There are thousands of testimonies and incidents to assert that Indian state is racist. This is not an intention to "break the country" as many of the commentatrors fear. But it is a point which one really needs to ponder and accept certain realities instead of eulogizing "Mother India" in blind faith of Nationalist fanatics.
Racism is also prevalent against South Indians in the Nothern states. I have experienced it first hand in Delhi.
Having lived abroad (US & Europe) for over a decade, I agree fully with Mahesh
above. We Indians think of racism as only something which we are victims of. In reality, we are among the worst racists ourselves. Even the names we use among ourselves for other ethnic groups (Kallu for Afro-Americans, Makku for Latinos, Chinki for Chinese etc.) betray our attitude towards others. Naturally, we have our caste system which beats any racial system practised in the West by a mile but we aren't willing to believe that we are racist. As we know, there is still a lot of racism in the West still but society there has undergone many changes over decades starting from acknowledging the existence and undesirability of racism to the point where interracial marriages or relationships are no issue. Can we say the same thing about our society where there is a huge fuss if two people from the same caste but a slightly different sub-caste want to marry?
some people may not find above mentioned incidents as practice of racisim because it happens in everyday life, but they hardly know how it feels to be called "Chinese" every time you step out of your door.
i always try to avoid those childrens playing outside of my society beacuse atleast one of them finds it amusing to pass some comments.it may not sound very offending but just try step into our shoes for a day and things will be a litte clear. im glad that issue has been raised on this platform, atleast i got to let it out somehow.
I feel this racism is an outcome of creation of new identities of 'India', 'Indian' or 'Hindu' in fashion of Abrahamic religions. Prior to this there every person belonged to his community or Varna and these people were connected to other and the 'Universe' in a sense of Sacred order. The constitution and democracy furthered compartmentalization of such identities as they become ladder for power, special rights, electoral benefits and coercive power. This all needs to undergo correction.
very inquistive article by the author and I admit, there is mentality in Indians to discriminate the other fellows on basis of several factors - region, religion, colour, gender everything. I am working in Singapore since last few months and I have seen how the local people are racist towards Indian. It feels bad when someone taunts you in their local language that you can not comprehend but you know its about you. Some of my friends visited me and they were loudly calling out local people as 'chinki' which is obviously offending and disgusting in taste to local people. I also wonder how would I feel if some one calls me a brownie. Yes its true, racial discrimination exists in India, more rampant in metro cities - Northies discriminates against southies and vice-versa and whole of India discriminates against North east Indians.
It is not just people of NE who are discriminated against. A person from North India is discriminated against in South India and a person from South India is discriminated against in North India. A person from Bihar finds it hard to get a house on rent. A person from Chennai finds going difficult in a college in Bangalore. This is all racism in one way or the other.
Could not agree more with comment made by Manya. I too have lived in US for years and at present live in India. Is there Discrimination in India? Absolutely? Look at the present dangerous trend of regionalism, and mis-treatment of migrants workers.
Is not India one great democratic country, does not its citizens have the right to live, get education and work in any parts of this amazing country?
We feel that people from East India are not at all Indians. They are actually people who illegally migrated from Bangladesh and Bhutan into India. They dress, eat, talk differently they dont speak the local language.
And of course we as Indians are Racist, we hate each other depending on the state, language and culture.
The article should be an eye-opener. The writer has raised some very valid issues. We should also remember that it is not only the people from the north-east who are subject to racism. People from south India too have been victims since ages. In the north, anyone from south of Vindhyas is a “Madrasi” and subject to snide remarks. The movies, TV shows and commercials ridicule and lampoon those from the south, especially Tamilians.
In itself this article is commendable; however, it truly fails to live up to the title which was given to it. While the article vividly captures the plight of North-East Indians across the various cultural hubs in India, it still fails to make a note of the atrocities faced by the common man when he tries the cross the boundaries of his/her region.
With this I am referring to the racial disrimination faced by North Indians in South India and by Southies in Northern India. I am a Delhi boy trying to make a living in Chennai and I am sad to say taht I also face discrimination everyday just cause I don't speak Tamil. Autowallas increase there fare to triple and try to harass me for more money every other day.
The same problems are met by Tamils when they venture into a North Indian city like Lucknow or even Delhi for that matter.
In the end all I can say is that Racism is still there although, because of all the modernization, has gone through a lot of changes.
Racism is everywhere in India. India, the land of multicultural and multi-linguistic nation, should stop complaining and learn to accept every minority concern. Accepting the diversity and giving equal importance is the only way.
Will India dare to give power to North Eastern states? Is Indians ready to accept all Indian major languages as an official language? If not, why are we reluctant to accept our Strength i.e. diversity? We discriminate openly and we want to pose as a nice guy. How many of the common people in India know about the Indian National Language. I was repeatedly offended by Indians from northern India on this subject.
I would say we need more articles and debate on this subject to bring in wider awareness. Kudos to The Hindu for publishing and bringing in to the limelight about the existing racism in India.
In my view the author ,while pointing out to a sensitive issue ,has
mostly indicated "bullying" as race based discrimination . But the
fact is that bullying is not restricted to just race based
discrimination ,but almost everything and everywhere . It all begins
with our school teachers and parents -who are the first person to
bully a kid .And in succeeding ,they send across a message that
bullying is an effective way of getting things done or gaining respect
.How many times have we seen this happen - a kid comes home and cries
saying that he was bullied by a classmate and in response ,the parents
resort to bullying the classmate .Magnified on a large scale , it
forms the basis of all these - where "situational" ringtones ,
snorting , passing comments etc are used to harass people .
I agree that we do look upon people from NE differently - but it wont
change - because our parents and teachers teach us to be so - PITY
While the author has some valid concerns regarding racism in India, I believe that some of the examples indicate a victim mentality than racism. e.g. Overcharging by taxi drivers and landlords- Anywhere in India (and many places in the world), people including shopkeepers, taxi-drivers and house-owners like to rip-off strangers. They use various ways to know if someone is "local" or "outsider". In Chennai, a non-Tamil speaking person may be taken for a ride by an auto-driver. If you are carrying luggage and do not look confident, auto-wallas in Delhi will rip you off. The physical features of people from the NE are similarly used by these people as means of identifying "who is likely to not know the city landscape and therefore pay more?" and not as means of racial discrimination. I have personally experienced this (I am not from the NE) in many cities in India and outside. One should look at these instances as human desire to gain from someone's ignorance and not as a race issue.
Racism is prevalent in India in some or the other way and no one can deny this fact. Whether its a dark skinned South Indian in North India or a person from North-east ot even Bengalis in other northern states. It is there. Racial discrimination like religious / caste based discrimination shall be abolished only when our society learns equality and respect for fellow human beings.
Racism is a word that implies discrmination on the basis of race. And the authors argument places blame on the non north-eastern races for that. It is not to say that it does not exist. But if we hope to resolve such biases, we need to understand that non-northeast related racism is also quite prevelant. Racism stems from the root of basic urge to identify one with a supposedly superior group of people. Racism is not an alienated phenomena. It exists in religion (antisemitism), geography, and even gender. There may be no immediate and permanent solution to it. If anything, as time pases, there may be many new forms and basis for biases. Tolerance is the only word that comes to my mind as a possible message for future generations.
I wont say India is free of racism, but we are much much better than those in Ukraine. Now, I maybe racist in saying so, but I saw the way Ukrainians treated Asians at a local football match. BBC has video evidence.
I feel that NE people are treated in a very bad way.Whenever somebody sees any NE person on the street he stares at him/her as if he/she is some alien and especially women are treated in a very obnoxious manner.Being an indian,one must not indulge in such activities.we should understand that although NE people live far away from our cities but they are the integral part of our country.How can we mock at our brothers and sisters?They deserve everything which an indian deserves..afterall they are also indians.We should place ourselves in their place and think what we would feel when somebody treats us like this in our own country -forget about foreign nations.They have all the rights to treat us the way they treat us.Be it shahrukh khan controversy or shilpa sheety's in big boss ,we became extremely irked and annoyed and demanded apology from the foreigners.what about us then?should we not apologize for what we do, and that too,daily?
I would say that the signs are positive and there is a lot of hope
for change and that Indian Politics of dividing the country into
linguistic states had something to do with it.The Indian Railways
was a unifying factor, however communication and infotech technology
overtook that unifying factor.There is still hope that high speed
rail technology when it spreads all over India will reduce distances
and bind the country.There has to be some mode you know just as the
Second world war brought all sorts of people together and when death
was at hand it led to a situation-to destroy what we call racism.
Very true.India is the most racist country in the world. As Mahesh
from the US has mentioned, we discriminate people in all forms
possible(religion,caste,sub caste,region,state,etc...). But the Indian
media created a big noise when few Indian students were attacked in
Australia which for me is not at all racism but opportunistic crime
against Indian students for their money and electronic gadgets. In
some cases the perpetrators themselves were Indians.
By the way India is the only country where we find "SKIN FAIRNESS"
cream and matrimonial ads looking for bride/groom with "FAIR"
complexion. Doesn't that show that we discriminate based on skin
colour?
Racism is high in the Country, this country is not free from Religious, Regional, Caste, Class and Gender biases. Many of us still have biases against many of these mentioned categories, and we hold these biases against them which is also called stereotypical these stereotypical behavior then build strong prejudices which leads to discrimination.
Person who discriminates have sick mind. This situation is not only limited to India but where ever the categories which i mentioned above is present and others haven't accepted them then the incidences of racial discrimination has been seen or noted.
any kind of discrimination is negative and bad for the development of this or any country. One can never envision Equality and Justice on those bases.
I love you guys and totally support you.
Stupid are the people who are in to racial discrimination.
Denial is a part of the Indian psyche it looks like. Everytime someone
brings up the question of discrimination or failure of Government, the
first response is denial. Unfortunately it only shows how far away we
are from a solution when we fail to cross the first step itself, of
denial.
It is very true that people from other regions of this land shows diff.
attitude towards N-E people but that, i personally feels, is not
racially motivated but a kind of enthusiasm to know about their culture
and surroundings which actually fascinates.However,the incidents which
we often come to know are not specifically towards N-E(S)but towards the
young girls and couples which entire country faces.Whole nation wants to
intermingle with N-E(S)& love them all.
There is no denying the fact that there is a deep rooted prejudice against people from the north east in 'Mainland India'.Having said that it would be improper to view every crime in which the victim happened to be from that part of the country to be racially motivated.Not long ago many students from Bihar,even girls,at a prominent engineering college in Sikkim were physically assaulted by the locals and had to flee in droves.It all started after some local politicians got involved in a petty fight among the students(nothing unusual in an engineering college) and gave it the colour of regionalism.
I am commenting to this article because I have studied in same class with NE students, have friends among NE people , Have done social service with NE people and have played football for three years every evening with NE people. Now the point is , It is not racism but cultural difference that is cause for alienation of NE people.
Before pointing fingers at locals ,let NE people introspect and see if they are really open to mingling with locals.
All you get is a stiff look when you look at NE people.not even a smile. They tend to be in only NE groups ( though there are exceptions ) and NE girls get along along with locals only if the locals are ready spend money on them - like partying,movies,shopping etc. Even after soccer game, only NE guys used to sit at a distance and chat. there are rapes and murders happening everyday in this country. we cant single just 3 cases out of 120 crore population and tag it as racism.
Still it takes lots of years ( say 20-30 ) for our country to unite
Racism and discrimination are natural by-products of organised society. It could be argued that they are in fact a human traits. The only solution is better law enforcement and education. The legislation has to be clear and not ambiguous and the law enforcement agencies have to do their job in accordance to the letter of the law. And society must make concerted efforts to remove the miscoceptions its various components have of each other. So called cultural events with their quaint folk dances are not sufficient.
Alas, India is so complex and has so many other pressing problems. But there is hope. If the tourism industry continues to flourish as it has in recent years, we might get to know each other better. And if we know each other better, we might be less inclined to discriminate against each other.
at present, i am working in NE region as scientist along with the
farmers of NE region. Earlier, my thinking was different when i
was not aware much with their life style but now i am able to
identify the major issue and why discrimination was happening. I
am able to understand their psychological behavior and attitude.
They are basically, innocent people, pure heart and real village
mind.
They are in need to develop lot in education basis as well in
social basis. But We North Indian(I lived 5 years at Delhi and
native of Chhattisgarh) having different mind setup for them from
our forefathers.May be it is due to language, culture, physical
appearance, food habit and many more. But, its time for soltuion
to remove the problematic matter(discrimination).The solution
given (commented above) by Mr Om Pratap Singh is perfect. and the suggestion by Manish kumar is also right. Don't stretch a small
matter in a big. it will enlarge the matter and make wrong
perception on other news-readers.
I am glad you wrote this article. Indians are by far very racist in nature. We are racists against people of African origin and people from NE India who look different due to their Mongoloid features. I find it laughable when Indians complain about racism in the western countries.
It appears more and more to me that people from the North East of India need to be desensitized to a lot that the rest of India takes for granted. Yes, we make fun of everything and everybody that is not like us! This is India, and if you don't know this about "mainland" India, learn!
All South Indians are "Madarasis" to some North Indians. All Indians that are not from the four Southern states are "North Indians", according to some of us in the South. We attach stereotypes to each person and most definitely ridicule them. But we also acknowledge each other's strengths and abilities and we of course do business with one another, with great respect.
But with people from the North East, for various reasons, the rest of India has not had that much interaction. This is not a choice we made, but just how things turned out. Because of their Mongoloid features, it IS easy to stereotype them, but take no offence, please, NER! Educate us and make fun of us too! Who says you can't?
Though the author has made a very important point here, racism in all
forms must be avoided. But he has grossly and probably inadvertently
tried to prove that racial discrimination is carried out always
against people from north-east.
I have also lived in one of the states of north-east and areas in
Delhi where much of north-east people live, and i must say i find far
more racial discrimination against people from rest of India in the
north-east states. Though it is no excuse or justification for the any
act of racial discrimination.
One must keep in mind that it is often the human nature to make fun
and have a strange behaviour against people of different race ,
language , culture and food habits. But every such action must not be
tagged as racially motivated. And proper awareness must be created so
that fallout of any such human behavoiur must not cause mental or
physical suffering to anyone.
Very true, the discrimination i believe is mostly because of the
different look and the kind of clothes most North-Eastern people wear.
The very upsetting fact is that most people resort to name calling and
generalize women from North-East without even having any sense of wrong
doing. Such profiling/discrimination is prevalent in Colleges and Work
places too.
Mr.Jilangamba, I appreciate the fact that your exasperation is put forward in a sensible way. The only way to get rid of it is to speak about it. But you must be knowing that racism exists not only for the north-eastern population, but for several parts of India (mallu's, gujju's. bong's). If I am to talk about my own habits,I should say that I stereotype people, not because of insensitivity but because it makes it easier for me to understand their behavior. Many a times I have been proved wrong, but many a times I have been proved right too. Being half mallu, I have had to listen to quite a few jokes, most of them were pretty darn funny- and true.
I understand that the stereotyping you are referring to is not funny at all.It is vicious, vile and intangible. Hurting the sentiments of a population is wrong. Again, thank you for the detailed article.
very well said. We should accept that racism is in India but its not only limited to North-East people. Now a days, regionalism is a political trend in Country.. not only in Maharashtra but each and Every state including Assam & Arunachal Pradresh.
Very True. It's not just the north-east people visiting other parts of
the country. People from, say, Bihar and UP also have to bear with
sneering and many times outright hostility from narrow-minded
political groups (all those senas) when they migrate to other
parts of the country. Also, I would like to say that reverse-racism towards westerners (firangis, as we pejoratively say) is also quite prevalent. Go to any museum, archaeological site, or travel by buses (at times), you will find that fares for fair-skinned foreigners is about 5/10 times that for Indians. They say its for foreigners, but people from South Asia (with brown skins) can easily pretend that they are Indians and get in at lower charge (not like anyone checks passports and IDs - it's not practical either). So, its effectively for white-skinned people.This is clearly racist. Imagine the outrage which would have happened if there was some rule like this in US, where the charge was high for dark-skinned people !!
It is not only our brothers and sisters from North East who suffers discrimination. We dalits too suffer discrimination every day. One of my former colleague said once to me "These (dalits) are fit for certain kind of menial jobs only". He was my controlling officer. Just because my religion teach me to forgive I forgave him. My dear fellow citizens, discrimination is wide spread in our nation. Even Landlords refuse to let their houses for dalits. After all schedule(d caste) meant a list which ultimately has became caste in itself.
i am not sure about other metopolitian cities, but Chennai is free from Racial Discrimination and peaceful city.
This is a very timely issue - I am glad to see it being raised. There is a thin line (if any) between stereotyping and profiling. I do sincerely believe that racism is practiced under multitude of disguise in India. Accepting it is a good first step towards finding a solution.
Once again this question comes up and once again it must be addressed. But does it really matter what it is called? I don't think it is racism that must be given the top billing, with the borrowed nomenclature from the West, for we Indians discriminate on the basis of region, religion, appearance, culture, language, food choice, caste, gender, physical structure, economic stature, and a host of other factors as much if not more than race. Let's not be frivolous about the complex nature of how people from the North East are treated in the rest of India by brushing it with the convenient paint of "racism". It is no surprise that this is not gaining traction, and it must not.
"Discriminatory regime"? We Indians need special permission to even visit parts of the North East! Why has a lot of the North East chosen to isolate itself from the rest of India and is now worried about being isolated? Is it possible for "mainland" India to invest in and exploit the North East? No.
I lived in the US for a decade, and it always amused me when Indians talked about racial discrimination by the Whites. In India, we have a whole complex hierarchy of discrimination, based on religion, caste, sub-caste, native state, mother tongue, gender, sexual orientation, social status, dietary preference, and skin color, just to mention a few!
I hate racism, if the above incidents were the results of racism behavior then they should be condemned and the guilty ones should be punished. I do not understand why people are treated on the basis of their clothes, color of skin or in short, outer appearances when we know that looks can be misleading? Why not see a person's heart?
Good article. Accepting that racism exists is the first step towards eradicating it.
Very true, I completely agree & am glad that Hindu wrote about it. I hope insensitive people read this too & realise how racial they themselves are and how they make ppl of their own country uncomfortable just because they look different
It's true, racism is very prevalent in India, but the question we must ask ourselves is that, should be generalize every incident as racially motivated? I would like to ask, how many of incidents mentioned by author has he actually investigated, and based the opinion on newspaper's headlines without knowing the actual truth? I have seen in my four year of college life four suicides and they were the people from different part of India. We are all made fun of because place we belong, language we speak, ideologies we follow. That's what being in society means, but do we hate each other? I don't think so. Even people who mocked and were mocked played together shared laughs together. So, I accept, although racism is prevalent, but please stop generalizing every incident as an act against a group. We are one society and one country, when we base our opinions on emotions and not on facts we tend to divide the very society we live in.
I personally feel that North Eastern people in other parts of India do
feel certain kind of discrimination, however it is not a racial
discrimination. The distinction basically arises due to differences in
language, clothing and eating habits. I would urge people to become
broad-minded & stop practising any kind of discrimination with N-E
people as they are our brethren and very part & parcel of India.
However, I'll also ask N-E people to come out of their folds without
any hesitation while in other parts of India & start mingling with
other people apart from your regional friends. Both sides have to
accept each other to abandon any kind of discrimination.
It is very unfortunate that in india,rich with diversity, racism is
prevalent.Indians are not the people of a particular direction or
region,they are the aggregration of all the cultures in all the
directions.i wish that the indian gov will take this issue seriously and
there will be no deaths because of racism.
Racism may exist in India but not specific to NE people. Till
recently, there was little contact among the people of the NE and
the rest of India.It was only the politicians and students who came
out of NE and the rest of Indians needed a permit to visit the NE.
Hence there was no contact. Perhaps there are still restrictions
for the rest of Indians to go to NE, buy land and do business. This
may be a reason for knowing less of the NE people.Pen upthe NE to
rest of Indians and you will see the difference. Also, the NE
people being fair and good looking, stand out in the Indian crowd.
That does not mean they are discriminated. One should see the NE
trade fairs that are held in different parts of India and the crowd
that visits these fairs.Ask any of those who organize these fairs
if they find any discrimination. Never. So let us not say that the
NE people are discriminated. With more people to people contact,
there will be better understanding of the NE by the rest of India.
Yes we are a nation in denial. If it is of any consolation, racism is not limited to citizens
from the north east but is very pervasive and exists at all levels of society. Just ask any
dark skinned person anywhere in the country.
Honorable former president asked an interesting question in ignited minds. Who is
the silent enemy of your family. I would answer racism. Racism exist ecerywhere in
our country. In terms of north versus west or any other zone with other zone.
Directly or indirectly we all are part of racism or become victim of the same. Even in
neighbouring state, Punjab. While doing my studies I was quoted as haryanavi
because I am from haryana and it actually hurts.
When a rickshaw puller is seen, people always says he is a bihari. Which is wrong.
One doing any work or profession must not define his caste, religion or dominicile.
Until and unless we come up as Indian and treat other as citizen of India and not
from other state, our silent enemy can't be controlled.
One must gve respect to other person because he or she has taken birth and has self
respect just like you, then only this enemy can be controlled . Children, future of
nation, must ne taught these values to treat everyone by equality.
Racism in India is worst than any where else. Well, in 1989 when I told my boss in Indian Overseas Bank that I am migrating to Australia, he immediately raised his eye brows and asked me "why are you going to a country with many racists". I immediately replied, Sir, if at all there is any racists elsewhere, we the Indians are the worst racist than others. He asked me how can that be? I told him, we discrimate our own people as untouchables and castes fighting and so on so forth. He smiled and agreed with me. When Indian media has been sensationalising all the attack on Indians (by Criminals) as racist attack, I thought its better they do some soul search. There are thousands of inter racial marriages in Australia than intercastes marriages in India. Most inter racial children feel comfortable with Australian society and they never feel discriminated. I dream that one day Australian means multiple races! When will Idia become casteless? The process is very slow.
Indians need to realize that Kashmiris and people from the North East
are Indians and if we want them to continue to be with the Replubic of
India they must have the same rights and freedoms as all Indians ( as in
pull out the military of civilian areas as this is creating animosity)
and live with dignity
There are so many forms of racial discrimination all over India. It could be discrimination done against other caste groups, religious groups or people who eat a particular kind of food. We could call it casteist discrimination, religious discrimination : all forms of RACIAL discrimination. We need a huge civil movement in India - like the one that America saw 50 years back. We need a movement to awaken awareness to the fact that the OTHER can be as muct accepted and respected as we expect people to respect us.
India had been one of the most multicultural, multi-religious and multilingual nation on the planet for a long time. Blatant and subtle discrimination is all so pervasive in line with cast,color, region, language and religion. There is ostracizing in academic areas and bulling in work places and those who practice such atrocities get away scot-free as traditionally there was no repercussion for such demeaning actions. It is with a sense of relief one can view now that the people are waking up to this shameful cultural practice and agitating against it! Some good will sure come out of it!
Good article, rightly highlighs the racism and discrimination
against north-east indians. Hope indians understand they're our
people.
Great article. I am glad you wrote it before I did; I hope lots of people read this.
Cheers!
This is truly sad. Even if some of this is perceived racism and wholly factual, the fact that Indians from the Northeast feel outsiders in their own land, is a serious concern. India is very fortunate to have such a rich diversity in its peoples and must do everything to make everyone feel at home. Institutionalized racism is completely unacceptable and must be stopped, if this is true. I urge my fellow Northeasterners to have faith. With all its its faults, India has demonstrated the ability to evolve as a fair society. Muslims have slowly started to feel more at home and Northeasterners will do so. This article is a timely reminder that the matter merits serious attention
I know that this racism did exist 30 or 40 years ago. I thought it would have disappeared by now. But obviously that is not the case. As a reader I acknowledge that this racism exists. It is best to treat every crime against as a north easterner as a race crime, investigate as priority and have harsher punishments for race crime. I would also suggest that a north easterner or nepali may not be the only discrimated person, 30 or 40 years a dark 'madrasi' would have been discriminated against in Delhi. That might still be the same. And the response has to be the same too. How long are we to remain so immature and so insecure as people that we need to pull others down?
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