Yesterday, I met a friend hailing from Arunachal Pradesh. He is a research scholar in International affairs at JNU and specializes in West Asian studies. Our conversation gradually drifted towards the Indian-ness of north east (NE) India. He presented a real view of the situation at ground. For an average Indian, NE India is home to some tribes, is characterized by Chinese claims and armed insurgents. However, our perception reflects little reality. Tribal societies are socially advanced and were economically self sufficient till modernity touched them. Social, economic indifference and apathy of New Delhi is the real problem today.
Successive Indian governments have been looking at NE India largely through the strategic lenses. Even this, we have not done with sincerity. As told by the friend, to save a road along the Indo-Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh during the 1962 war, an entire battalion of Indian army sacrificed their lives by fighting bare handed after running out of ammunition. That road to this date is muddy and uncared for. The McMohan line between India and China is not accepted by China till date. Further, the confusion over Line of Actual Control (LAC) on unending mountain ranges and forests leaves the basic issues of livelihood and human rights in absolute darkness. The draconian Armed Forces Special Provisions Act (AFSPA), lack of accountability for the actions of para military forces (ITBP and Assam Rifles) all stoke insurgency and even worse, public support for the insurgents.
Pre independence, the tribal economies of NE India flourished by trading forest products through the Chittagong port. Even today, Chittagong and surrounding areas have a considerable population of merchants of NE India. However when partition took this port away, India failed to make an alternate arrangement rendering NE India land locked and thereby cutting off a major source of income for the tribes. At the same time, she spent her energy to develop the Kandla port in the rich Gujarat to compensate for the loss of Karachi to Pakistan even when the Bombay port was not too far. Sixty-three years later, NE India still suffers with poor connectivity to Kolkata - the nearest port. India after the 1962 war, also closed all traditional trading routes with China on the high mountain ranges. Other than this, countries like Thailand and Myanmar could be accessed directly from Arunachal Pradesh or Mizoram. But India, being paranoid about security, has forbid any such connectivity and forces her people to travel all the way to Kolkata to get connected to Bangkok or Yangon. While the NE Indian states have no idea of the shining new India, things are very different when viewed at China across the border. They have built a high speed train network, an international airport and world class highways to areas not very far from the Indian border. The economically crippled Indians are left gasping at their well off distant relatives across the border.
When mainland India was reorganized as states on linguistic basis, borders of NE Indian states were drawn for administrative convenience or strategic purposes. Some states like Arunachal Pradesh or Meghalaya got Sanskrit names which have no relevance whatsoever for the non hindu tribes. The latest example of social indifference is the caste census. When the tribals are enumerated for census 2011, they must now be fit into the infamous hindu caste structure. Every tribe has its own distinct religion and yet there is no provision for categorizing them as religious minorities. Eventually, they would be grouped together as Scheduled tribes and placed at the flag end of the caste hierarchy. This blindness towards an advanced social system hurts. Post independence, Hindi language was given constitutional protection, its urdu loan words removed and forgotten sanskrit words reintroduced. However, rich tribal languages some of which are living since several millenniums have been comfortably ignored. The content of today's run of the mill national news channels hardly cover anything beyond Delhi and Mumbai, leaving people in the mainland ignorant of the cultural diversity of India.
It is high time that we define India in no uncertain terms. We must also go ahead and realise that there is much more that can be done towards national security beyond AFSPA and pumping in funds that never reach the targeted beneficiaries. India is not Hindustan. An Indian is not a hindu and he doesnt speak hindi. India is a blossom bed where flowers of every colour and fragrance are found. The Indian identity is characterized by composite values and virtues. Indians are peaceful, inviting people who would appreciate the richness of any language they hear or any culture they come across. Happy Independence day!!
