A few days ago, Dana Sangma-a student of the renowned Amity International- killed herself. She had been sent out of the exam hall after the invigilator caught her with a cell phone. That is what i have heard so far, I don't know Dana and i don't know why she brought her cell phone in the exam hall but i feel there was something more. And there was the case of Richard Loitam who was killed by his hostel mates in Bengaluru.Their deaths is an outcome of what most of us -'chinkis', 'aliens-in-our-own-land'- faces everyday in Delhi, Bengaluru or any metro cities.
RACISM is a blot to the famous 'Unity in Diversity' tag, a blot to the world's largest Democracy- government of the people, by the people and for the people- where there is a clear inequality among its citizens. For many of us, the 'chinkis', who lives in metro cities each day we have to walk out of our house braving ourselves knowing that someone for sure is going to pass some insulting comments or throw a lustful glance on you (if you happen to be a girl). Living in Delhi for almost four years, i know that every North eastern has being harrased and being labelled a "chinky" in an insulting manner at least once. Chinky means tiny eyed but the way they used it does not just mean tiny eyes, its the way they like to insult us. No wonder even a kid will tease you with a mocking laughter. And here what is truly tragic is that many of us, including me, has got used to it. We've gotten used to all those lewd remarks, lustful glances, everyday insults, we just let it happen as if it is normal. But it is not normal. Racism is not normal, it never was.
It is understandable and even tolerable when a rowdy uncivilized person discriminates you but what hurts most and frustrates most is when the supposedly "educated", "civilized" person discriminates you because you are a "chinky". In the "Modern" institutions, racism is practised rather diplomatically and subtly. One of our lecturers once encouraged the students, "if so and so (naming us the chinkis in her class) can do it, why can't you?" she said. I and my other northeast friend, at that point of time, stupidly thought she was praising us. It took me a long time to understand the fallacy in her lines.Whether she said it intentionally or not, i got the point that this whole racism thing was still so strong in her sub-conscious psyche. After i finished college, i got to know that she was a racist, big time!! There are situations even worse than that. I have heard of cases where many students are victims of racism, that too subtly and diplomatically that one cannot even prove it. There are some educational institutions (not all) where students from the northeast or the lower caste are intentionally given lesser marks than their classmates even if they are intellectually competent and work harder than their fellow students.
You see, Racism today happens very subtly. It does not put a board outside the shop declaring "Chinkis not allowed". Instead it allows every Chinky to come inside the shop but make sure that he/she is the last one on the line.
But broader still is the whole dimension of discrimination, and racism is just a part of it. How often had we, as young students, memorised in our social sciences tests that "discrimination is based on gender, race, religion, class, caste etc". But little did we know then, how much lives had been taken that too brutally because of these different kinds of discrimination. Discrimination is all predicated on the belief system, the mindset, the psyche and when left unchecked it leads to hate and finally killings. And until and unless these belief systems, these frames one has built of another has been changed, no anti-discrimination act or law(doesn't matter how effective it sounds) can stop discrimination. And it all starts from the heart, the mind, the family, the school and the society.
Just how much lives will it take, how much humiliations one has to face, how much dignity will be deprived until it ends....................
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