India Through My Eyes

As I traverse the length and breadth of India, I'm constantly reminded of the deep-seated regional biases that permeate our country.

The recent media frenzy surrounding the Meghalaya murder case has once again exposed the tendency to judge fellow Indians based on their geographical origins. 

I feel this media stance has amplified prejudices that has long being ingrained,and fueled divisions which isn't even necessary.

The Blame Game: A Two-Way Street

When incidents like this occur even in our states, we often resort to blaming entire communities or regions. Unfortunately, people from the North-East , including me, are not immune to this behavior either, frequently stereotyping every Bihari, every Punjaban, every Bengali, every Miyas and to an extent that every one from UP, MP, Maharashtra,Rajasthan are all non-local Biharis 😄. We sensationalize and generalize, attributing negative traits to entire groups. But it's not every North-Easterners who do that. So are no mainlanders the same.

- The weight of misconceptions 

I've lost count of how many times I've heard people generalize about entire states or regions. "UP is lawless," "Bihar is dangerous," "North-East is exotic yet intimidating," or "Gujarat is conservative." These sweeping statements are not only inaccurate but also perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

One particular incident that stands out in my mind was when I sat next to an elderly lady on the Delhi metro. She kept her stare at me, and when I smiled, she asked where I was from. When I replied "Nagaland," her expression changed, and she said, "Meri padosi na kaha, Nagaland toh bahut hi khatarnak state hai" (My neighbor said, Nagaland is a very dangerous state). I was taken aback by her distorted view, shaped by preconceived notions. I asked her if she had ever been there and she said never.

I engaged in conversation with her, hoping to dispel some misconceptions. However, I soon realized that I could never change those deeply ingrained notions in just few minutes talk.This experience left me pondering the prevalence of regional biases in our society.

-Overcoming stereotypes

It's time we recognize that these biases are not inherent but rather a product of our environment and upbringing. We really need to change our preconceived notions, practice acceptance and empathy. When I say acceptance, I mean both ways, so much as we consider India to be us, Indians needs to be Indians on all grounds be it in the North, South, East or West.

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