LECTURETTE - Are we forgetting our Seven Sisters?

Are we forgetting our seven Sisters?

Background :-

·         Over the years, there has been a wide gap between the Northeastern states and mainstream India. Being a part of India these seven states in Northeast part of the country are collectively called the ‘Seven Sisters’. The sisters have not only geographically been ignored, but also neglected from the sub-conscious mind of the rest of India.

·         The seven sisters involve Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur. Arunachal Pradesh marks the Gateway entry for India based on its strategised geography. These states are blessed with dense forests and pleasant weather conditions.

·         The great figures such as Baichung Butia – the well-known football player, Mary Kom – Olympic boxing winner, Arnab Goswami – the famous Indian journalist have made some major contributions towards the development and reputation of the country internationally.

·         The sisters hold approximately 23% of the country’s total agricultural land and therefore does a major contribution to the country. They are widely recognised for tea production and interestingly exports 5.7% of Orchids produce globally. 

Yes :-

·         With the constant government negligence towards the North-eastern states, there has a drop in the employment rates with almost zero economic development projects taken forward to uplift the standards and matching them with the rest of the states in India.

·         Most of India has no idea about the culture of these seven sisters and are completely alienated from the rest of the country. Apart from the dance forms, the north-eastern part of India has continued to be a mystery for the rest of Indians and the gap seems to be widening up.

·         The Indian television which is internationally recognised for its advertisements and daily-soaps highlights the culture of the ‘mainland’ India. They are exclusively based on the lives of families coming from Maharastra, Bengal and even Gujarat and the story keeps revolving around it.

·         Seven Sisters is packed with greenery, rich culture and therapeutic beauty which is not very well appreciated and nurtured. The surprising statistics depict that none of the seven sister states comes under the top ten visiting tourist placed in India. This ignorance is costing Indian tourism market and marks the sheer wastage of this hidden beauty. They have immense potential to accelerate the revenues it can generate for Indian Tourism.

No :-

·         In order to maintain the socio-economic development, these North Eastern states have their personal advisory council which known as the North Eastern Council (NEC) established in the year 1971. Interestingly Sikkim got associated with this act recently strengthing the council decisions and amendments. They now have a separate planning organisation within this arrangement.

·         NLCPR ( Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources ) is an initiative involving the various communities of each North Eastern state with the common objective of expediting the civilization and the infrastructure development in each of these Northeastern regions involving Sikkim as the eight state. They mainly try to procure project schemes from the government with good monetary value. 

·         The Government of India, with the sole aim towards the upliftment of tribal groups rooted in these northeastern regions such as Khasi, Bhutia, Angami, and hence ‘special category’ status which helps them utilize their rights and provides them opportunities which in turn help them rebuild their own future. This is done with the initiative to reconnect the seven sisters with the rest of the states and unite the whole nation.

Conclusion:-

India is gifted with a rich heritage, affluent culture and loaded up with incredible biodiversity. Each and every state here has its own speciality and identity. Since long ago North eastern India feels alienated because of the differences in looks, culture and the attitude of the government towards these states. Its vibrant tradition and enriched ecosystem adds a new dimension to the natural beauty of this diverse country. We, therefore, must conserve this part of India and protect this precious part of the country.

By: Ankit Singh