Dear Editor,
The outbreak of coronavirus has created havoc in the entire world and since the virus originated from china, it was inevitable that people from north eastern states would face racism. We all must have heard by now about the Manipuri girl who got spit on by a passerby, and another Manipuri girl who was physically assaulted in Gurgaon (Gurugram). Likewise, many reports are coming from all over the country about people from the North East facing racism.
So, here I am; sitting in the comfort of my home and writing to you while people suffer not just from the fear of the coronavirus but also racism. It’s 2020 and we are still facing such issues, which goes on to show how complacent we and our government have become.
Through your esteemed daily, I wanted to convey these reasons to all the mainland people as to why we are as much as Indians as you are.
1. We are as misogynistic as you are. Yes, you heard it right. We treat our women the same way you treat your women. We, just like you, think that feminism is too far-fetched a concept. So, in this regard, we are as much as Indian as you are.
2. Did you elect BJP to power? We did too. Yay! That makes us Hinduwadi brothers.
3. Do your politicians make false promises to you while campaigning and you still vote for him/her because you are paid to do so? That makes the two of us.
4. Do you condemn racism? Yes? But do you try and do anything about it? No? We are the same.
5. We, like any other Indian, enjoy Bollywood more than we should. We love watching those regressive mainstream movies (particularly Karan Johar and Yash Raj movies) where there is no representation of minorities whatsoever.
I hope the people now understand that we are as Indian as anyone. This “Sautela vyavahar” has been going on for far too long and the people in power ought to be doing something to tackle this issue instead of just condemning it on social media.
Sincerely,
Anonymous Arunchalee