Far away from home, northeastern people residing in the city of Jaipur founded their first association recently under the name 'Northeast Association Jaipur (NEAJ)' with an aim to render services to the people of the northeast who are living in the city and near-abouts.
It is a non-political and a non-religious voluntary association for humanitarian, charitable causes with an objective to aid and assist needy persons of North-East Indian origin living in and around Jaipur, in times of severe distress, personal calamities, miscarriage of justice, and others.
The association also aims to promote a feeling of oneness and brotherhood among all northeasterners by celebrating and showcasing our composite cultural heritage in various festivals, functions, shows, seminars and other events; and to build solidarity with the native people of Jaipur, through creating and strengthening institutional bonds with state authorities, and others.
Andrew Khamsanglian Phiamphu from Zou community has been appointed the first president of the Northeast Association Jaipur.
Speaking as a chief guest at the inaugural function, Haulianlal Guite, IAS Secretary, Jaipur Development Authority and himself from the northeast region, said, "I am deeply impressed by the passion and dedication they show. For most of them are young people in their twenties, with jobs in the private sector, and families so far away. Most do not even have that much time to spare for anything other than their work. And yet, somehow, despite their financial and societal constraints, despite still lacking the numbers, they have this common goal of founding an association meant to address shared concerns and bring our varied communities together. What can be more impressive than that?"
"What distinguishes NEAJ from all these, is that it is explicitly inclusive in terms of ethnicity and religion. That is, it is built into the organization's constitution that, come what may, the Northeast Association shall not discriminate for or against anyone on the basis of ethnicity or religion; nor shall it do anything that hurts ethnic or religious sentiments. What this means is simple: NEAJ is a non-political, non-religious organization," he added.
"To be sure, the road is uphill for this young, unique creature. The temptation to turn ethnic and religious will be huge, perhaps even insurmountable. It remains to be seen how the young leaders deal with them. But I am certain that if ten years from now NEAJ continues to survive and thrive, it will primarily be because it stays faithful and true to its secular, apolitical character," said Guite.
Such similar social organisations in other cities follow the same path and endeavour to strengthen their bonding during their stay away from home.
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