India should learn from NE: Dr Rakesh Sinha
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 02 2019: Hailing the North East as the centre of cultural gravity of India, Rajya Sabha MP Dr Rakesh Sinha today said that there are many things that the rest of country should learn from the this region.

The Member of Parliament made the statement while addressing the gathering at the two-day- long (February 2 and 3) National symposium on 'Revisiting Colonial Legacy' jointly organised by Intellectual Forum of North East; Dhanamanjuri University, Imphal and Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus Manipur, Makhan Village; Centre for Manipur Studies, Manipur University today at GP Women's College, DM University, Imphal.

While highlighting the need to protect cultural identity, Dr Rakesh Sinha, who is also a Member of ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research), said that after more than seven decades of independence, the entire North Eastern region has been exploited and marginalised.

Indians should learn true Nationalism, cultural unity and women empowerment from the North East, he said and added that there is no need for mainstreaming the region.

Dr Rakesh Sinha said after independence, "Mountbatten was appointed as the Governor General of India on 15 August, 1947 .

The appointment of a foreigner as the first Governor General of India was made to protect the dignity of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

Till the year 2014, there was imitation of British rule in the country although there was no British rule.

In order to decode the history of colonial legacy, we need to understand the people who are conspiring to harm the Nation".

KG Balkrishnan, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, emphasized on the need to examine and revisit the colonial legacies in order to better understand the present political scenario.

He added that colonialism or colonial rule was a historical phenomenon: conquest, emigration and subjugation happened in history.

Colonialism is the establishment and maintenance of an extended term of rule over an alien people that is separate from and subordinate to the ruling power.

Colonialism means domination of an alien minority, administrators, businessmen and soldiers asserting their racial and cultural superiority over the subjugated people, added the former Chief Justice of-the Supreme Court of India.

Professor Kuldip Chand Agnihotri, Vice Chancellor of Central University of Himachal Pradesh, said "we all should try to understand ourselves with case studies and stop saluting imposter historians and sociologists who infuse false ideas and ideals through their books and research".

Indian history will be a complete one only when the contributions of North East, North West and South India were included, otherwise it will remain as North Indian history, said Kuldeep, while adding that the western society and Indian society are two different entities- the last unit of a society in western world is individual while it is the family in the Indian society.

So, western always talk about individual rights while the Indians fight for the family rights, added the Professor.

J Nandakumar, National Convenor of Pragya Pravah said that as a colonial impact "our art forms were also connected with colonial masters.

What is happening in the country is the "blurred view of the colonial era" .

"We are not concentrating on our potentials to unite the country.

The seed of British colonialism in the region of present day North East India was sown with the treaty of Yandaboo signed between the King of Ava and the British on February 24, 1826 which started the British rule in Assam.

In 1830, Cachar came under British jurisdiction.

Subsequently, in 1854 the hill areas of Cachar were annexed followed by Lakhimpur in 1835 and Sylhet in 1858 .

Manipur had retained its status as an independent region (princely State), as well as the Khasi Hills, but Jaintia Hills came under the British in 1835," said Nandakumar The Naga Hills was finally annexed as a district in 1866, followed by the Garo Hills in 1869 .

The "Chin-Lushai Expedition" of 1889-1890 by the British Government finally led to the permanent occupation of Lushai Hills.

Manipur also eventually came under British rule following the defeat in the Anglo Manipuri War of 1891 .

In the early 18th Century, the British empire sought to establish trade routes with Tibet leading Sikkim to fall under British suzerainty.

So, the whole of the region of present day North East India (NET) formed originally by seven States of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur and Sikkim had been under British colonial rule staring from varied times in the first quarter of the nineteenth century till independence in 1947, Nandakumar said.

Education Minister Th Radheshyam Singh while addressing the gathering as the chief guest said that British ruled the country with divide and rule policy, they destroyed the economy and culture of the country during their rule.

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