This weekend, Nido Tainam, God rest his soul, became the latest ‘martyr’ to the North Eastern cause.
The innocent-looking, bespectacled young man from the land of the dawn-lit mountains joined the ‘gallery of heroes’ – young boys and girls who lost their lives in a country which refused to consider them as its own, which beat them to pulp, battered and bruised them and left them to die lonely, terrible deaths away from their native places and loved ones – all because they ‘looked different’.
Like 21-year-old Reingamphi Awungshi, a Tangkhul girl from Ukhrul, Manipur, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances in Chirag Dilli in New Delhi in May, 2013.
Like 21-year-old Mutum Bony Jajo from Imphal West, born to a Meitei father and Tangkhul mother, who died in September, 2012, after being refused treatment at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.
Like 19-year-old Richard Loitam from Manipur, found dead in his hostel room in Bangalore in April, 2012 after being assaulted allegedly by his seniors.
Like 21-year-old Garo girl Dana Sangma, niece of Meghalaya CM, Mukul, who was found dead in her hostel room in Gurgaon in April, 2012. She allegedly committed suicide after being racially abused by her invigilator.
Like 19-year-old Ramchanphy Hongray, another Tangkhul from Ukhrul, who was on a visit to Delhi in October 2009, when she was strangled and her body then burnt alive by a man because she refused his sexual advances.
And now, Nido has joined them in this notorious ‘hall of fame’.
But does it really matter? After all, whenever such an incident occurs, nothing much happens. The media plays it for some time, the deceased’s family and friends cry, activists and students organise protests…A few years later down the line, all that remains is a Facebook page saying ‘Justice for…’ and google images showing the bloody, battered and bruised body of what was once a living, breathing human being.
Of course, it should not matter to us from the ‘mainland’. ‘These ch**** deserve it,’ we say to ourselves. But then, it should also not matter to us when China shows territory to the south of the McMahon Line as its own. It should not matter to us when the secretive Paresh Barua issues threats against India from his Bangladeshi lair.
It should not frustrate us when Messrs. Thuingaleng Muivah, Isak Swu and S S Khaplang talk of how the Nagas have always been a distinct entity, separate from India.
It should not. For they speak the truth. We, by our actions, ourselves validate them.
One might argue that not everyone will know about all the issues under the sun. Fair enough. But we, the people of the mainland, don’t even know an iota about the North East. As prominent activist, Binalakshmi Nepram so succinctly put it in a panel discussion on Friday, even school textbooks hardly contain any information about the region.
They don’t inform young minds about men like Lachit Barphukhan, who defeated the Mughals at Saraighat and dented their eastward advance. They don’t tell you about the role Naga tribesmen played in assisting the British in stopping the Japanese advance during World War II.
They don’t illuminate about the great matrilineal traditions of the Khasis, the devout Vaishnavism prevalent in the Brahmaputra Valley and Manipur, how the Ahoms came to India and became Assam’s foremost guardian protectors. Nope, nothing at all.
One would say that when educated people in India do not know much about the region, what can one say about Farhan and Akram, who allegedly beat up Nido? True.
But then, there is something called simple, human dignity, the respect that one human being has for another, regardless of differences. Unfortunately though, as a people, we have never learnt that dignity, which is ironic since there is so much diversity in our country. We ought to be more tolerant of our differences. But we are not. Sad, but that is the truth.
What can be the solution then?
The only solution is awareness, and more of it. The media, especially popular media has to play a critical role here. It has to help in dismantling archaic prejudices.
Besides the media, law enforcement must be spruced up. The Delhi Police for instance, is notorious for its snail-like pace in all cases, not just those involving N-E people. They have to be sensitised to register such cases at the earliest and take prompt action against the accused.
The judiciary too must play its own role by administering quick and proper justice. (I know this is asking too much, but like the police, the judiciary too has to be sensitized that cases involving N-E people need top priority).
It is not as if everything has been dark. Since the last ten years, much work has been done, mostly by north-eastern young people themselves. They have succeeded in getting the C-word declared a racial slur and liable to punishment. They have also set up helplines for students from the region in major cities like Delhi.
Here, a suggestion would be to set up such helplines in all those educational institutions where north-eastern students go to study. Since awareness will still take a long time, vigilance has to be the short term answer. North-eastern students must report any matter of discrimination to helplines and get further support from the community.
But even as I write this, there is a deep sense of foreboding inside of me. For whether we like it or not, Nido’s case is not the last ugly incident of its sort. Sadly, and tragically, it is bound to occur again. Which makes me wonder…How many more young north-easterners must die before the region finally achieves emotional unity with- India?
