“North East region has some of the
highest literacy rates in the country. Why hasn’t that converted to
development? Obviously educated folks work and are aware of things” we
sought a clarification from an official working towards providing better
education.
“Don’t be so sure. First of all, quality
matters. Secondly, what after education? Are there jobs here? No. People move to
mainland but that is a small number. Also, some of the places here are
completely cut off. Most of these tribes live on the hills which are not
accessible at all”
“Add to this the fact that government
schools practically don’t function here. On paper it is a full-fledged
knowledge temple but on the ground there are only buildings. Teachers outsource their jobs to the locals
for a certain sum and they work somewhere else.”
“With the regular bandhs and violence,
education becomes a luxury for many. Further, the kids lose that flow of
schooling. Most students go to missionary schools or private schools where
infrastructure is a problem due to lack of funds. Many kids trek almost 15km
everyday just to get to school. There is a system of hostels in the region
because of the inaccessibility. Parents pay ₹200 a month to obtain a corner in
a big hall for their child. They leave firewood, rice and few utensils. The
child cooks his/her own food everyday by obtaining vegetables, meat, leaves
etc., from the surrounding forests. If you think about it, they’re already so
knowledgeable about a lot of things.”
“Along with a few friends of mine, we
have taken up a few schools and working on something called WHAM – Winning
Hearts and Minds under Project Sunbird. We provide infrastructure that is
sustainable by the community itself and also provide scholarships to children.
There is also a women self-help group program. This way, the schools get funds
and the community also gets involved, thus making the change sustainable. Our flagship
project in a remote village on a hill where you will go stands testimony to
what can be achieved in a matter of months with the right support and
intention. It is a Naga village that has been in a war with a Kuki village
across the hill. After our intervention, the children from the Kuki village now
study in a school in a Naga village. It is completely unheard of in the area.
The parents too have come closer because of it. We take the kids on trips, show
them movies etc. We have built hostels, learning centres, toilets, kitchens,
and gardens. Can you believe it, after 67 years, last week was the first time
the Indian flag was hoisted in this area in the school?” 
“That is really commendable!” “That is
something!” “Wow” said everyone in the
room except me. I was stuck at “first time after 67 years the Indian flag was
hoisted.” If it took almost 7 decades just to hoist a flag, then what did
“India” achieve by making these states a part of the Union?
We
visited another school, Happiness Home in Churachandpur district of Manipur
which is infamously known as the HIV capital of India. This school was home to
children who have tested positive for HIV. They receive medical aid from an NGO
but education is still a distant dream for them. The spread of HIV in this
region is mainly due to shared needles and with the “drug route” close by, it
spread pretty fast. Generally with the right care, people with HIV live up to
13-14 years but with the neglect here; we were told 4-5 years is the maximum.
My question was once again, where is the government?
Post
the Nirbhaya case, women rights found a new surge in public domain. Rapes
occurred even before that but one of the things different this time around,
according to me, was the awareness. People saw this case across the country,
felt it closer to their homes and knew where the problem lay. Dharnas were
staged, committees were set up, orders were passed, and the entire system was shaken
in accordance with the old saying, “If
the deaf have to hear then the sound has to be very loud.”
Outside
of this entire hullabaloo, the people of this region are quite pleasant, not
just in their talks but also in their ways. Asia’s cleanest village is to be
found in this region and it is not just this one village that is clean. The
entire region is well maintained with elaborate drainage systems, eco-dustbins
(made from bamboo), regular cleaning etc. The people take complete ownership of
the place and ensure that everybody works towards it.
When
one of my friends lost her card and was making calls to arrange something, the
locals overheard and ensured her entire trip back was paid for. They even
handed her food for the journey. I cannot imagine this happening in Mumbai,
Pune, Bengaluru or Delhi. Despite all that goes on around them, people still
hope in their own simple ways that one day they will live to see the light,
light that will shine not just on a Kuki, Konyak, Lotha or a Meithei but on the
entire country!
I
believe that awareness amongst the people living in the mainland is the first
step towards a sustainable solution for our country as a whole. Free movement
of people has changed a lot of things in the world and this too shall change. Visiting
these places, talking about it, questioning people, trade, exchange programs,
schools, employment, industry and million other possible things can be
employed. All it requires first is for people to take cognisance of the issue.
There are regions riddled with Naxalism, Militancy, Terrorists, Communalism,
Regionalism and a million other –isms
but how many of them are really “issues”? Can we be absolutely sure it is not
just another case of bad governance?
I don’t know what the solution is. But I do know
that there are many out there who do. Let this not be an Open Secret anymore. Let
us as people become aware that a problem exists and demand/create a solution
ASAP, a solution that is sustainable and one that gives back to people what our
forefathers laid down their lives for, freedom!
…borders, like hatred,
are exaggerated precisely because otherwise they would cease to exist
altogether.
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