Unwelcomed in our own Home

Why is it that whenever we are asked to give our ideas about racism, we only speak about George Floyd's case, which turned the whole US to ashes, or about Xiong Yefeng, which created a little tension at the University of Columbia for a year, or about the discrimination faced by Jewish families in Great Britain? Why don't we speak about our own problems? The particular part of India that faces racism the most is, yes, North-East India.

Why is it that no one talks about Chongtham Rameshwori of Assam, who worked for a private company in Ghaziabad, and on her way back home, a man spit on her face, called her Chinese, and said that people like her are the cause of the Corona pandemic? When she told this to her landlord, he somehow got the idea that she was a positive case and was forced to vacate the place.

Why is it that no one talks about Cathy of Meghalaya, who was forced to get admitted to a hospital because of her facial structure?

Why is it that no one talks about Tongou Mechai and her friends, who were thrown out of their own place by mainland Indians? They were accused of being prostitutes and spreading filth in the society.Why is it that no one talks about Nido Tania of Arunachal Pradesh, who was murdered in 2014 in broad daylight? This incident led to a major revolt in Arunachal Pradesh and some parts of northeast India.

But the question is: how many of us know about these incidents? Will these topics ever be covered by our media? Will the people of India ever raise their voices for any other Cathy or Nido Tania, show their rage on Twitter, or even acknowledge the fact that yes, "racism is an issue faced by the people of the North-East."

We, the mainlanders, think that the North-East people are conservative and are hard to approach, but the fact is that maybe they find comfort being amidst their own.