In order to sensitise students about north-east India and also to deter the racial isolation of this part of the country, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), for the first time, has come up with a comprehensive book.

The book, 'North East India — People, History and Culture', talks about the eight states — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim in detail and for the first time the freedom fighters from the region have been written about in great detail. The book talks about important movements in history like the 1904 women's struggle in Manipur against the British. North-east states have played an important role in the struggle for freedom, which don't find a place in our history books. This book attempts to capture that too.

Making headlines only as a hot-bed of insurgency and backwardness—this is how the rest of India know or think they know the North East. Isolation of Northeast states and lack of awareness about the Northeast culture among the people of mainland India has been attributed as a major cause for racial discrimination. There has been growing disenchantment among the residents of this part of India and increasing demand that the Centre and its agencies not ignore the alienation of this region anymore.

Last year, the Ministry of Human Resource Development came up with a unique way to end the discord of the Northeastern people by directing the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to prepare textbooks on the culture and life of the eight Northeastern states, which will be prescribed as supplementary reading for school students.

The idea behind this decision, as said earlier is social integration. There are many students from the Northeast, who study in the different parts of the country and complain of social discrimination and alienation. Therefore, if youngsters read about their life and culture growing up, this problem could be alleviated to quite an extent. 

This step by the government and NCERT would certainly help in developing a bond with the Northeastern states. Reading about the culture and beauty would also make the NE students feel proud of their rich heritage.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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