Page 62 - 15MAR2019E

Book review

his anthology sentiments and, of course,
is one of those InsIder-outsIder row emotions.
must reads Several of the essays are
in the times refuses to dIe down personal accounts and they
we happen to are excellent and almost im-
T be living in, mediately connects one to
when those insider-outsider the prevailing realities that
controversies are doing the The new anthology highlights the issues entire families and clans
rounds, when citizenship that hurt the north-eastern people the most, have faced, rather are still
rows are the talk of the day, writes humra quraishi facing in the North-East.
when the very term nation- Space constraints come
alism is getting hijacked by in way, otherwise I am more
the political mafia control- victims of Partition. Their North East, and the discrim- than tempted to quote from
ling the very existence of experience of being and ination that goes with it.” the essays of Anjum Hasan,
hundreds and thousands becoming refugees is, two In fact, Samrat goes on to Sonal Jain, Mahua Sen,
of us. or three generations later, dwell on the complexities Shalim M. Hussain, Mitra
To quote Preeti Gill, “Who still not over — the debate involved. After all, there are Phukan, Jahnavi Barua, San-
is an Indian really? Why over the National Register of not just religious or regional joy Hazarika, Suhas Chakma,
are we made to wear our Citizens in Assam is proof.” identities involved but even Ankush Saikia, Neeta Singh,
nationality, our identity, Yes, never before as in linguistic and, of course, the Anindita Dasgupta …the
on our sleeve? Why are we these so called hyped ‘de- big question focusing on list of the authors to this
required to constantly prove veloped’ times that we are the entire controversy of anthology is long and this in
ourselves as Indian nation- witnessing this turbulent migration. itself is a very positive sign,
alists, as patriotic citizens? phase! Compounded by the If one were to read the for there is a whole range
Can we not just be human, politics of the day; chaos varying essays tucked in this of views and viewpoints,
people who live together and confusion reigns on the anthology, several of the together with the back-
as neighbours, very differ- insider-outsider issue. To complexities connected to grounders that carry details
ent, very distinct, but still quote Samrat on this, “The the insider-outsider issue, to an array of upheavals
inhabiting the same space in dividing lines between the are bound to get cleared… and turmoil and realities. In
a peaceable, gracious way?” insider and the outsider are yes, that haze gets clear. fact, each single essay in this
In fact, Samrat elaborates often confusing and unclear, There is a whole range of anthology carries stories
on the insider-outsider even for those who have thoughts and voices and coupled with inputs which
factor in the preface to this grown up experiencing be- carry the vital inputs to this
anthology, “Among the sto- ing the ‘othered.’ In the hills InsIder region and its people.
ries from North-East India, of the region, in towns such OutsIder: Be- In fact, such books should
a compelling and untold as Shillong for instance, lOngIng And be introduced at the school
bunch revolves around the the clash was often seen as unBelOngIng and college levels so that we
In nOrth-
experiences of the ‘outsid- one between tribal insiders eAst IndIA get to grasp the finer picture
ers’ in the region. This is and non- tribal outsiders. EditEd by PrEEti to the North East. As of now,
a fascinating case of role However the Chakma trib- Gill and Samrat most of us sit ignorant to
amarylliS/man-
reversal; people from com- als, the Chin tribals, and the jul PubliShinG the ground realities and the
munities that are majorities tea tribes of Assam have all houSE prevailing situation in these
in India or the countries faced the outsider tag in the 244 pp; 399 states. As I have mentioned
around its North-East live in before it’s a must read, if
the region as oft-persecuted we want to understand
minorities. Theirs is a story, and grasp the complexi-
that begins, typically, with ties involved on the insider
the partition of Indian in outsider front!
1947. It is a story of those And I simply loved to
who suddenly, with draw- see that this book has been
ing of new international dedicated to – ‘To the people
borders, found themselves of North-East India…all of
as nowhere people in them, Dkhars and Bongols,
hostile lands. These people indigenous and migrants.’
and their descendants are
still, seventy two years on, letters@tehelka.com