Instead of directly replying to the comment by Buru on my post on Final Settlement of Boundary Dispute!, I thought of making it a full post. So here it is:
I don’t deny that we the North-Easterner has always been part of prejudice whenever we are in other parts of the country for whatever reasons (for Higher studies, for business trips or just for vacationing) and may be this is one of the reasons why this part of the country has not been able to be brought to the mainstream completely, so far.
But my dear friend Buru, I don’t agree with you that our history says that we came from China. Though, certainly there is folklore, of us migrating from high up above present day Arunachal (In case of Tani Groups), but it never suggested that it was from China. The only reference is some large lake (probably at Tibet) beyond which the elders doesn’t seem to know much or may be doesn’t want to tell further (may be due to some reservations). And to talk about food and culture, I don’t know if there is any similarity between us and the Chinese as I’ve not been to China nor I've tried to study their food habits, tradition or culture, so far. (Here I’m referring to Tani group only). In this regard, I fumbled upon ethnology, and couldn’t find anything that says that Tani group has any link with the people of China. If you do, then let me know.
And I do agree with you that, who the heck they are to decide about our land without taking us into confidence. After all, it’s our land. But then, don’t you think that we people have accepted that we are part of India and we are Indian? What is intriguing is that despite us considering to be part of India, the Centre doesn’t seem to think so. If that’s not the case then Centre should have taken us and the state Government into confidence while carrying forward the talks on border row, even though it is highly sensitive in nature and a diplomatic issue. And now they are deciding our fate. Also, what is more despising is that the state Government seems to be content with the statement that Arunachal is integral part of India, and parroting whatever the Centre wants it to mouth. And the so called intellectuals of this state, they seem to know nothing about or bother about the whole issue.
And if it is the question of who rules Arunachal, then why India or China? Why not America? In that case, Arunachal would become buffer zone to India and China and we may witness infrastructural developments which has so far been eluding us.
The question here is not about Tani group, Mishmi’s, Monpa’s or the other groups of the state, it is about Arunachal-the state as a whole, it is about why should anyone challenge the territorial integrity of our state? Should we be satisfied with the Centre’s statement that 'Arunachal is integral part of India', when they are actually trying to challenge the integrity of the state? Shouldn’t we try to save the territorial integrity? Or should we think either way it's o.k. and don't bother at all about the territorial integrity? What do you say?
Well AG here are my thoughts too:
We are not just victims of Indian prejudice.Even we have prejudice against outsiders.What gets me is that we are victims of ACTIVE discrimination--for 'national interest'.
Meaning:
1.We had traditionally traded with Tibet(China),Burma and Bhutan.In todays world we are in an eminent position to be a transit trading zone.And 'our' Govt has done what? Shut out trade with these countries for'national interest' and we are forced to beg and borrow from Assamese and outsiders as a result.Are we pigs and chickens to be shut like this?
2.The Indian Govt consciously as a matter of policy kept most parts of the state unconnected by road to 'deter Chinese invasion' while the rest of the country is getting gleaming 6-lane highways(I am not cooking-up this story, it broke in the media recently).Are we Guinea pigs to be experimented with like this?
3.By following above policy + handing out easy-money to our politicians without setting up institutions the Indian Govt has made us dependent on their handouts(like British did to some AP people with opium).Are we beggars then?
Re History: well you said we came from Tibet, of which there is no doubt.And Tibet is part of China right?There are still people in Yunnan China (eg Naxi)whose religious rituals are just like us.In addition are you aware that quite a few Bokar Adis and Idu Mishmis are there in China(Tibet)?
Re similarity: First don't mistake me for a Chinese or their supporter.I'm just stating facts.Do we look like Manmohan Singh or Hu Jintao?While the Chinese happily eat beef,dog,rat,bamboo shoots like the rest of us, if you ate the same thing in Delhi you would be ridiculed as "junglees" or chased out by landlords.
Accepting as "Indian" : A country is just a name.It can come and go,change or disappear(eg East Timor/India/Bangladesh/Yugoslavia) etc.If tomorrow we are traded to China we become "chinese" so it doesn't matter what we think.Our ancestors anyway never liked "Indians" too did they? Remember Ziro 1949, Achinmori1953,Chayangtajo 1963--they massacred Indian colonists. In addition even British maps showed Tawang as Tibet and rest of AP as unadministered territory beyond border.
Territorial integrity: whose, India or AP? Like India,AP is also an artificial entity so I dont care a bit about the integrity of either.All I want is that the Indians and Chinese stop talking as if we are cattle and they our owners.I don't care if we are made "Indian" or "Chinese"--whoever respect us and help us rise will be my "country".
What I said was ‘the only reference is some large lake (probably at Tibet) beyond which the elders doesn’t………………’ and it doesn’t mean that we originated from Tibet. What I was trying to imply was that our origin may be much beyond Tibet and that Tibet was, may be only “nyatu” on the way to present place. And who would forget the year 1949 (or was it 1948), when Apatanis attacked Assam Rifle post at Kure, the retaliation of which led to torching of entire village of HARI, leaving the hapless Hao’s to take shelter in the nearby jungles without food. Which also led to using of captured Hao’s to be used as ‘bonded labour’ for construction of Ziro Air Strip.
And thanks for pointing out that we may have some link with Naxi’s of China. I did come across this tribe of Yunnan province of China, in my search for migratory routes and as the folklore suggested, the probable lost brethren that took different route of migration than us, but the only similarity I found was in the agricultural pattern (the terraced wet rice cultivation and the tools used for agricultural practice et al). Guess now, I would be researching more on their religious rituals, tradition and culture.
And yep we have indeed been given raw deal. When it would have been Arunachal as the easternmost part of the country, it’s Assam (to be precise Silchar), when Government decided to connect North, South, West and East through 6-lane expressway. And to talk of administrating this part, well you have this Inner-Line and Outer-Line whose extent was not defined (though now outer-line may be considered as imaginary Mc Mohan Line).
Well, I do respect your views and I have mine too and I’m not here to argue on who administers us, what’s the history of our people etc. Forget about the state government or the Indian Government or their handouts as you have said -they won’t do much to take you in developmental path and would help you rise, what’s important now is how much you are able to give back to your society to make it developed. Do you have it in you?
talk about what u give for ur country not wat it gives it to u!
u should be proud about ur country in which u are born.. not every part of our country is developed.. west, east, north or south.. india is still a developing country with shoddy infrastructure, u cant expect much out of it either.. its we who have to join hands develop it .. n then expect fruits out of it!!!!
if u natives of india aint patriotic enuf to decide wether u love it so much to reside in it.. n help make society a better place for all to stay in.. whats a friggen curropt government we voted for gonna do.. as we all know our government comprises of curropt,selfish, bribery prone officials and politicians with red tape all over.. u cant them to b caring for me or for u..
our governments suck they dont care enough bout the people nor about its land.. for instance .. we gave up kashmir to the pakis.. tibet to china .. nepal and bhutan.. now what more? arunachal pradesh! khalistanis want their own country.. kashmir wants its own land.. wat more
the only solution left to spare india from oppression and subjugation would be:-
give
1) north east india to china
2) north west india to pakistan
3) east india to bangladesh and myanmar
4) south india to tamil nadu
5) west india to any other capitalist white-arsed country
loll ma bad.. south india to sri lanka i ment.. they all tamils afterall
Neo,
We may take you seriously if you improved your grammar and diction, spell out a few solid arguments and stop playing empty patriotic rhetoric.
As you can see, we are least bothered about what New Delhi gives us--all we are asking for is that Delhi should stop ACTIVELY trying to curtail the development of our state by having a POLICY of NOT building roads and infrastructure, keeping us caged away from our neighbouring countries like animals and handing out easy money to our babus.
Or is that too stratospheric for you to understand?