Addendum to 'What Lies behind the Racial Discrimination in Mainland India'

Usham Tomba *

Rally against Racial Discrimination on NE at Delhi on 29th Dec 2008 :: Pix - Malem Ningthouja (MSAD)

Read the original first part article on What Lies behind the Racial Discrimination in Mainland India

When I sent my humble write called "What Lies behind the Racial Discrimination in Mainland India" to The Sangai Express for its 22/04/2012 edition, I had my moments of doubt.

There were two main reasons for the same. Firstly, the language used seemed too frank for everybody's taste. Secondly, I realized one particular line in it, "...the population of their counterpart Indian CSW's (Commercial Sex Workers) is more than the whole population of Nepal put together" should have rather been "...the population of their counterpart Indian CSW's (Commercial Sex Workers) is more than those from Nepal all put together". It was and is still regretted.

But, in spite of some attempts, the turn of events saw my article finally glaring at me from my laptop screen the next morning. Well, that has now been history. It was an intricate topic indeed.

When one talks on racial discrimination, a certain amount of emotional repulsion and frustration is expected. In fact, it is an ugly malady that threatens the very beauty of unity in any multicultural country like India at large or a state like Manipur in particular. It necessitates efforts to bring it to the mass as it is- as ugly as it is and as bitter and touching as it is- without any candy floss. Again, only the one who has faced and experienced its ugly face will understand the degree of this insult. Be it to the mainland Indian student discriminated in Australia or the North Eastern Indian facing discrimination in the mainland or the mainlanders in the North East it would have been a blatant injustice to present that issue with anything less frank.

The said article was directed at the disease, but not at those diseased. It was rather a humble effort to put down in black and white the degree of this injustice and to communicate the feelings of the victims as plain as possible as experienced in flesh and blood with an aim to reduce the malady if at all unable to do away with it completely.

On the other hand, there seems to be only a very fine line separating the idea to be against racism and to be a racist himself. In fact, when a particular person expressed about the need to prove our superiority in areas where we can excel in, one can surely ask why not rather be equals instead of being superiors, or inferiors for that matter. Is not racism a by-product of a false superiority complex? Rather, don't we need equals to work together side by side? But ironically, developing on areas of one's individual strength is the teaching that is professed in educational institutions to our youths.

While there is no dearth of biased people in the mainland, there also are plenty of decent lots too. While the few bad apples spoil the whole basket giving a collective bad name, the decent few actually deserve appreciation. I am sure every one of us must have been lucky enough to come across at least a few. I wish they were more in number.

Again, the land that feeds and provides the air we breathe will not be fair to blame. Interestingly again, even among the North Eastern people ourselves, and Meiteis to be particular, one particular line commonly used is ,"Eikhoi Meitei machaagi hounabi". This points to our need to introspect and to the volume of challenges we need to work on before pointing our fingers at anyone else.

Things would have been much better if the mainland Indians who rue at the ways they are treated in Australia also keep in mind what the North East Indians feel in the mainland and about its people and the North East Indians who talk about the malice in the mainland spare a moment and ponder on the plights of the mainlanders and other North East Indian tribes in the state who in turn will do good to keep a tab on their actions which cause insecurity and suspicion among the different tribes in the state in particular and the nation at large. This sensibility is one manna to many a social malady of our time.

Talking of sensibility, I feel this should rather be called the third eye. It opens up a whole new vista to life. Take for instance the pot bellied, tall and dark long moustached Indian who looks just like straight out of Lanka in Ramayana TV serial or the boxer and T-shirt clad, short North East Indian man in a chappal, there exists a common thread eternally connecting the two beings. Each is a loving son of someone, could be a respectable brother of a little girl or a trusted friend of one of us. Above all, each is a human being struggling and shouldering his share of responsibility like we all do. Discrimination is the last thing on earth they deserve.

Reiterating on the idea of tolerance, it is not hard to see that this world we share is full of differences. Some people like tea while others like coffee, some countries teach to drive on the right side of the road while others on the left, some people like white while some others like black or gray. Who has any option other than tolerance for peaceful co-existence, and respect of the differences if we take one step further? Tolerance can do magic. But still, isn't it fair to let the offenders realize when it comes to the level of senseless discrimination, be it in the mainland or in our own state? Won't remaining silent amount to shying away from the issue?

In fact, we need to speak out loud to build this sensibility while at the same time not neglecting on our efforts on improvement to build self respect and to understand what is right and what is wrong. We need to shout out loud that we also feel, that it pains when we get hurt, we bleed when we get cut and we have our sense of love and affection intact as much as our liability to frustration just like the way they do as everyone else on the surface of this blue planet (even those on space expedition included!).