Strangers No More

STRANGERS NO MORE. By Sanjoy Hazarika. Pp. 420, 2018. (Aleph Book Co., New Delhi, Rs 799).

The northeastern areas of India, consisting of seven states, were once less known to people of India. There was a strong sense of alienation from the other Indians. With their distinctive looks, food habits and linguistic abilities, they were more akin to people from East Asia, which an Indian could not easily understand. Once an erudite government official from Mizoram, , was asked to produce his passport at a hotel in Delhi, simply because of how he looked. This was required for only foreigners and his Indian identifications were looked with suspicion. Many students from these states were treated as people from Mars, especially in Delhi. There were fights and retaliations, luckily is cities only. Visitors to their land, the Northeast, were welcomed and there was no animosity generated by these gentle folks.

To write about these attitudes, Sanjoy Hazarika wrote Strangers of the Mist about the Northeast states of India, almost two decades ago. He is an insider so to say and at the same time, as a journalist of repute, could approach the Prime Minister. His book created waves, not ripples, and became a standard reference for the region. He followed it up with other books. Possibly the current book is the culmination of the events he had mentioned in his first book.
Few things are still the same. The author is particularly bitter about the ‘Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. These are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in “disturbed areas”. (AFSPA). There are many incidences of the forces using force against the innocents. At the same time, the Forces cannot operate without such special protection in the face of violent insurgency. Then there are many local groups like ULFA, several groups in Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, and Assam. With proximity to Bangladesh with long common border, the migration problem also comes into play, especially as the migrants are mostly Muslims into staunch Hindu states.

Hazarika considers all these points and narrates incidences to show how things have changed and how many things remain the same. He narrates various struggles, old and new, and wonders whether the people of the Northeast will assimilate with ‘Idea of India’ or despite decades of efforts on both sides, they are destined to be “different”. Government’s “Look East” policy is yet to take off in full measure. The Chinese shadow across Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim always looms large. Though slow, ‘Development’ is seen everywhere. Bridges, roads, air connectivity and Indian goods are flowing everywhere.
But old attitudes die hard. We met a Naga author at Kohima to buy his books and get them autographed. He declared that he is a-dyed-in-the-wool-Naga and will always remain so. He had travelled to world forums to propagate Naga Freedom views. “On which Passport you travelled?” I asked. “Indian? A country/nationality you hate so much?” He turned red. “Don’t ask such pointed questions, I had to use it. But someday we will have our own, for we had declared Independence from the British a day earlier than India did”. Clearly, they needed us and certainly “we” need them for peace. Like the song by Bhupen Hazarika, the legendary singer of the Northeast, we are in the same boat.

The author presents both sides well, the progress and the problems, false promises and the genuine concerns, and politics and democracy which allows for self-expression and freedom. This book is a must-read for all interested in the area. These are proud people, and they do not wish to be strangers. But they want to be part of the idea of India at their own terms.

The book ends with a balance note quoting, perhaps “India’s best hip-hop singers Borkung Hrangkhawl Khabir”. He was stabbed with a sharp knife a few times a decade ago, but luckily it did not go in. He asked why they do it (possibly Indian Security Forces). They said it is their job.

Harish Kapadia