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The marginalized land


Marginalization happens at various levels- sometimes it’s a community and sometimes it’s a land. The north eastern pat of India have generally failed to get much attention as any other part of India. For most of the mainlanders (as we like to call them), few words that come to their mind instantly are exotic, disturbed area, seven sisters, Assam etc.

The land where I grew up also goes through the same crisis. I have always struggled to explain to people about the place from where I am. I belong to one of the tiniest states of north east, Tripura. 

There could be possibly various reasons for the ignorance of people or the mainlanders. One of the reasons could be scanty representation of this place in media or our school text books. The severe under representation of the north east India is something worth thinking about. It diminishes the space for debates over serious issues and problems of north east.

Lack of knowledge or it’s topography could possibly be one of the many reasons for this under representation. But what are more complex issues going on there? What’s the idea of nation and state in the context of north east? Why do the narratives of the north east get erased even before reaching the other part of India? Who holds the power over the stories of north east?

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