Tetei came from a village, far far away,
Where the spring river flows
and the nightingale sings.
Where the autumn brook glisters
like the face of an immaculate.
Where innocence still exists,
there amidst the hills so green.
She left that village, filled with dreams,
Dreams that she always dreamt of
back in her village so bare.
Dreams of neon lights and skyscrapers,
and of opportunity in abundance.
Dreams filled with dreams and dreams,
of changing her life and her destiny.
Oh how that dream shattered, with all the abuses,
Abused for being a woman,
as if it is a sin to be one.
Abused for being from the North-east,
as if she is a cheap whore from Sodom.
Abused by the media for being both,
as if they haven’t done enough harm already.
Tetei cried every night, and finally made her way,
Back to her barren village, far far away.
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Sometimes emotions just gush out when you can contain it no longer. Nobody can stop the colossal tide of pure, raw, unrestrained emotions vehemently pounding their way towards an infinitesimal orifice. For no matter how small the voices of the North-east people are, it is loud enough to echo through all the halls of Valhalla, awakening the ghastly monster which has been constrained deep within our souls.
Nobody can stop hatred. It has always been around, and will always be for the rest of our lives. We have learnt how to turn a blind eye to all the daily racial abuses, and a deaf ear to all the perpetual discriminations we face every passing moment. We have learnt how to cope with the insecurity we feel everyday because of our “differences” from the moment we wake up till the time we sleep. We have learnt how to suppress our emotions at times of gross injustice and humiliation because of our “chinky eyes”. Some of us too have unknowingly become racists ourselves because of the incessant racial abuses encountered by us. Yet, most of us never stop trying to correct the vox populi about the gross misconception of people from the North-east. Many of us have broken away from the stereotype moulds. But still, it will require a lot more effort and time to change the general mindset of the people.
But what really hurts, is when some tactless wannabe reporter comes up with an article at a daily newspaper (of a circulation of more than a million) [Link: MailToday] affirming the preconceived notion people fallaciously have about women from the North-east, that they are all nothing but the scums of society ready to sleep with anybody for money or a mug of draught beer at happy-hours TGIF.
With the aforementioned tabloid readership targeted at the middle class of emerging India [source: tksajeev], it is no wonder that women from the North-east are left stupefied and shocked beyond words when a nice well dressed gentleman approaches them and asks “how much?” They do expect such a cheap and tawdry solicitation from a roadside romeo or somebody from an uneducated background, but how could somebody so well refined behave this way? One glance at the kind of trash these so called middle class people read today, and you will know the reason why.
Could Mr. Kumar Vikram have written the article in a much more subtle tone? Of course he could. But he preferred to sensationalize the whole issue like a plot straight out from a James Hadley Chase novel. Sleazy night clubs. Drugs. Sex. Oriental babes. Money. Sex. Detectives. Drugs. Drug peddlers. Sex. The perfect formula to attract the attention of any normal hormone-raging male. And to what cost? The loss of dignity of every North-eastern woman trying to make an honest living in a “foreign” land that we call our country.
What bigotry! What shoddy journalism! North East Support Group released a statement yesterday demanding an apology from MailToday on behalf of the entire North-east and African community here in India. But I wonder, would that help? Or would we be just labeled as an inconspicuous community vying for our 15 minutes of fame? Maybe you can ask that question to the next North-eastern woman you see here in Delhi, defined as a “combo pack of sex and drugs” according to the writer.
Nobody can stop hatred. It has always been around, and will always be for the rest of our lives. We have learnt how to turn a blind eye to all the daily racial abuses, and a deaf ear to all the perpetual discriminations we face every passing moment. We have learnt how to cope with the insecurity we feel everyday because of our “differences” from the moment we wake up till the time we sleep. We have learnt how to suppress our emotions at times of gross injustice and humiliation because of our “chinky eyes”. Some of us too have unknowingly become racists ourselves because of the incessant racial abuses encountered by us. Yet, most of us never stop trying to correct the vox populi about the gross misconception of people from the North-east. Many of us have broken away from the stereotype moulds. But still, it will require a lot more effort and time to change the general mindset of the people.
But what really hurts, is when some tactless wannabe reporter comes up with an article at a daily newspaper (of a circulation of more than a million) [Link: MailToday] affirming the preconceived notion people fallaciously have about women from the North-east, that they are all nothing but the scums of society ready to sleep with anybody for money or a mug of draught beer at happy-hours TGIF.
With the aforementioned tabloid readership targeted at the middle class of emerging India [source: tksajeev], it is no wonder that women from the North-east are left stupefied and shocked beyond words when a nice well dressed gentleman approaches them and asks “how much?” They do expect such a cheap and tawdry solicitation from a roadside romeo or somebody from an uneducated background, but how could somebody so well refined behave this way? One glance at the kind of trash these so called middle class people read today, and you will know the reason why.
Could Mr. Kumar Vikram have written the article in a much more subtle tone? Of course he could. But he preferred to sensationalize the whole issue like a plot straight out from a James Hadley Chase novel. Sleazy night clubs. Drugs. Sex. Oriental babes. Money. Sex. Detectives. Drugs. Drug peddlers. Sex. The perfect formula to attract the attention of any normal hormone-raging male. And to what cost? The loss of dignity of every North-eastern woman trying to make an honest living in a “foreign” land that we call our country.
What bigotry! What shoddy journalism! North East Support Group released a statement yesterday demanding an apology from MailToday on behalf of the entire North-east and African community here in India. But I wonder, would that help? Or would we be just labeled as an inconspicuous community vying for our 15 minutes of fame? Maybe you can ask that question to the next North-eastern woman you see here in Delhi, defined as a “combo pack of sex and drugs” according to the writer.
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Related Links:
MailToday: Mr. Kumar Vikram’s article
MailToday: Journalist Hoihnu Hauzel’s reply [click on Page 36]
A Generalized ethnic perception: poor ethics - Journalist Gaurav Shrivastava.
Joy Tonsing’s reply to Kumar Vikram
Ninem Misao’s reply to Kumar Vikram as reported by VK Sashikumar.
Report by E-Pao.net via The Sangai Express.
Zogam.com discussion
