Those Hills I Called Home

I was neck deep at work chasing datelines, but that single photo of two young man lying dead unattended in front of the police station that I was massaged in my phone made me shudder.  But what upset me the most was the fact that those young men were innocent civilian killed by the police, and I was told that there were more dead bodies. 

What connects me and those young men was that we just got called a stranger at our very own home, and that the government just passed a bunch of legislation that can legally kick us off from the land where we have lived for generations.  The knowledge that we can now be easily uprooted from those hills is a thought that is killing us all. Those beautiful blue hills have been our home for ages, those hills are awash with the blood of our forefathers, and those hills are nurtured by the bloods of our ancestors, and it continues to do so, and will remain so as proved by those brave young men died protesting those legislation imposed by some outsiders who wanted to grab our lands.

Even though I live far away in central India, those hills never left me. Every single day, I work up to the sound and sight of things –from the sounds of language and music, the sights of buildings and the people, that reminded me that I don’t belong here.  And no matter how I tried to belong, the people I interact with on everyday basis will remind me of where I belong by asking me where I belong. And I have accepted to live amidst that sense of alienation, and how do I managed that?

I managed to live amidst that constant sense of alienation because deep down in my heart I know that I am not homeless, that I have and belong to a place that I can call a home. But now, the thought that I’ll no longer be able to call those hills as my home tugs my heart, boils my blood and wrenches my soul. Those hills are central to my being, and critical to my existence because no matter where I go and live, those hills are the place that define my being, my identity, and it’s the thought of those hills that drives my life.  

I regrets not being there in the hills physically to stand with my people at this critical time, my sole consolation that I’m contributing to the economy of the hills and that I’m a representative of the hill people to the outsiders does not qualify me to speak to my brave hill peoples, but I want to say this –we are a proud, obstinate and fiercely independent tribes for ages, and we will not be subjugated by some outsiders, we will definitely not be called a stranger at our own home.  

Stay strong Zomi, Zomi are strong!

The Horror Of OZ

The recent spate of racial attacks on Indian Student down at Australia has grabbed more than enough media attention in India.  I’m glad it does.  It brings to focus the issue of discrimination and abuses based on racial line.  It is one subject most Indian often overlooked or chose not to acknowledge until and unless they perceived themselves as the victim.

For instances, when Indian actor, Shilpa Shetty, alleged that she was racially abused at a TV show in the UK, the media and people of India cried wolves.  Contrast that with the time when a coloured Australian cricket player, Andrew Symonds, alleged that he was being racially abused by an Indian player, Harbhajan Singh.  Most Indian, instead of condemning the Indian Player, choose to mock the Australian, or ignore the issue altogether.

Indian abroad have become quite sensitive towards the issue of race today, but back home, it doesn’t cut much ice.  Most Indian in India don’t know what constitute racism or discrimination, or for that matter, what racism is all about.  That is not so surprising considering that India is the one country where segregation based on the line of caste/ class has been accepted as a normal social order.

Racism exists all over the world in one form or the other. Even in the developed world where people are more sensitive and awareness are higher, racism and discrimination still existed, but are hidden, unspoken and unexpressed.  In India it’s different.  People still curse their birth because they can never change their social standing no matter what.  For instance, even in the richest family, inter-caste/race marriage is still a big taboo.

If you belong to any of the lower caste, people will judge you from your surname, and your surname will decide if you can enter a certain place/temple, or touch a certain thing. If you happened to be a racial minority, you don’t even get to give your surname, people take one look at you, and you are already judged.  As a minority, each and everyday one has to face some sort of discrimination –it can be mild, coated or blown-out abuses.

What happened at Australia is awful and should be condemned.  But what happened at India is also equally awful, and  should be equally condemned.  But the big difference is that, the Australian Government has acknowledged the incident (though reluctantly), while in India, such incidents will be conveniently swept under the carpet as a normal outcome of the social order.

I really do wish those people who took out to the street for the students down under will also look closer at home and stop being a perpetrator and stand-up for the minorities which they failed to notice all these years. I hope, at least, a lesson is learnt.

-for related post, please click the following;

1. India & Discrimination

2. India & Racism

India Inc wants Gujarat Monster as PM

When the leaders of India biggest business houses stood-up to support Narendra Modi as the future Prime Minister of secular India, it sent shockwaves across the minority communities living in India. It just amazes me how short-lived our memories are!

Who can ever forget the merciless massacre of Muslims in Godhra and the persecution of Christians in Dang? If the name Narendra Modi rang a bell, it is because his name is identical with the many innocent bloods shed in Gujarat. If Gujarat prospers, it got nothing to do with him but the people of Gujarat. Narendra Modi only stained the name of Gujarat and India.

But what is more shocking is that respectable people like Tata, Mittal and the Ambanis wanted him to lead the country. Does this mean those Industrialists will support and/or do anything that will only further their interest (and that interest is nothing but profit) without giving any importance to the peace and harmony of India?

The whole thing reminds me of what I once read in the net about how the German Industrialists praised Hitler and his regime before he showed his true colour. Narendra Modi had already showed his true colour, so those Industrialists knew what they were talking about and can be taken as a legitimate threat.

Looking at the present political scenario, it is very unlikely that the BJP will put him up as their Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2009 election, but it is inevitable in 2014 if the BJP happened to lose the next election.

But by proposing the Monster of Gujarat as the Prime Minister of India, India Inc is threatening the minority communities of India, and if you happened to be a minority, be very threatened for that Monster could be your Prime Minister if those peoples with vested interests have their way.