|  | By Kaushik Basu
Professor of economics, Cornell University |  Tucked away between China, Burma and Bangladesh, and linked to the rest of India by a sliver of north Bengal that arches over Bangladesh, India's north-east is a region of amazing grace - charming people, ancient cultures and bountiful nature.  The eight states of the north-east comprise a region of diversity | As any shrewd observer of the world would deduce from this, it is a region of contested claims, strife and anarchy. The eight states of the north-east comprise a region of diversity - multiple religions, dialects and tribes, each with its distinctive culture and history. In Mizoram there are the Bnei Menashe, who claim to be Jews, descendants of the ancient tribe of Menasseh. Then there are groups from as near as Bihar, such as the Adivasis who came to work in the Assam tea gardens and stayed on. Their claim to special rights, granted to "original inhabitants", is contested by the local people, who argue that they lost that status by their move, for they are not original to Assam. |  If we do not act soon, there is every possibility that the region will erupt into internecine warfare of a kind not seen in India before  | Some of these contests acquire a farcical dimension, such as when China welcomed but refused to give visas to some delegates from Arunachal Pradesh on the grounds that China considered parts of that state to be Chinese. India meanwhile insisted that China must insist on visas. Copying Kapuscinski Of all the states of this region, the most troubled is Manipur. I flew into Imphal, Manipur's capital, by a short Indigo flight from Guwahati on the morning of 8 January. Ryszard Kapuscinski is known to be the great travel writer of our times, but he was more than that. He was a philosopher, an astute and compassionate observer of the human condition.  There are few signs of the famous Indian economic boom here | When Kapuscinski journeyed to remote lands, he carried with him the greatest travel book of antiquity, Herodotus' Histories. Out of this experience came his own masterpiece, Travels with Herodotus. I am doing what Kapuscinski did, but at one remove - I am travelling with his book. I arrive in Imphal with a blinding headache and flop down in bed in my artlessly large room in Hotel Nirmala. I try to read, but fall asleep. When I wake up, the winter sun is streaming in through my open windows. From my balcony I can see the chaos of Thangal Bazar - tarless streets, unkempt roof-tops, half-cemented buildings, the anarchy of low-hanging electric wires criss-crossing in different directions and tapped from below by small shops with rusty tin roofs. Collapsing economy The flashes of colour come from the women, in their stunning phaneks - sarong like wrap-arounds - and shawls. They seem to be endowed with an effortless grace. There are few signs of the famous Indian economic boom here. This is a region of a collapsing economy, huge unemployment, and interrupted power supply. I was assured that at most times it was safe to touch those exposed wires. At night I go for dinner to the home of an old Manipuri friend.  Insurgent groups routinely extort money in Manipur | It is a picturesque three-hundred year old house, with a quaint courtyard, mysterious stairways, muslin curtains and melodious wooden floors. To get there one has to drive over a rock-strewn and dug-up road. It has been under repair for four years. When we reach the house, there is a power outage and we sit by lanterns and candles. On the way back there is not a soul in the streets - life is too insecure for that - and my hotel has pulled down shutters from the ceiling which are bolted to the floor with padlocks. The people of the north-east have high human capital - Mizoram's literacy rate is second only to the state of Kerala's. And it has a history that goes back 2,000 years. Ratan Thiyam's Manipuri theatre is famous internationally. An 11-year old boy, Honey Kenao, plays the tabla like a grand master. He is a prodigy - we will without doubt see more of him. At various institutes and universities where I speak, the discussion is lively and engaged. Threat of war But beneath this, the region is simmering.  The vast human potential of this region risks being wasted | Insurgent groups routinely extort money from bureaucrats, shopkeepers and professors. Kidnappings are frequent. Trucks on highways are often stopped by competing local powers and either have their cargo confiscated or are allowed to pass after paying a "tax". Hardly any new industry worth its name is moving into the region. There are three immediate measures that the Indian government needs to take. - Improve law and order
India has to clamp down on extortion and make it clear that the collection of taxes and exertion of force is a prerogative of government. As Max Weber had reminded us, the state must have a "monopoly of violence" - meaning, if anybody has the right to use force, it is the state. - Invest in infrastructure
Roads, railways, financial services and electricity provision all need more money and all lag behind other points of India. - Improve interaction
If the region remains cut off from the rest of India, there is every possibility that it will erupt into internecine warfare of a kind not seen in India before. And that will be extremely unfortunate for a region that has so much potential.
Here is a selection of your comments I completely agree with the writer's viewpoint. I had a chance to travel to North East and noticed the same thing. There definitely has been some apathy from the government which has led to the current situation. Gautam Gauri, India The real problem is lack of understanding from the mainland of India of what these groups want. The central government is meeting force by equal or more force instead of skilful negotiation, more development funding and creating more opportunities. India should try to unite the seven states into one unit which will stop the current divisiveness. Rabin Mahanta, USA It's a shame that for many decades India's government, politicians and statesmen continue to ignore the NE states. I have worked and lived in North-Eastern India for about 7 years and having worked with the locals, I felt that the fruits of economic development never reached these people. These people, in my view, were always treated as second-class citizens. All the stakeholders involved should put in concerted efforts in addressing the major concerns of the people and work towards a sustainable and meaningful solution which will help all sections of the society. In this day and age, when pollution is strife in rest of India, this beautiful North Eastern region could be a show piece from eco-tourism perspective for foreign tourists. Reddy S Mandala, Melbourne, Australia Things do not improve in the North-eastern part of India because of corruption, both official and unofficial. Each competing force of lawlessness is blaming the finger at the other. Chandru Narayan, USA Rule of law is a concept which most Indian politicians at the state and federal level privately scoff at once they get elected to positions of power. Even today, basic law enforcement is a challenge to the ordinary police officer for most part of the country owing to lack of support from the government. Lack of or absence of the rule of law cripples India and keeps it as a third world country despite rich natural and human resources. The Indian political apparatus needs heavy investment in rule of law in letter and spirit for economic and socio-political advancement of the whole country. Balagopal K Raleigh, United States The north east states of India have been neglected historically by successive governments and due to linguistic/racial/ethnic identity & diversity, the NE people have also been late in assimilating with the mainstream. The only way to bring the region to focus is through direct highways through Bengal to those states and investment in industries. Maulik, USA Mr Basu's analysis into the troubles of the North-Eastern States is quite remarkable in its refusal to legitimate the demands of the peoples in that region. That is, Mr. Basu, like so many other Indian writers, regards the militant groups as mere miscreants bent on extorting money, and no attention is paid to the alienated masses of the region who have for over fifty years suffered under the brutal yoke of a thick and omnipresent Indian military occupation. Mr. Basu's remedies for the region are woefully inadequate so long as he continues to deny consideration to the legitimate aspirations for self-determination amongst the peoples of the North-East. The troubles in the North-East cannot be solved by investment and interaction from New Delhi if the people of the region wish to cut themselves off from the centre. Ridwan, USA Excellent commentary from Prof Basu. The sad part is that the three measures mentioned by Prof Basu have been so obvious already for so many years that the real question is why has the situation on these fronts not become significantly better? Dr Bhavender Paul Sharma, USA First of all, I am very pleased to see an article on this from the BBC. The NE region of India has been left neglected for many decades. The Indian government ignored the region as the states do not constitute enough vote power in parliament but have subsidised the states to keep the local politicians happy and the region limping along. It also does not help that the local insurgents, in the name of freedom movement, are tearing the state apart instead of promoting entrepreneurship and growth. My heart bleeds every time I visit my state. I was born in Manipur but, as often is the case in 'war'-torn regions, left many years ago. My wife is not an Indian citizen and when we went to get married in Imphal, the Indian government refused to issue her a Restricted Area Permit, a permit compulsory for all foreigners travelling to the state/region. She was issued a permit after I challenged the then Chief Secretary to give me a good reason why I should feel part of India when I can't even get married in my own home state. You tell me! Nanao Sharma, France/UK The only news one gets of North East is insurgency. That border regions need special attention, should be part of the geopolitical policy and reality. I have watched for a north eastern face in Hindi movies - it is prominent by its absence. North East is not on India's psyche. This should be the first step. it is a step that both government and the NGOs need to take. I must congratulate Kaushik Basu having brought to light a vital issue for people of India . Ashwin Ghatalia, USA Having been born and brought up in the North East (Assam and Meghalaya), I agree completely with this article. India needs to wake up to the plight of its citizens in that troubled region if it has any claim to being a democratic country with the good of its people at heart. Navneet, India/ USA You have stated "interaction" to be one of the solution for such disharmony. But let me tell you about the story of any North-eastern person who have interacted with the rest of India. First and foremost, The Indian Government needs to educate the rest of India about the existence of the North-eastern states. At our school geography books we have just 1 or 2 pages mentioning about the diverse cultures of the North-east. And the average Indian student just skip through that page. You may wonder, that will not be harmful. But it is. People from the North-east are sick and tired of being asked if they are from China or which country Mizoram or Manipur belongs to. There is always that level of insecurity among every north-eastern student you see in India, the way they are excluded from any group and the way they are racially discriminated. People from the North-east can never have that "sense of belonging" with India when they are treated so differently by the rest of India, even if they really try to. And these same people go back to their respective states telling their kindred about the discrimination they faced in Mainland India. And they in turn have a preconceived notion about India that they will not be welcomed. The root of the problem lies with education. Kima, Mizoram, India I agree wholeheartedly. I recently travelled through rural and urban Assam and it is disheartening to see the disproportional development going on. Since I was on a self-guided wildlife tour of India, the tourist facilities available in Assam were minimalistic and out of touch with the realities of a booming Indian tourist industry. While that suited my budget-travel student needs, local development cannot be sustained without considerable investment of resources by the government of India to make sure the north-east does not suffer the over development that has ruined ecosystems around India. But it should ensure that the north-east undergoes sustainable and eco-friendly development as a model for the rest of the world. Arvind Badrinarayanan, St Kitts and Nevis (Indian Citizen) I completely agree with the Author. Most of Indians don't know much about these north-eastern states, (i wonder some times, does the government know ??) often called as sister states. There are so many conflicting reports and stories about Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, one would wonder how the government is going to answer the public concerns. Mahendar, India Well written article. From my experience, I think that the government should also advertise more of North-East to the rest of India so that people feel that its also part of India and there is also more than just extra land. If you really ask people, I bet that they hear about North-East only from people who are in the military because they are posted everywhere. Atul, New York, US Thanks for the observations. I have travelled quite a few north eastern states (infact I was born in Meghalaya). The solutions are pretty obvious to any literate observer and I am sure our government hires enough(may not be percentage wise) of them. But instead of providing these, could you maybe give more insight on why this hasn't been happening for such a long time and even though the efforts you mention are ongoing, why are they easily disrupted by the insurgents. Pritam Ganguly, U.S.A After a long time I have seen someone raising this issue. This should become a big movement and India needs to save those states from being taken away. We are not using our resources to the full Leena Ektare, USA I have lived in the North-East for many years. More money from the government of India has flown into this region per capita than to any other part of the country. Politicians, insurgents and government officials have helped themselves to this largesse. There have acquired lots of estate and other assets in the North-East, other parts of India and even abroad. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited one of the states in the North-East last week and announced more goodies. No doubt politicians and insurgents will feel happy. Hilary Pais, India Appreciate that you have taken the pain to visit and learn the cause why North East India is so backward. I happen to come from Shillong. I totally agree to the measures you suggested. But before that the local people should open themselves from the fear of cultural destruction. Being Indian myself, I need to take special permit to visit part's of my own country. If someone tries to do something for the people of the state vested interest will try to pull it back. What can a government do when people of the states refuses to implement any projects. Nilanjan Choudhury, London, United Kingdom Kaushik Basu writes as if he is ignorant of the life of a common Indian man or woman. Save some flashy places and people here and there, India continues to reel under utter lack of basic infrastructure. Outage of power, scarcity of water - drinking or not, bad road are ubiquitous. Extortion and ransom are also not uncommon in places like Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. A visit to Bihar would be suffice to reveal a similar if not identical situation to Manipur. Manipur cannot be isolated, rather its situation may be generalized to most of the northern India. Param Dubey, USA This is an excellent article but it fails to point out something obvious - namely, India is too big and diverse to rule and manage from New Delhi. Just as the old Soviet Union discovered that it could not hold on to its vast empire, India will have to come to terms with an independent array of states on its north east border. Raghu Poduval, UK It seems Mr. Basu is looking at the region through an Indian perspective and being prescriptive in the same vein. But, me born in Assam and having close association with the indigenous people across the region through my human rights work have come to understand that the indigenous inhabitants do not accept the region as North East of India. Although majority of them find it difficult to give a name to carry what they wish to mean, I have come across references that the region is being identified now a days as East South Asia; which perhaps is quite appropriate as they see this region is apart from India. India's violent campaign to oppress most of this region has been on going from adopting of British drawn Armed Forces Ordinance of 1942 to prevent independence of India into the Indian Statue book as the Armed Forces special Powers Act (Assam and Manipur). Mr Basu may not have time to interact at length to realise that under the blanket of little said or unsaid things the stark realisation of the indigenous inhabitants is that only way they can survive with their special identities is by restoration of sovereignty of the nations which were colonised by the British India administration and later the region ending up inside the Indian union. I believe they do have the right to self-determination as enshrined in the United Nations charter and India should honour it. Dr M Hazarika, UK |
