India proudly presents itself as a land of unity in diversity. With countless religions, cultures, ethnicities, languages, and food habits, the country celebrates pluralism as its greatest strength. From the snow-clad Himalayas to the coastal plains, from deserts to dense forests, India is a mosaic of differences held together by a shared national identity. However, this celebrated diversity often fails to translate into dignity and acceptance for the people of Northeast India, who continue to face racial discrimination, stereotyping, and violence despite being an inseparable part of the country because they look, eat, dress, and live differently.
The Northeast region of India is home to diverse indigenous communities with distinct ethnic features, cultures, traditions, and food habits. Many people from this region have East and Southeast Asian facial features, which visibly distinguishes them from the dominant population in other parts of the country. Their traditional attire, fermented and meat-based food habits, and close-knit tribal cultures further mark them as “different.” Sadly, this difference has often been used as a basis for exclusion rather than appreciation.
For decades, students and working professionals from the Northeast have migrated to cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata etc for education and employment. Instead of finding opportunities and acceptance, many of them encounter everyday racism. They are mocked, stereotyped, and reduced to offensive labels such as “Chinese,” “chinky,” or “momo.” These slurs are not casual jokes; they are expressions of deep-rooted prejudice that reduce individuals to their physical appearance and strip them of their identity and dignity.
The situation becomes even more disturbing when such discrimination turns violent. The recent racial attack in Dehradun that took the life of Angel Chakma from Tripura is a painful reminder of how dangerous this discrimination can become. His death is not an isolated incident but part of a larger, ongoing reality faced by countless people from the Northeast. Across India people from Northeast face verbal abuse, physical assault, housing discrimination, workplace harassment, and social exclusion. Many suffersilently, choosing not to report incidents due to fear, trauma, or lack of trust in the system. Whether they are students living in hostels or professionals working in corporate offices, racism follow them into classrooms, streets, markets, and even hospitals.
What makes this situation more tragic is the normalization of such behavior. Racism against Northeast Indians is often brushed aside as ignorance, humor, or misunderstanding. Victims are told to “adjust” or “ignore it,” placing the burden of tolerance on those being oppressed rather than on society to change. This normalization reflects a deeper structural problem rooted in how India understands itself and one that begins with a lack of awareness and understanding.
This ignorance is visible even in the biggest cities. Many people do not know how many states exist in the Northeast, and some even believe that Nagaland is a different country. Students and professionals from the region are often asked whether a visa is required to travel there or what currency is used. These are not harmless questions but they expose a serious lack of basic civic and geographical awareness. When a part of India is repeatedly treated as foreign, its people are inevitably made to feel like outsiders in their own country.
Furthermore, cultural education in schools rarely goes beyond dominant traditions and festivals. While students may learn extensively about Mughal history, North Indian dynasties, or major metropolitan
cultures, but the festivals, folklore, art forms, languages, and social values of the Northeast remain invisible. This invisibility denies dignity to an entire region and its people.
A major contributor to this widespread ignorance is the Indian education system. School and college textbooks offer minimal representation of Northeast India. The region is often mentioned only in the context of conflict, insurgency, or geographical remoteness, while its rich cultural heritage, indigenous governance systems, freedom fighters, and social contributions remain largely absent. Students across the country grow up learning little to nothing about the people of the Northeast, reinforcing the idea that they exist outside the national mainstream. This lack of representation has serious consequences. When children are not taught about the diversity within their own nation, unfamiliarity easily turns into prejudice. Difference becomes something to mock or fear rather than understand and respect. Cultural education in schools is often limited to dominant traditions and festivals, leaving little room for the languages, folklore, art forms, and social values of Northeast India. Such exclusion silently denies dignity to an entire region.
Mainstream media has also played a troubling role in shaping prejudice against the Northeast. National attention often arrives only when there is violence, insurgency, or unrest in the region, reducing it to a zone of conflict. The everyday realities like the rich cultures, colorful festivals, indigenous traditions, natural beauty, and peaceful communities are largely ignored. This selective storytelling strips the region of its humanity and complexity. When a place is shown only through fear and bloodshed, its people are unconsciously viewed as dangerous or alien. Media, instead of building understanding, has too often reinforced distance, silence, and stereotype.
Racism against Northeast Indians is not just a social issue; it is a failure of national conscience. It challenges the constitutional values of equality, fraternity, and dignity. Looking different, eating different food, or wearing different clothes does not make anyone less Indian. Indian identity is not defined by skin tone, facial features, or food habits but it is defined by shared citizenship and mutual respect. Addressing this problem requires more than sympathy after tragic incidents like that happened to Angel Chakma. It demands structural change. Educational curriculum must be revised to include comprehensive and respectful representation of Northeast India. Teachers must be trained to address diversity sensitively, and students must be encouraged to see difference as strength, not threat. Media narratives must move beyond stereotypes and laws against racial discrimination must be strictly enforced. Most importantly, society must listen to the voices of people from the Northeast, not as outsiders but as equal stakeholders in the Indian story. Only when diversity is met with dignity can India truly live up to its promise of unity in diversity.
~ Moajungshi Menon