Delhi has been home to various communities of people since its inception and has set a good example of a capital city for a multicultural country. There has been mass immigration of people and thus leading to demographic changes in Delhi. It is a well known and accepted fact that the region of north east comprising of seven states, now eight, have different cultures and histories which are very much different from the other parts of the country. Starting from the food habits to dressing sense, the lifestyle has been poles apart from rest of the region of the Indian society. When the migration of the people from these eight states which, within themselves, have various differences on the basis of language, religion and so on takes place, they at times find difficult to mingle with other sections of the population ofmainlandIndia. Maybe because of the communication gap that has been existing since many years now, or maybe the conflicts that have been taking place in most places of north east and thus developing a common stereotype amongst the people of the rest parts of the country that every part of the north eastern region isdangerousand still living in the stone age era. The migration to places like Delhi and other cities has been primarily because of the war like situation that has been prevalent in almost the entire region, thanks to the Indian state and its biased policies and the deeds of various insurgent/extremist groups of the region.However, Delhi is not the only place where people of the north east region face discrimination. In Places like Bangalore, down to the southern corner of the country, are also some of the many places where discrimination exists (though the magnitude of discrimination is not as much as it is in Delhi). On the flip-side, one should not presume that discrimination does not exists in the states of north east which are basically inhabited by tribes. A north Indian travelling to north east will be tagged as abihari(in a negative sense) even though he/she belongs to other ethnicity. Or the assumption that everyone coming from south India is aMadrasiignoring the fact that there exist various other ethnic groups and languages. The sole purpose of pointing out these nicknames that have been existing is that we have forgotten and ignored the differences that exists and went on generalizing.An individual/family brought up in a milieu where one spends many hours of the day in engaging with stupid superstitious believes, lesser exposure and irrational thinking mostly swayed by emotions, rather ignorant about others, finds difficulty in accepting someone who according to them does not follow thebharatiya Sanskriti.Hair style and dressing generally make the conservative lot of people to develop an opinion that they arebadpeople. While drinking wine in North Indian territory has mostlybeen a sin, drinking traditional wine/beer in some parts of the North Eastern region has been a culture and tradition.Candle light vigils, going out in the streets, taking out protests marches from Jantar Mantar to Parliament, organizing debates seminars and intellectual discourses wont solve these problems and change the psyche of the people in general. Problems will start declining only when we spread the ideas of our discourses from class rooms and seminar rooms to the fields, into the society, where such developments take place. Simply condemning the racists wont help solve the problem. One has to see how one is educated to perceive the world around him/her so that it can be made into a better place to live in.Problems will be solved only when people start recognizing differences and become tolerant. Recognition is vital for human existence, which otherwise leads to social exclusion of any group/community of people. When the message will be sent to the masses about various unknown differences that already exists in the country, people will start realizing the beauty of a diverse society. A great initiative to end this disjuncture of knowledge would be by introducing more information about the North Eastern region or the southern region, or any other regions which have been ignored since years, into the curriculum of state education boards and other central educational boards, especially NCERT books. Let us not only confine Indian history to the Mughals history. And the government (both state and center) should be more inclusive while coming up and implementing policies which do not create a sense of hatred and alienation of the people. On a closing note, I remember Mandelas wordseducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the worldand hence, I say, I still have faith in the human race.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Billed as the first kind of discussion organized regarding the racial discrimination of the North East people by mainland Indians, JSCC maintained that many more of such discussion programmes will be organised to voice the atrocities faced by the people of the North East people.Speaking at the occasion, social activist Dr. Dhanabir Laishram stated that racial discrimination on the North Easterners is not a new subject, but the issue has been there since times immemorial. The reason for the discrimination, according to him is based on many factors at which the North Eastern India region falls short as compared to the mainland.Lack of basic need infrastructures in the North East makes the most important factor for its setback, according to Dr Dhanabir Laishram. Moreover, lack of proper schools, colleges and learning institutions resulting to stagnation in education sector and other developments are the elements hampering the development of the north eastern regions, he said.Dhanabir also stated that due to lack of educational infrastructure and facilities, students from north east leave for Delhi and other mainland regions for attaining college degrees and jobs. The students community and job seekers always feel insecure about their stays in the capital and are prone to many forms of racial attack and discrimination, Dr Dhanabir Laishram added.Many eminent personalities and academicians took part in today`s event including Ningthouja Lancha, editor, Kangla Lanpung, Homen Thangjam, assistant professor, Maharaj Bodhachandra College, Arambam Noni, assiatant professor, Moirang College, Dr. Baja Kumar, principal D. M. Colege of Commerce, Nongthombam Boby, Centre for Myanmar Studies, Manipur University (MU), research scholar of JNU, Gunamani and Kumarchand, HOD Statistics department, MU. Arambam Lokendra.nam

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST NORTH EAST WOMEN IN INDIAPosted OnApril 26, 2011by &filed underLegal Articles.

The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it. ~Joseph Conrad,(Heart of Darkness)Racism can never be justified. Yet we in our own country are insulated from the reality; not aware that there is one part of our country which, in addition to being victimised through socio-economic unrest, insurgent problems and political issues has become a target to one of the earliest forms of discrimination- RACISM.Racism has been defined by theUnited Nationsas: any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life[1]. Recognition and Redressal being the essentials; it is in this context that the discrimination meted out to the North East people in our country needs to be recognised. Only when a problem is named can the situation be addressed.Racism has three main elements i) a vision that society is composed of inherently different groups, ii) a delusional belief that due to the persistence and mutation of the race, people are different and should not interact and iii) this difference is what becomes into a programme of political action[2]. There is ofcourse no theory till date (hopefully would not be in the future) which can justify Racism on people outside a country but it is hard to believe that people within India are meted with such inhuman treatment and still no one bats an eyelid.India is home to various cultures, ethnic groups and this is not something which the people of our country are unaware of. Over centuries, India has always been looked up as to a civilisation which has borne the pressure of multi-everything. Historically the north east was never part of mainland India[3]. There were hues and cries for self-determination which were unheard thus consequently the people (of the Mongoloid Stock) in the North East were then officially perceived as primitives or in isolation[4]and this perception has, unfortunately not changed. There is widespread discrimination against North east people (women being the soft targets) especially in Delhi but the tragic part of the story being that this infection has spread to various parts of our country, with cities like Bangalore, Chennai also being part to the utter disgrace.The Challenge of EqualityIn India the need for an egalitarian society has been since forever which has generated many legal scholars, laws, legal institutions yet the dream of an ideal equal society is delusional and impossible in a society which is characterised by inequality. Countries have been drafting their Constitutions guaranteeing equality and non-discrimination nevertheless the scourge of inequalities continues to persist. Tolerance has been stated to be the answer to all questions concerning inequality but this tolerance has taken the form of segregation, subjugation and exploitation[5].The construction of our constitution in this regard has been very interesting as in the last sixty years the scheme of the constitution has been to avoid caste-based and gender-based discrimination.India has had to suffer more through the hands of caste based discrimination, racism being a global phenomenon[6]. Inspite of having adopted the UN Conventions for over fifty years, incidence of racial discrimination, exploitation of marginalised groups are on a rise[7]. This just makes any right to an equal life without discrimination at a macro level, a myth[8]. The end of Apartheid is just the beginning of a surge against the various forms of racial abuse.The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was the first body created by the UN to review the measures taken by the member states to eliminate racial discrimination[9]. The reports submitted by India have always been in relation to steps taken to remove discrimination against Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes. Indian government has always been pro-active in determining the rights of people against racial discrimination not only in South Africa but also of Asian races in the US but now it is time clean our home.A VIEW OF RACISM THROUGH THE GENDER LENSThe culture in the North East is in stark contrast to the culture which is prevalent in the mainland. North East has always been advanced in the sense of providing equal freedom to the women of the region. Women here have always enjoyed greater mobility and visibility as compared to any part of the country. There have been very less number of cases reported of dowry death or of any kind of exploitation of women. The picture of equity has been prevalent in the society, infact this region has no element of social marginalization despite having small tribal groups. It would not be going overboard by saying that it is one of the few places in India which can claim to be on the path of an Egalitarian society.The problem only comes into picture when the people migrate to the mainland due to a number of pull and push factors. The North East region has been subjected to a number of developmental problems[10]; the terrain makes it almost impossible for any infrastructural growth, there is lack of educational and employment oppurtunities, insurgency has made life a living nightmare for the locals and the most important part- there is a two-way deficit of understanding between the mainland and the North East Region[11], which is the sole reason for the discrimination faced by the north eastern women when they migrate to Indian cities.The mindset of people caters to various prejudices prevalent in the society. Woman has always been treated as an object of gratification, a possession, a property incapable of reason and responsibility. We have all contributed to the sex stereotyping of roles assigned to the women be it in the biological or sociological sense. These stigmas are deeply rooted especially in our society[12]. When North Eastern women are subjected to racial humiliation and exploitation, they are victims ofDiscrimination within Discrimination[13].The suffering of a woman soaked in racial exploitation is the curse these women from the North East constantly face.HOW DOES INDIA TREAT ITS NORTH EAST WOMENA recent gang-rape case of a Mizo girl in the countrys capital left everyone in a state of shock and embarrassment. This ofcourse is not the first or last of the incidents of racial discrimination meted out to the women from North East, infact their miserable plight is slowly becoming the bitter hidden truth which was never realised. North East women are the prime example of an ethnic minority who inspite of being in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society are the victims of marginalisation and alienation from the mainstream[14].New Delhi, very infamously known as the Rape Capital of India, has one more feather in its hat. Although being the leading city in the country, it also leads in discriminating the so called Chinkis. There has been a large amount of migration of people from the hills to metros like Delhi (Mumbai, Bangalore and other big cities included) in pursuit of higher education, jobs, better living standards as life back in the hills has never been a simple affair with socio-economic unrest, insurgency, lack of infrastructure[15]. These push-factors are ofcourse a result of the incompetency of the government but this problem can for the meantime wait.Research study conducted by North East Support Centre and Helpline[16](NESCH) reveals that seventy eight out of every hundred North East people face racial discrimination, sexual attacks against women, human trafficking and violence in Delhi[17]. India has heard of caste discrimination but the racist attacks belong to the newer generation. The root cause of such discrimination is nothing but Social/Racial Profiling[18]. North East womens colour, facial features are very different from the people in other states (thanks to their Mongoloid origin) and they become objects to frown upon. Inspite of there being a lot of initiatives and legal intervention to curb racial discrimination, it has percolated through the society. The challenges faced by the North East women like sexual assault, racial/social profiling has been due to various causes.Time and again such discrimination has been alleged to have been a consequence of the open culture of the North Eastern communities, this leads to believing that women from North East due to their looks, their dressing sense, their attitude are easy[19]. This makes the girls very vulnerable in the eyes of perpetrators. This is a very psychological approach where once the opinion is formed upon ones appearances, culture and levelling the community as being inferior, now once the social profile of a community is formed ones social, economic or professional status does not matter at all and the community becomes the victim of discrimination.Social profiling is a reflection of the caste systemThe cultural difference between the North Eastern Region and the Indian mainland is not a secret; both have to be equally blamed for the failure to integrate. Women from the North East women come from a free culture where they do enjoy equal oppurtunities which is different from the mainline socio-cultural setup thus they are considered as outsiders polluting the existing mainland culture.The North Eastern women coming from the Mongoloid stocks do not fall within the four caste hierarchies, and as Indian society always looks upon them from the caste perspective[20], they are considered as outcaste. Being a woman has always been hard in a male dominated society, thus the North Eastern women who are never considered a part of the larger society, subjected to racial and sexual discrimination, this is nothing but a reflection of the deep-rooted caste system[21].Challenges of Human TraffickingHuman Trafficking has been recognised as the largest organised crime worldwide, this epidemic has strong foothold even in the Indian context. Most often than not, the victims of such gross human violations have been women and children from socio-economically background. The life and challenges of social/racial profiling has manifested to a different level altogether by young North Eastern women being the new found targets[22]. Due to the unrest in the North Eastern Region, the young women who are discriminated in the society have become the victims to the false promises of the traffickers[23]. Tackling such human rights violation will be a much more daunting task in addition to racial discrimination and sexual exploitation.Police InactivenessThe police accountability is especially low in cases of racial discrimination; problem starts with not registering the incident itself, in case where incidents are registered the inactiveness of police to take affirmative action adds to the vulnerability of the North Eastern Women. The women are double wounded, first to deal with the humiliation, and to add to ones miseries the police intentionally ignores, denies or delays the registration of complaint. According to a report of the NGO, North East Support Centre and Helpline,almost 64% of the cases are not registered in the first place and out the ones where a FIR is filed only in 11% of the cases action was taken by the police to arrest the culprits[24].Instead of tackling the situation with the powers conferred upon them, Delhi Police recently released a booklet, Tips of Dos and Donts for north east communities in Delhi[25] which basically is asking the citizens of the country to behave differently in their own country!RESPONSE TO RACIAL DISCRIMINATIONIt is a well established fact that in our country racial discrimination is a pure reflection of Indian caste system[26]. Racism generates particular mistrust and alienation; within societies like ours where there are other evils, it becomes particularly difficult to react to discrimination as the effect is evident but the cause is hard to prove. The state can provide the society with a number of public education programmes, can notify sophisticated legislations but the problem can never be solved unless the perception, the mindset of a common man is addressed. Rules do exist but we might probably respect the letter of the law but never its intention. Too often, anti-discrimination legislations lack enforcement, when enforced the value of racial equality are not internalised. As a result of this cycle people do not mobilise in their defenceNorth Eastern women becoming soft targets is part of the larger challenges faced by the Indian society today. The discrimination to these women is a violation of their constitutional rights which needs to be addressed before it becomes too late. The solution to the crisis that we are faced with is not with any special legislation or law enforcement mechanism. There are infact a number of declarations, conferences and laws banning racism but the problem is the pervasive disrespect; the problem is social and not legal.ARE WE OVER-REACTINGIt is a debateable issue as to whether the discrimination is towards women in general or the north eastern women in particular. As we have established the problem of the discrimination is rooted in the mental element of people in the mainland face. There has always been the two-way deficit of understanding between the mainland and the north eastern region. By publishing the booklet which asks the North Eastern women to behave accordingly, the Delhi police has actually brought into the aspect of infringement of Right to freedom. The culture of the North Eastern people is questioned; the women are blamed because of their dressing sense for the exploitation that they suffer from. The feeling of colonial internalisation and alienation is well set within every North Eastern. Their behaviour also in cases adds to the problem. They at times do not mingle well with the society as such, they prefer to restrict their social lives well within their people but one cannot blame them for such indifferent behaviour as such isolation is way better than being victims of racist comments, violence and sexual exploitationNow giving an analogy of another minority, the Parsees; they as a community were far more westernised, their culture was way different from that of the mainland. They were known for maintaining distance with the society, married within their own community. Yet the women from this community were treated no differently. Was it because the Parsees belonged to a community which was economically better off or because they adopted Gujarati ( a mainland language) as their mother tongue or because they could merge with the mainstream Indian look; and why then are the North Eastern women the target of racism, they infact are from India( as opposed to Parsees being from Iran). Why then is the culture of North Eastern women a cause for their discrimination? There are and sometime always will remain some unanswered questions.This discrimination is because there is still a large group of people in India who are ignorant enough to say that how can so many ethnic minorities exist in one country. The North Eastern States were never part of our country until post independence, their history and development are virtually unattached to the rest of India[27]. It is just a matter of education, of bringing the problem to awareness and attention that is most instrumental in propelling social changes for the better.DISCRIMINATION THAT MUST BE CAST AWAYIn the problem of racism, the losers are frequently members of ethnic groups whose vulnerability results from a history of oppression, discrimination and exploitation. Racism has impoverished the North Eastern women to such a level that they are deprived in terms of their capabilities. Every single North Eastern woman has been socially deprived of a free society in her own country. Such poverty and social disadvantage are the evidence to confirm and sometimes justify the racial prejudices and discriminatory practices of the dominant group[28]. Let us go into the depth of the crisis that we are faced here with.The construction of the self and the other is borrowed from vague notions of race and ethnicity; it determines the culture of the dominant group as being the self, where deviance is treated as inappropriate, the deviant thus subjected to various kinds of exploitation[29]. This situation gives rise to new vectors of inequality, such settings of a society where the other is relegated to social peripheries misperceptions are bound to grow.Ethnicity itself is a discourse ofDomination,the distinction between nation and ethnicity being tenuous. Any form of ethnic mobilisation is often the reaction to the imposition of a dominant culture or discriminatory treatment[30]. Let us for once assume that cultural differences are not problematicper se, and then the main factor which needs to be considered is how it interacts or intersects with power dynamics. The crisis we are dealing with is a classic example ofDomination within domination[31].The women are victims of subjugation by the male dominated society, exploitation being the members of a ethnic minority and are also at the receiving end of the stereotyping.The universilisation of a dominant groups culture becomes the norm and everything else is rubbished or is defined as being infeiror. The discrimination against North Eastern women occurs through subtle mechanisms; referring to them as Chinkis, passing lewd comments, restraint on entering social places[32]; in such cases racism is often difficult to detect, it is also difficult to ascertain in courts that the discrimination occurs, this is also compounded by the fact that in many cases there is a lack of reliable information and racial data which makes it nearly impossible to determine whether racial discrimination exists or not.The North Eastern woman besides looking different has many other factors which mark her as being a deviant. The perceived morals of the other as being fast or loose and the stigma attached with such perceptions triggers racist attacks, misunderstood by people as an indication of the poor character of these women. Feminine modesty is one thing our countrys culture does not compromise upon, it also brings along itself a social distance from men[33]. When such boundaries are crossed one becomes a victim of severe social scrutiny. Thus the North Eastern woman is seen as being the most vulnerable, unprotected targets for the inhuman forms of exploitation. The problem of exploitation of women due to racial difference is social and not just biological[34]. Human Decency is what determines the fairness towards other social groups and this decency is what a culturally conditioned attitude of mind is. Whatever differences may exist between people, however concrete these differences may be, the willingness to understand those differences and to act upon them sympathetically ought to increase; it is not something a legal intervention can provide for.Since race prejudice rests on false premises, it is somehow always rationalized. People subjecting the North Eastern women to racial exploitation in various forms justify their behaviour by blaming these women for their vulnerability. The semi-awareness of the real nature of the problem, the rationalization is never regarded as the expression of prejudice but as an explanation of the discriminatory behaviour. The irony of ironies being that few of such rationalisers are aware that their reasons are simply devices for concealing their antipathies.The very injustice of such cultural domination and prejudice is the identity crisis which the North Eastern women face. They are faced with the dilemma of either identifying themselves, interpreting their social life in the light of experience, attitude and behaviour of the dominant group so as to be accepted or to be identified as belonging to the other or inferior group and thus being subjected to gross human rights violations. The need of the hour is to recognize that such discrimination is the problem. In our country for any problem to be redressed, the problem needs to be named, only then can it be tackled; recognizing the identity of North Eastern women and providing them with equal oppurtunities so as to achieve what all the societies of the world have been aiming for, acceleration ofde factoequality.All Indians are downright racist. Don't cha agree?All right, wait. First things first.Let's not pretend that there is no distinguished categories of what we refer to as"North East"Indiaand"Mainland"India. After all there are predominantly two views of the North East viz. outsider's and insider's view. Because let's face it - the ongoing discrimination against the people hailing from India's north-eastern states in the capital city of Delhi has taken a deadly turn and statistics provide a disappointing testimony to it. This is one of the many realities that is rendered invisible and is also misrepresented by the mainstream media. Haokip (2011), a scholar, further makes an observation on the issue and states that,"It is true that the northeastern region shares certain common problems like ethnic unrests, insurgency, immigration, drug trafficking, communication gap etc. however, there are severe intra-regional differences in social issues and ethno-political aspirations."Why the racist angle?Casual racism, like referring to someone belonging to north-eastern India as 'Chinky' owing to their distinct Mongoloid features, is sadly commonplace. Starting from Nido Taniam's death in January this year to the more recent mysterious death of Kashung Zingran Kengoo in November, a PhD scholar from TISS residing in south Delhi, such unfortunate incidents have only kept recurring in India's capital city. Until 21st November, 2014 the establishedHelpline number 1093received 872 calls out of which an alarming666were crime-related (Source: North East Students Society (NESS) Delhi University) - what all these victims had in common is the region they belonged to.Loud and clear.

Let's draw a parallel to illustrate this better. For instance, just as the West exerts its superior culture over the East, if we look closely this 'Self' and 'Other' binary is applicable to the current Indian scenario as well. What is embarrassing is here, India discriminates against its own countrymen by marginalizing the North East Region, therebyotheringit. The very use of the term "Northeast" is problematic. Such clubbing together of the entire region into a single entity is one of the root causes of generalizations that it is subjected to and the stereotypes that arise thereafter. To examine this issue through the lens of culture, it seems like a battle-field of perceptions.The Indians : Every "small-eyed" person is a North-easterner.No matter, which state of North-East India one belongs to, the so-called "mainland" India perceives them as a North-easterner. But what is referred to as North-East is not one single state. Actually, it's not a state at all. It's a geographical location. Period. 'Sluts' and 'Whores'.Viewing tribal women as morally loose and easily available is only a reflection of one's own mentality. Wanna be stoned by feminists all around the world? Yeah, thought so. 'Barbaric' and 'Uncivilized'.The accepted notion of the tribal people of the region as uncultured and being 'dog-eaters', 'pig-eaters'. One shouldnt be surprised about it in a country where the kind of meat one eats decides which religion one practices. Does that ring a bell? Land of terrorists.Oh, the North-East? It's a jungle. Well, have you been to the North-East? Of course not, it's too risky. "NE people's Hindi is funny."Certainly not true. Some speak well, some don't. Before concluding thus, one should better know how many languages (and dialects) a person from North-East India juggles with. Once one gets to the fact of the matter, one would preferably keep their mouth shut. Or better still, be at the receiving end ofdesislangs. Surprise, surprise! Chinky, "Nepali", Backward people.Enough already! Yes, a whole region, comprising of eight different states of India, is lagging behind but what are we doing about it? Oh, being sly and racist helps? Zero general knowledge!This is not an exaggeration, mind it. There is a general lack of awareness as well as interest. After all, what's the needto learn about a crucial (read strategic) region of the country?But here's something that every proud Indian knows (precisely the only thing one cares to know) about the North-East India:I hope, dear reader, that you recognize what and where this is from.

The 'Other' Indians : Who am 'I'?With the spatial shift from one's home-state to Delhi, a person belonging to the northeastern region of India undergoes an identity crisis, to put it subtly. Hindi aata hai? Bhai, tera kya jata hai?Well, the language barrier is one issue that needs to be tackled with. News Flash: Hindi can be learnt, just like any other language and one definitely needs it as a survival strategy, at a new place, miles away from home. Cultural conflicts.Be it one's distinct looks, the colour of their skin, personalities or even the kind of food one eats there's a clash at multiple levels. Holding on too firmly to one's own traditional values and identities might not be the smartest move. How about -When in Rome do as the Romans do?It's easy. Eat Rajma Chawal. Sense of insecurity.The constant unfair treatments of Northeast people as foreigners and "outsiders" and repeated brutal attacks have escalated the feelings of alienation to the mainstream India. Can one blame them alone for feeling insecure? Second-class citizens.Troubled by separatist conflict, military presence and chronic underdevelopment. Suppression of political aspirations of the Northeast people is also another evidence of racial discrimination. No sincere approach to solve the decades-old conflicts prevailing in the region by the Government of India has only aggravated the problem.Instead, in the name of counter-insurgency in the region draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), 1958 and other inhuman laws imposed on its own citizen, as if to violate one's right to live. 'Rape Capital' - Delhi.The horror of it!New Delhi also tops the charts as it is reported to be the most intolerant city towards women from North East India at a staggering rate of 81% of women respondents facing racial discrimination. It can surely be agreed upon that crimes can happen anywhere, and to anyone (our country isthatsafe!) and treating every case from a racial angle would not be the right approach;but try as one might, nothing changes the harsh reality of it. Unless Delhi becomes safe for each citizen, and the country at large as well, this is the image one would take to his/her grave.Dare to disagree?

Need of the hour?As is quite apparent, there is no need to question where my loyalty lies. But here's the twist. In my heart of hearts, I want those walls that divide the "us" and "they" to fall apart and burn in hell. While one can keep wondering when things would change at a policy level, what needs to change first, is our perspective. You and I need to re-create the image of what being an Indian really means. The effort must always be mutual.Every Indian must have believed in the sanctity of the following words:"India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters."We don't practice what we preach, do we?For all I know, an Indian identity doesn't lie in one's facial features. We, the youth of today, need to realize the importance of aninclusivesociety. To look beyond our differences and accept each individual for who they are; to connect on a human-to-human level is the need of the hour. Every Indian takes pride in itsmulticulturalism. But if one still tries to deprive a group of people of their ethnic cultural identity, pay better attention, silly.What needs to be kept in mind is that the North East Region (NER) of India has a sensitive geopolitical location and more importantly, each of the states have their own historical backgrounds. Why should geographical isolation translate into social and cultural alienation? Specially, when the consequences lead to a lack of patriotism or a lack of sense of belongingness to the nation in their countrymen and women.Need change? Create it. Yes, that's the mantra to live by. Look within, breakthrough the shackles of our minds, inculcate a sense of toleration and give up our pre-conceived notions.Rome wasn't built in a day -same applies to mind-sets.Easier said than done? Well, I choose to differ.