Letter From The Editor

Warm Greetings,

Ever since independence, India has been searching for an answer to its economic dwindles and under-developed status. Being home to a mix of people – both culturally and financially, it would not be prudent to establish the same laws for one and all. The term Scheduled Tribe was essentially an administrative coinage, used for purposes of giving out constitutional privileges, benefits and security in independent India. The first prerequisite of Indian Scheduled Tribes is through a notified order of the President, after consultation with the concerned State Government. These orders can be modified consequently only through an Act of Parliament. As per Article 342 of the Indian Constitution, the President has promulgated nine such orders so far. India can proudly be called the largest tribal population in the world. The Scheduled Tribes constitute a decent 8.2 percent of its population with six hundred and ninety-eight documented tribes till date.

India’s tribal imprint is noticeably visible in the Hindu tradition. Much of Hindu civilisation possesses tribal forerunners. The tribal element aided in delimiting the Sanskrit inheritance, as the Arthashashtra, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana suggest. And yet due to reasons of geography, colonial history and a number of shortcomings in post-independence era, the scheduled tribes are yet to become sophisticated. The renewed demand in Assam for granting Scheduled Tribe status to six indigenous groups once again brings to the fore the debate over the effectiveness of this approach in bringing these ethnic groups at par with the mainstream populace. The demand certainly seems justifiable as their distant relatives in mainland India, particularly in the state of Jharkhand, have been given the ST status. In this backdrop the discrimination cuts deep if their economic condition is taken as a criterion.

The one problem constantly plaguing the region of Northeast India is that of insurgency and militancy resulting from unmanned border areas. With assistance from hostile forces outside the nation, Tripura is the current hotbed of divided interests. Under such troubled times it is imperative that the ruling government bring as many outfits as possible to the negotiation table. Having closely followed the peace process between the Government of India and the NSCN, it would be too naive to take heart from the recent round of talks. Given the hurdles that remain to be crossed and the sensitivity of the matter at hand, one can only hope that this time the talks culminate into something substantial. While the time taken is understandable, the long wait further complicates the situation with unforeseen developments. Ajit Doval, an expert and an old Northeast specialist, does instil some confidence but given the reception to R N Ravi’s appointment by the NSCN leaders, there seems to be still a lot of thin water treading to be done.

With the growing IT culture and fast-food dependence gripping the working class, one worrying aspect has been the growth of certain otherwise preventable diseases. For a generation that spends most of its time on smartphones, the increased incidence of Diabetes amongst the young can be attributed as a curse of technology. Having to do little to no physical activity throughout the day, the human body is slowly but surely changing- evolving into something undesirable. A little effort and care will go a long way in capping the growing rate of this lifelong disease.

An encouraging step in this direction is the emerging trend of league matches in association with celebrities to create interest amongst the masses. Walking in the footsteps of the Indian Premiere League (IPL), similar league associations between local and international players in different games will definitely give a boost to the sporting culture of the nation, so long as politics is kept at bay.

As Northeast India joins the world in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, we would like to bring to you some little known local festivals of the region as well. Be it the Shad Lukhmi Festival of Marngar from Meghalaya, the Poi Pee Mau of Tai Khampti from Arunachal Pradesh or the Wangala of Garos from Meghalaya, each festival is marked with splendour. The ultimate goal of each being to create comradeship among the community and to preserve their age old traditions and rituals.

Wishing all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year 2015!

Dr. K.K. Jhunjhunwala