Why I Fear Ignorance about the Northeast


It is a well-established fact that most people from 'mainland' India have little or no knowledge about the realities of the Northeast of India. But what bothers me more than the ignorance itself is the fact that many in the public sphere - be they journalists, writers, politicians, or policy makers - do not think twice before putting their half-baked 'knowledge' out there, thus perpetuating and reinforcing the myths and stereotypes surrounding the region and its people. 


A recent example of the same was brought to my notice by a friend. It involved a report in one of the biggest 'national' dailies, The Hindustan Times, which claimed that one of the most representative Axamiya dance forms of Assam was "a tribal dance form from Assam that has now been elevated to the status of a classical dance". I made my reservations against this statement clear in a mail I sent to the writer. I am reproducing the text of my email below: 


dear ruchira,

this is with reference to your piece entitled 'dance like a sattriya woman' published online on 7/8/2010. as somebody from assam, it deeply pains me to observe often the blatant ignorance of most 'mainstream' journalists affiliated to the 'national' media regarding my state and the northeast as a whole. your current piece also displays an ignorance about the vibrant culture of a region that is claimed to be an integral part of the country but about which the rest of the country has little knowledge, or for which they show much empathy.

for many like you, the northeast as a whole is a land inhabited by naked tribals, who have climbed the ladder of civilization only after their political affiliation with the indian mainland. the richness of our tribal cultures and the simultaneous prevalence of 'classical' art forms for centuries now is something that is beyond the imagination of most people from outside the region.

i have nothing against personal ignorance. but as a journalist writing for a major 'national' daily however, i would urge you to check your facts before publishing inaccurate information like calling sattriya a 'tribal dance form from assam', when it is and has been one of the purest 'classical' dance forms of india since its introduction by the assamese icon, xankardeb. such fallacies in print only perpetuate the myths and stereotypes surrounding the entire northeastern region, and sow the seeds of further alienation.

best regards,
uddipana


(Read the entire report at http://www.hindustantimes.com/Dance-like-a-Sattriya-woman/Article1-583325.aspx)


Alienation of course, is not the only factor to be feared here. In an earlier piece I had written regarding my experience of the misrepresentation and lack of proper knowledge about the people of the Northeast nearly a decade ago, I had explained why I most fear such an attitude:


I used to shudder to think that it was people with attitudes like this whose parents, or relatives, or friends were sitting in crucial decision-making forums and determining the destinies of my region. By now some of them would themselves have picked up the mantle of 'Northeast experts' perhaps. The popular imagination is after all, not so far removed from the political and all of it affects policy-making, which in turn determines the destiny of an entire region.


(Read the entire piece at http://jajabori-mon.blogspot.com/2008/12/identity-in-exile-published-indian.html)


Such fears are alive still, as is the lack of an empathetic understanding of the Northeast and its people.