"Even small children say things like, “Chinky,” “Chinese, go away.” It is painful to see. It makes you wonder how such young children are being raised. They don’t really know anything about the world, yet just by looking at our facial features they call us Chinese. Obviously, children don’t learn such things on their own, these ideas come from the environment and the society around them," says Yani Hemi from Arunachal Pradesh, a student at Delhi University.
Recently, three young women from Arunachal Pradesh living in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, filed a complaint against their neighbors, accusing them of making racist remarks and abusing them. The women recorded a video of the incident, which later went viral. In the clip, the accused can be heard making offensive and racist comments such as calling them “momo” and “massage parlor women.”
Following the incident, the issue of discrimination faced by people from Northeast India has once again come into public discussion.
Othering: A Serious Social Illness
India today is witnessing the proliferation of a troubling social problem that experts call "othering". The word may sound complex, but its meaning is simple and unsettling: treating someone as different, alien, or as an outsider.
When we judge someone based on their looks, clothing, or food habits; consider them inferior; make racial remarks; or form prejudiced assumptions about them, this is what is known as othering.
The young women from Arunachal Pradesh say that what happened to them was not a random incident but an attack on their identity.
In this episode of “Janab Aise Kaise,” we explore the issue of discrimination faced by people from Northeast India. We will also introduce you to some individuals from the region who have personally experienced such prejudice.
“I Couldn’t Do Anything”
Yangfo Pisum, who is from Arunachal Pradesh and currently studying in Delhi, shared with The Quint how she was publicly harassed and subjected to racist remarks.
Pisum said that she was returning with her friends in an e-rickshaw when a group of children started throwing water-filled balloons at them. When she objected to it, the children began intimidating and humiliating her, while also making racist comments.
When I angrily asked them why they were throwing balloons, they started calling me ‘chinky.’ More children gathered and began throwing balloons. Those who didn’t have balloons started throwing water at me with small cups. I couldn’t do anything. I just kept crying the entire way until I reached my PG.Yangfo Pisum
“We Talk About Diversity, But We Don’t Accept It”
Yami Hemi, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, says she came to Delhi with a lot of hope. However, those hopes were shaken when she experienced discrimination. She says, “India has immense diversity, but the sad reality is that we do not respect or truly accept that diversity.”
Nowadays, verbal abuse against people from the Northeast and insulting remarks about their physical features are becoming increasingly common. Yet, no one is really raising their voice against these incidents.Yami Hemi
Speaking about the Malviya Nagar incident, Yami adds that if the police had not been present, the situation could have escalated into physical violence against the girls.
“Some Call Us ‘Chinky,’ Others Call Us ‘Nepali’”
Sonam Tashi, a student at Dayal Singh College and originally from West Kameng in Arunachal Pradesh, spoke about the discrimination faced by men from the Northeast. He says, “Compared to women, boys may not face as many problems. But because of our looks, some people call us ‘chinky,’ while others call us ‘Nepali.’”
Vuthubo, who is from Manipur, shared that he also faced racial discrimination recently when he travelled to Uttarakhand.
In February 2014, the entire country was shaken when Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, was beaten to death in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi. Following the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs formed a committee under M.P. Bezbaruah, which made several recommendations.
The question now is: What happened to those recommendations, and why do people from Northeast India continue to face racial discrimination even today?
Ponting, who is also from Manipur, has demanded the creation of an anti-racial discrimination law to ensure the safety of people from the Northeast. However, he also says that change cannot happen overnight and must begin at the grassroots level.
Referring to the Bezbaruah Committee’s recommendations, he said that NCERT textbooks should include the history and heroic stories of Northeast India. According to him, unless children across the country learn from their school years, from nursery to Class 12 that the Northeast is an integral part of India and that people from the region also fought against British rule, the ground reality and narrow mindsets in society will not change.