Citizenship questioned : A foreigner in one's own country

Roluahpuia *

Jamia Students protesting against racism towards NE students on 28 October 2009 :: Pix - Ibomacha Oinam

The notion of one's belongingness to a particular country is determined by one's citizenship. Citizenship in India can be attained in various ways, viz. by birth, descent, registration, naturalization, and so on. To simply put it, citizenship is related to legal aspects of an individual's relation to the State. This resulted in the sense of 'belonging' to a particular country, in this case India. We will not go deep into the formal legal procedures or the bureaucratic process to how citizenship status can be accorded to an individual in this paper since the focus of the paper is related more to people who are from a region commonly known as 'North-East'.

In modern nation-state, an individual's relationship with the State is seen in the context of one's citizenship. This citizenship gives an individual certain rights, privileges and protection as well. On the other hand, the very individuals are expected to abide by the certain laws or have duties to fulfill for being a citizen. Thus, it is a two way process, as on the one hand it gives rights while on the other, it comes with responsibilities.

In this paper, I will look into the experience of the Northeasterners, particularly the challenges they faced in relation to discrimination, particularly in metropolitan cities of our county which all are the outcome of their racial difference they have in relation to the larger society or mainland Indians. I am here not trying to pontificate about the issue, rather, my attempt here is to highlight the impact such remarks can have upon the people of the region themselves. The sense of feeling that one must speak up as one hailing from the region comes from being as a result of the pressure from outside as well as from inside.

As a person from the region itself, one is not surprised if one comes across people, young or old, educated or uneducated to shout at them 'Nepali', 'Chinky' or whatever other remarks they know of them. Both are racialised terms as it is their racial attributes which led them to be called as 'Nepali' or 'Chinky'. May be those who gave such remarks resemble them with Nepalis or Chinese. But, does that suffice the reason to why they should be called as a 'Nepali' or 'Chinky' when both the terms denotes to foreigners? Does this imply that all the white races are from United States?

In the same line, are all legal citizens of the United States racially white? I don't need to give answer to this question. What this implies is that there are certain ways and characteristics beyond the legal realm through which citizenship is understood in the public discourse. However, interestingly, in places such as malls, restaurants, etc. they are seen to be from countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and even at times, Australia. From here, one can concludes that yes, nowhere are they accepted as citizens of India and the region they hail from as to be a part of India. This is because such treatment amounts to the denial of being a citizen of the country.

Incidents ranging from racist remarks to physical assault, from brutal crimes such as rape to murder, are continuing and increasingly taking place against them. As much as the streets are discriminatory, the centers of learning are also not free from it. There is a sense of stereotypical image that have been constructed against the people of the region. This is because those of who are aware about the region have chosen to know only the conflict aspects or at times, media brings only news of conflict, strikes, etc. to the mainland readers as well as viewers.

Thus, the region is known in the public realm or portrayed as a dystpoic region, and thus, the very term 'Northeast' is denoted with violent zones. The matter becomes worst when the state agents including the right holders and protectors become a part of the discriminatory agent themselves. Endless voice and grievances are being known from time to time as to how government machinery such as police are unwilling to support them or file an FIR, etc.

The outcome of such process is that differences are not accepted in this country which time and again proudly hails of being a country with diverse communities. This diversity founds its expression in the 'Incredible India', 'Unity in Diversity' and much are proud to tell the beauty of the country in terms of its culture, customs and traditions (both rigid and secular), food habits, dress, etc. Yet, for the people of the region this has not been the case so far.

The difference they have in terms of racial looks, food habits, dress, etc. are not respected and under such circumstances, they are treated as aliens in their own country. This reduces to the idea that Indians only dress in a particular way or have particular food habits. Sometimes one comes across remarks and comments where the people of the region are eating 'everything'. The question of 'unity in diversity' has no place and relevance to them. This rejection of their culture and their rival's way of living amounts to the non-regarding of them as citizens of India.

The problem can be more or the list can be longer than this. Yet, it is impossible to look into all the problems and challenges the people of the region continue to face in their own country. The treatment of the people as being from 'foreign lands' and the continuing racist remarks they continue to face have thrown back many issues, which are deep rooted. They are deep rooted because they are dubbed as alien or made alien in their own country which further reinforces a fear psychosis in the minds of the people.

What follows this is the feeling of alienation. This feeling of alienation is in contrast to the feeling of alienation which were articulated for the reasons of problems in the region such as secessionism. What is contrasting is that such feelings of alienation were felt and experienced at home, while this is experienced outside, i.e. most commonly in metro cities including our national capital. The racial bigotry and prejudices they face has alienated them from the larger society. They are constantly made to feel alienated as they are continually forced to realize their difference in terms of race, culture, dress, food habits, etc. In other words, they are made to feel alienated, forced to think differently and be different. However, when they do so, they are victimized repeatedly with labels such as 'anti-Indian', or 'anti-nationalist'. They in this process become gradually denationalized.

In the meanwhile, a sense of fear and insecurity develops among the people so much so that many of them prefer to live in places where there are large concentrations of the people. In metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, etc. one find places where the people from all walks of life are residing in particular localities or spaces. What this implies is that there is a process of ghettoization of the living spaces of the people. In other words, ghettoization is evidently taking place among the people of the communities. This implies to how they have isolated themselves as such spaces to them are safer and preferable than other locations. As it is known, ghettoes are always the home of communities who are economically poor or who may be discriminated on the ground of religion, color, caste, etc.

Presently, anyone from the North East who has stepped out of the region for different reasons has had a taste of racial prejudices. This seriousness of the problems lies in the fact that these racial prejudices have challenged their citizenship rights and the very essence of being a citizen of the country. It also further puts into question the law of the land which aims to promote 'fraternity and brotherhood' which is given in the Preamble of the Constitution itself. It shows how this is a part of disrespecting the Constitution while on the other hand, it is also implies to how the State has failed them.

This takes us to the point where the problem of the Northeast can no longer be taken or considered as a regional problem. It cannot be looked upon as an isolated problem which needs to be tackled in the region itself nor is it sufficed to always look upon the region as a peripheral region when it is not. If they are harassed and assaulted in their own land by the armed forces, the same is perpetuated by the public in mainland India.

When I say the public, I am using it in a broader sense of the term which includes a man working in the street to one sitting in AC room. Under such circumstances, it is an uphill task to be at peace at the same time while on the other it is a difficult task to be a citizen of India under such circumstances when one's citizenship is repeatedly put under question, both by state and non-state actors. This all makes difficult for one to identify oneself as 'Indian' or feel proud to be an 'Indian'. To them, 'Bharat' cannot just be 'Mahaan'.

By way of ending, during childhood days in school, we used to recite the pledge of our school every morning without any hesitant that 'India is my country; All Indians are my brothers and sisters'. Many of us have sung the national anthem without realizing that we don't have a place in it. Lastly, as long as this problem is perpetuated and allowed to be continued, there is no reason to why the people of the region will not feel alienated. To rebel remains the only choice.