Cool Breeze from the North-East

In the wake of the recent attack and the unfortunate death of a young boy from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi, the raciest attitude of people in North India is again in news. But I believe that there is nothing new so far the attitude of people of north Indian cities towards people from African countries and people having different racial features particularly towards those coming from hill areas and from north-east in particular is concerned. During my stay of three years in Delhi, somehow the feeling of being unsafe was always there and fact is that Delhi has never been a woman friendly city. Above all language spoken on its streets is as rough as its extreme weather conditions. Years of misrule in many northern states have forced youths from these areas to migrate to Delhi in search of both education and livelihood. This has resulted in evolution of rent culture in many areas of Delhi where main source of income of large number of house owners is rent only and a whole economy of such areas is dependent upon these migrated people from other states.

          Because of this lots of jobs have been created in and around Delhi in both goods and services sector. In this situation locals should have not only been thankful to the people from other states but they should treat these migrating people with respect rather than showing any contempt or misbehaving in any manner. I have had opportunity to see many Bihari students living in hellish conditions in many parts of Delhi still paying exorbitantly to the local house owners only in anticipation that they would be able to make it big in the alien place because situation was even bad in back their home states.

          I was wondering as to whether the present Delhi government is not playing cahoots with locals, particularly local traders, in opposing the FDI in retail. Apparently in their sub-conscious mind, they are aware that many jobs created in this sector would be cornered by these English-speaking smart and polished youths from the North East. This is not very uncommon to see youths from North-Eastern region working in malls, departmental stores and shops in various parts of Delhi and around it. Also the kinds of expertise required for working in service sectors like call centers and retails, these youths are best suited again for the same reasons. We need to learnt lessons from this unfortunate incident and this country needs to take some concrete steps with clear objective to integrate our youths from the North- East in the mainstream.

          This thought process has pulled me back to my college days in BCE Patna where many of my friends were from North-East and I have vivid recollections of the time spent with them. The carefree birds from the hilly region were more than a gush of fresh air for all of us who had spent all our times in the same state. Many of them were much ahead of time when their respective lives were only in the present tense. Those students were very fond of western dress, western music and western movies. I can’t deny the fact that I had seen all initial Jackie Chan’s and Stallone’s action movies with them only. I sincerely think in hindsight that I could have imbibed the attitude of being careless towards studies also from them which otherwise was of not use subsequently in life and maybe I could have at least enjoyed my days in the Engineering college the way they did.

I can recall vividly one shivaratri day when I was in final year. My very good friend Sanna from Manipur came to my room with grim look and requested me to come to his room reflecting as if there was something very very serious. When I entered into his room I was surprised to find around twenty of them, all from North East and from first year to final year were present in the room and some of them were sitting on floor and many were sitting on the bed. Front part of the room was vacated by shifting beds and there was a small statue of Shiva-Parvati on the floor. Everyone was staring me very expectantly.

Sanna requested me pour the milk, stored in a small vessel, on the statue apparently to perform the puja and to start the shivaratri celebrations. I was not only surprised but also I was thinking why me? But I had to comply and I folded my hands and offered my obeisance while muttering some mantra praising the Lord and then poured the milk on the statue.

Suddenly it was commotion all over and everybody was chanting “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Jai Shiv Shambho” and in a flash couple of packets of marijuana was produced and in a swift action and it was cut, rubbed and again very swiftly mixed with little tobacco and transferred to emptied cigarettes. By the time I could recollect as to what was happening around, the room was full of sweet smoke. Many of them came to me and wished me a “Happy Mahashivaratri” as well.

          I can still recall that it was examination time and I was intending to go back to my studies in my room but I could not resist enquiring from him.

“Hey Sanna, I am still Puzzled as to why did you call me for their puja”, somehow I was still sniffing the smoke.

He was smiling and he put his hands across my shoulders and told sheepishly.

“We have to at least be honest with the god and after a lot of discussions we could not think of anyone else but you who was yet to be thoroughly corrupted”, I was just listening to him while he was smiling crookedly. 

         I just could not make out as to whether he was complimenting or just was being sarcastic while going back to my room. In hindsight I could think of only the smiling faces and innocent souls with whom I developed so much of intimacy and which helped me in developing my very different outlook towards the world and towards the life. I can still listen my dear friend Taka speaking to me. 

“I am not little worried about it” pronouncing all its “Ts” as pronounced in “Teeth” when he discovered that he could secure only 2 marks out of 15 in mathematics terminal paper in the second year.

My dear friends from North East! I am so thankful to you all for teaching me the lesson of not being worried about anything in life.