Student bodies across the North East have come together to organise a “Twitter storm” using the hashtags #AchapterforNE and #NortheastMatters demanding that the history and culture of northeast be made a part of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) curriculum. The event is set to take place on June 4, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
NSUD: Naga Students’ Union Delhi (NSUD), an apex body of Naga students in Delhi & NCR comprising of 20 different tribes has extended its support towards the initiative. In a press release, NSUD president Isaac Charenamei and general secretary Vitso Rio said that many aspiring students from the North Eastern Region (NER) India aspired to land in metros cities with a hope of becoming a successful person.
However, NSUD said that it was “excruciating to experience” with the increasing number or cases of discrimination based on race, colour and creed against the people from the NER.
While expressing concerns over the recent spike in racism, violence and hate against people from the North Eastern states, NSUD extended its solidarity to Ninong Ering, MLA from Arunachal Pradesh “who fell victim to racism”.
Condemning the “intolerable spate of abhorrent racist rants spewed by the YouTuber against the MLA” the union demanded stringent action against the perpetrator. It affirmed its solidarity with communities that have been “hurt, threatened and discriminated just because they were born one colour” and said that “we must recognise that silence is complicity and that we must speak up to instigate the change”.
Demanding the inclusion of a section on the North East chapter in the NCERT curriculum, it also appealed to the government and the concerned authority “to frame rules, regulations and policies such as the anti-racial law to avert and put a stop to the infelicitous incidents”.
NSUD has therefore called upon on the learned scholars, student friends and other organisations to take part in the Twitter Storm “to foster a sense of belonging, especially for our people who have been marginalised historically and continue to be”.
NUSU: Nagaland University Students’ Union (NUSU) of all four campuses [NUSU (L), NUSU (KC), SU: SASRD and SETSU] have collectively joined hands with various student leaders from different universities all over North East India “to eradicate the plague of racism”.
In a press release, NUSU (L) president Hipito Achumi, NUSU (KC) president Aliamoa S Longkumer, SU:SASRD president Chumbenthung Patton and SETSU president Watitemjen Kichu stated that “racism is an evil that needs to be uprooted and the most pre-eminent approach to achieve this is through education”.
It stated that educating the masses, “especially the ignorant” about the significance of Northeast India through a mandatory chapter concerning the rich history of Northeast India in NCERT textbooks would uproot the evil of racism from its very root.
In this regard, NUSU has appealed to all like-minded citizens to join in the Twitter storm and has requested the government of India to add a mandatory chapter concerning Northeast India in the NCERT textbooks.