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)

Except for a lucky few, every Manipuri in our state lives a life with constant threat to life. There is always a danger of being killed for reason unknown. If one moves out of the state, into mainland India, one again runs the risk of being racially discriminated if not sexually harassed or killed. One wonders who is to blame for the racial discrimination and why it is there. Whoever one may point one's finger at, one must admit that this racial discrimination stems out of ignorance and conflict of outlook in life and interest.

There is indeed a great wall of ignorance between the two civilizations. While the mainland Indians cannot understand why North East Indians eat foods which are repulsively smelly or odd, the latter cannot understand why the mainlanders eat food as oily as engine grease and add a lot of masala into things that go down their gastrointestinal tract and later royally fart in public places without any hesitation. They also rue at the rising price of foods considered odd by some mainlanders like chicken feet and pork which find new fans among the mainlanders.

While the mainlanders cannot appreciate the North East Indians' slant eyes and body without much hair, the latter cannot find much good to appreciate in the formers' eye anatomy and often compare them with crows. They also cannot appreciate the formers' body hairs that amount to almost like that of Chimpanzees' and find their body odor extremely repulsive.

While the mainlanders question the morality of the North East Indian girls, the latter are taken aback at the vulgarity of the mainland Indians. They also get quite boggled at the issue of incest particularly among North Indians. Nor can they understand why they burn and murder their lovely daughters for monetary issues called dowry or false pride.

While the mainlanders mock at the Chinese or Nepali look of the North East Indians, the latter find nothing to be proud of in the Negroid look of the former.

While the mainlanders rue at how the North East Indians eat up a bulk of jobs in the mainland, the latter feel that the rent they pay feed the mainlanders and pull them out of their cow herding lifestyle.

The physically similar Nepali girls with their often looked down profession, especially in the metro cities, sometimes add fuels to the misunderstanding. This vividly points to the ignorance of the reality that the population of their counterpart Indian CSW's (Commercial Sex Workers) is more than the whole population of Nepal put together.

One can look at the matter from different aspects. Let me share one of mine. Blinded by ignorance, what one frequently misses to see is the essence that lies underneath the seeming vices. While one can abhor the smelly dishes North East Indians live on, one misses to see the organic nutrients and energy those dishes provide, good enough to fuel a Mary Kom or a Dinko Singh, unlike the chemically contaminated tomatoes and potatoes we find in the mainland summer. While one can abhor the repulsive body odor of the mainlanders, one misses to see the hard toil of the day that man had contributed towards his family in particular and society at large.

While one questions the morality of the North East Indian girl, one completely fails to see her simplicity and innocence which I personally have never come across in any mainland Indian girl so far. The general world wide trend of changes is sweeping across every nook and corner though. Can North East India be left far behind when it has swept across all of India and beyond? While one questions the North East Indian lifestyle, one fails to notice that it is the land that gives Irom Chanu Sharmila who, according to some, is at par with Mahatma Gandhi in her non-violent struggle.

Again, there is widespread discrimination among different races of mainland Indians. Biharis are discriminated in Mumbai. Muslims feel that they are discriminated by the majority population. The anti-Sikh riots in North India tell its own story. There were issues of South Indians in Mumbai.

Even in Manipur also, many of the issues dogging our society arise from discrimination either real or perceived and amplified beyond proportions, by some to their own ends, on which a greater debate is well deserved. This drives home a conclusion that discrimination is rather a phenomenon when large number of people of different backgrounds and interests share a common platform.

The best part of racial discrimination in the mainland is it never differentiates whether one is a Meitei, a Naga or a Kuki. It never matters from which of the seven states one hails from. To the Mayangs' eyes, one becomes just another Chinky. It unifies all the ethnic groups but with a maligned reason.

While one comes face to face with racial discrimination, it may help to keep a point or two in mind. Mainland India or Delhi, for example, is like an instrument or tool we have at hand to reach our goals and aspiration. A good workman never fights with his tool. Discrimination, in this sense, is like professional hazard. Calculating the risk and cost with the possible gains is a good idea. If that equation is not to one's favor, shifting base may help. How can one fight with the land one lives in?

Dealing with racial discrimination needs a lot of courage and tact. We cannot finish it. How can one empty a sea with a spoon in hand? While one cannot empty the sea one can surely swerve one's path to avoid wet feet. Focusing on the reasons one came for should help. After all, nobody came here solely to showcase one's culture and tradition to the mainlanders. If the mainlanders fail to appreciate it, can it be anybody's fault? They are the ones who are missing on to discover a race of beautiful people.

It needs a lot of tolerance too. It is the acceptance of the different ways people struggle to survive and live. The idea of tolerance has its limit though. In fact, tolerance is the key to many a problem we face today. The issue of ethnic divide in Manipur is one issue which will need a lot of tolerance to solve. But, there are also issues that need zero tolerance, one among which I feel is the apathy towards Inner Line Permit System demand. It is up to you to decide which one is to tolerate and which one not to. And my article is definitely not out of the purview.

Now, coming to the point, does it really matter to you with what name some people call you when they do not even know you? For me it is a big 'NO'. I have more important adversaries to fight against. My sleepiness, my laziness, my temptation and my weakness are far more important adversaries to me than the slum dwelling bastard who calls me Chinky or the well educated beast in human garb who looks down on racially different people. From where I stand, he is not better than any Chimpanzee.

But, I am ready to tolerate one and all up to a certain limit while keeping my purpose and reason in mind above all. I have taken my vow. What about you?