Binalaxmi Nepram is a social activist and author from Manipur. She’s the founder of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network & Control Arms Foundation India. She dreams of an India free of arms where every citizen is looked upon equally and not subjugated by the Indian state
  Â
We know you as a beloved country filled with history, tradition, language, civilisation. I come from a place which is a part of you still ânot yet a part of youâ. Yet we believe in you Dear India!
This letter is written to tell you what we can do to make a better India. This is what 45 million of us living in the North-East of India beg you of.
We know an India, which is true to its constitution, which says every Indian, has a RIGHT TO LIFE.
So Dear India, as we go into the next century, the next phase of history, remove the greatest blot on your democracy; the martial law which acts as a pin in the hearts, mind and history â THE ARMS FORCES SPECIAL POWERS ACT. Make Irom Sharmila eat, treat us as equal citizens of an equal country.
We in the North-East and many other parts of the country want to make India as great as you would like to be.
This is our letter to you & hope youâll listen to us and make this the best country.
With Love, with concern, with hope
Binalaxmi Nepram & the people of North-East
Audi India is proud to be a part of India’s progressive growth and salutes the spirit of India.
(Do you ever feel like talking to India? Yes, perfect. This is your chance to write to her to tell her how you feel about her. You could be bitchy, angry, happy, emotional or spoofy. But if your answer is No – never mind, there is always a beginning. Let’s start here. Send us what you want to tell your India and we will publish it. Don’t be shy, just say it all. Mail us your letter at lettertoindia@thequint.com. We’ll ensure India gets your message.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)