Shillong, Meghalaya, India
A few posts back I mused on how the rest of India ought to integrate with the North East. This time I'll offer a few thoughts on what the people of this region might wish to consider. These are a newbie's first impressions ; they are not the product of any research or study. But sometimes first impressions can be useful.
Firstly, we must simply stop all insurgency. Notice the we, for I feel a part of the North East ! To wage a war against the Indian army is a complete waste of time. It is not winnable and will only bring misery on the entire community. No economic advancement is possible without peace and quiet. Period.
Secondly we must stop the tendency to call a bandh (a general strike) at the drop of a hat. When somebody's left toe is tingling a bandh is called. While I have been here, there has been a bandh in Itanagar, in the Garo hills, in northern Mizoram, violence and curfew in Dimapur, bandh in the Cachar district ....... The Itanagar case is a perfect example of idiocy. In a tragic road accident, somebody was run over. They blocked the highway and also dug up the main road through Itanagar. I am certain that the road is not going to be relaid and the sufferers are the citizens of Itanagar only.
Thirdly we need a Anna Hazare (a crusader against corruption). Even by Indian standards, the corruption here is something (with one notable exception, but we'll come to that shortly). The Central government pours money into this region. My Ao friend Imna summed it best - he said becoming a Block Development Officer ( a low level government servant) was like getting free access to an ATM ! The percentage of money siphoned away must be one of the highest in India.
Fourthly , we must stop aspiring for a government job. Let's leave that to the French (that's just to wake up Thomas !!). If your dream is a government job, then the road to prosperity is closed. Many talented youngsters leave the region and prosper elsewhere. At least a few must return and start economic activity here. The private sector, currently non existent, has to flower.
Fifthly, there is a ready industry waiting to be tapped - tourism. This can easily be the tourism capital of India. But for that, some infrastructure has to be created. If roads are like this, few will come. There simply aren't quality hotels and enough showcasing of the place. Meghalaya leads the way in this aspect (remember Mawlynnong ?) ; the others must follow.
Sixthly we must ponder the justice of the "special status" we are demanding. In every state, non natives are not allowed to own land and outsiders from other states are not really welcome. Three states have innerline permit systems. And yet, we want free mobility to other Indian states and special protection there. We also want ever growing subsidies. Every state has popular movements for more protection and more subsidies,This is not sustainable. It is a perfect recipe to piss off the rest of India. We don't need this. On our own, we have enough and more talent to prosper. We need no handouts.
We must simply stop moaning that the rest of India doesn't value us. We must march ahead . Recognition and respect will automatically follow. The whole world is looking East. Make India look East too.
Something for the North East to consider
Monday, March 16, 2015
Shillong, Meghalaya, India
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2025-05-23
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Ravi Rajagopalan
2015-03-16
Its a brave manifesto Ramesh, and one that runs counter to the current trend to narrow-cast oneself into the mainstream. Something the internet has done very well - aided of course by cable TV - is to enable the narrowing of identities. You are making a plea for broadening it.
The most important reason this manifesto needs to be taken seriously is that India is too large and too powerful a power - and of course nowhere near as repressive as her might would allow - to be taken on. Genuine leaders need to emerge who can sit down and enable a modus vivendi to be worked out which does not involve any special status, any special subsidies, any restrictions on citizenship rights etc.
I think all of this needs time. Since 1947 it has taken nearly 70 years for the North East to overcome the bug of insurgency. There are still some challenges in terms of illegal Bangladeshi migration that need to be handled. My reading - aided no doubt by your very excellent blog - is that the region is getting comfortable with itself and its Indian-ness.
I would argue for some restrictions on settlement by Indians from elsewhere to remain. There are too many mischief makers in the country who cannot accept diversity. I get irritated at the idiots from North India who think the whole bloody country should be speaking shuddh hindi - that creation of the Independence struggle. In Maharashtra the government is focussed on banning beef. I could go on. Better that these idiots stay where they are.
One of the great things about our constitutional arrangements is that it allows for flex. I would argue that these special arrangements stay as they are.
A Firengi Here ;)
2015-03-17
It is a manifesto for "your country" ... so, will stay out of many points in this post ...
What I do understand from your posts (not just this one) is that the alien-ness that I felt back in the old days, when I could not understand why a Naga, a Kashmiri, and I were all considered to be "Indian," well, that alien-ness was not merely a figment of my imagination. If creating that identity is important for you folks, then there are the Chinese and Russian models, but they won't work because of the one thing that India has that those two countries do not--the constitutional right for people to say what they want and to elect whomever they please. Thus, squaring the circle won't be easy at all.
Meanwhile, as Ravi notes, there are among those in power now who want to create further challenges to this "Indian" identity. He uses that "I" word that I cannot use because I am a firengi and, therefore, I am glad he said it ;)
The internet is not necessarily a "uniter" as Ravi suggests--it makes the worst in society easily find their like-minded folks and thus hate and divisiveness has the potential to grow and not diminish.
All I can say is, "good luck."
BTW, the post has a sense of summing up. I wonder if this means that you are now beginning to head back to Bangalore. Safe travels.
Ravi Rajagopalan
2015-03-17
Dear Firangi: I am not Indian either. But you cannot uproot identity simply because you change your passport. God Save The Queen.
Vincy Joseph
2015-03-17
Ahem Ahem - this is a beautiful summary to your travel around Northeast. By incorporating the term "We" you have become the son of the seven sisters. Truly an brand ambassador like what one of the commentators said in the earlier posts.
indigoite
2015-03-17
@Ravi - As ever, a scintillating comment.
I am not a fan of restricting mobility of people at all. Firstly, the current innerline permit system does not keep anybody out; it just makes it painful for many, and perhaps makes a few richer. Secondly, people will not migrate here en masse. In India migration happens purely for economic reasons. Only when there is economic opportunity, people will come. Thirdly, the region must heavily woo talent to come and settle and create economic growth. Even the restriction on property ownership is circumvented like crazy here. The rich amongst the folks here, buy property benami in other states in the region where they are not supposed to own property. Guwahati property is largely in the hands of non Assamese - maybe a Naga or a Manipuri; so why not a Gujarati ?
There is not much danger of cultural tyranny. We are a free country. Every culture can practice whatever it likes - whether they are an overwhelming majority or a small majority or even a minority does not matter.
@Not a firangi - Hey; firstly you are not a firangi. Secondly, even if you are, I would greatly welcome your views. You are a careful thinker, back up your views with clear logic and evidence and argue your case very pleasantly. I may disagree, or agree, but debates with you are incredibly refreshing. And , at least in this forum, we re not parochial enough to say only Indians can express an opinion on India. So say your mind. That doesn't mean I won;t give you a kick :):):)
No, this is not a summing up post. I still have some more way to go. See my next post
@Vincy - As I observed to Sriram; no this is not a concluding post. Still some way to go although I know my readers are tired :):) Yes, I love to try and become part of the place I go to and appreciate as much as possible. Same thing happened to me in China. Its happening here to, with just a visit. I think I'll always have a fond corner for this region.
Stars and stripes
2015-03-17
Glad to know that my foreigner status doesn't make a difference ;)
I have a yearning for an India that never existed, Ravi. Which is why my intellectual fascination for the Subcontinent is not matched by an emotional investment. The emotional investment were/are with the people and places that were the background of my formative years. But, as they say, there is no there there anymore. That lack of emotional investment is a huge reason why often "indians" shoot me down when I offer my dissenting opinions.
Ramesh, yes, we disagree quite a bit in this context. The Indian political structure post-1947 is as if the East India Company and the Queen were replaced by homegrown "rulers." (As I have often commented, even now most of India refers to "ruling" instead of "governing" which is more than mere semantics.)
Colonization created this entity that we now refer to as India, which had never ever existed prior to colonization. The Bangladeshi illegal immigration to India that Ravi writes about is a legacy of the British partitioning up Bengal. Right from 1947, the Delhi-based government has been forcing people to behave, or else ... The colonizers used force to put down those who didn't behave and so does the government that replaced the Queen. Whether it was Kashmir or Goa or Hyderabad or all the territories in the northeast, the Delhi government has been a colonizer in its own way.
The political tactic used was to grant special status to Kashmir, and the kinds of restrictions that are in the place in the NE, as if that would make the "natives" happy to be a part of the federation. A lame-brained idiot like this foreigner could have predicted easily even back in 1947 that such approaches simply won't work. Thus, as atrocious as it is, it does not surprise me at all that the Indian army continues to be used not against "foreigners" but against the locals. (The husband--an army major--of a late cousin of mine was posted in Mizoram and Tripura during the early 1980s as a part of a force to fight the local "insurgency.")
We forget that peoples with long histories like, want, and seek their individual identities and fight that from being washed away and replaced with an alien identity of, in this case, "Indian." This is not unique to the Nagas or the Mizos or ... we see this all over--among the Basque, the Scots, Timorese, the Estonians, the Tibetans, the ... well, an endless list.
I wish that the European colonization had never happened, and hadn't messed up the Subcontinent forever. But, it is what it is. It also means that it will be a long time before the Delhi army can get the boots off the ground from the NE, from Kashmir, from Orissa, from ...
So, again, good luck on forging that "Indian" identity.
Vincy Joseph
2015-03-19
Ramesh, after reading all those posts on your comment section by your readers, you still think we are tired?
indigoite
2015-03-19
@Vincy - Oh you have all been very kind, but I am inflicting this on you for a long time now :)
indigoite
2015-03-19
@Sriram - Excellently articulated comment. That I disagree does not one bit detract from my admiration of your thought, word and, I know, deed , as well. Bravo
sandhya sriram
2015-03-23
this is really an awesome manifesto. but alas, none of this will come true. no one will come forward and let go a special status. the permits are self fulfilling prophecy. they will never go.
but what i do believe can be done immediately and that only requires giving up a victim mentality is to create economic opportunity - If you go to London or many places in the west for that matter - if you are sat on a bench in london for more than 24 hours, they would mark it off as "this is where a person sat without moving an inch for 24 hours", they would put a photo spot around it, a tourist office and will sell soveniers" there is quite a bit of learning for us to.
indigoite
2015-03-24
@Sandhya - probably true. This is only an idealist talking. Nobody ever gives up a perk. Yes.
Ha Ha Ha on London :)