Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Dear friends

The month of February is the shortest month in the calendar year. The name February comes from the Roman period of Februa, a festival of purification, which is also known as Lupercalia. The festival of Februa was named after the Roman God Februus, who represented purification, and the month and has originated from the Sabine culture.

However, this month has been an eventful albeit bad one for the people of the North East. Firstly we had an ugly incident at Delhi in which a young man Nido Tania lost his life as a result of alleged racial discrimination. The second incident involved Pranab Bora who is a follower of KMSS president Akhil Gogoi. Bora had self – immolated as a sign of protest against an alleged discrimination in the allotting of land pattas to the landless people of Guwahati. Both the incidents are thought provokers and call for radical changes in perspective.

Delhi belongs to all as it is the capital of India. The North East students, time and again, have faced racial discrimination which is a reality not only in Delhi but also in many parts of the country. The people of the North East have distinct facial features by which they are identified and due to which they are subjected to harassment. They even pay more for their paying guest accommodation, as it is a general perception in Delhi that the people of North East are very rich. This issue of discrimination has time and again surfaced in the past and the death of Nido Tania has once again raised this issue and much debate and discussion has taken place. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has formed a high level committee to look into the matter. Not only that, the future Prime Ministerial candidates Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi have also spoken about this in their election meetings in the North Eastern Region. We have made a detailed analysis of this issue and our correspondent Swati Deb has contributed an article in this regard. We only hope that the issue will be taken in the right direction.

Coming to the second incident wherein 45 year old Pranab Bora, a KMSS activist self - immolated in front of the Assam State Secretariat, Guwahati, it is an act which has no place in civilized society. The responsibility for this horrific incident rests on the leader of the KMSS who failed to stop this act of Pranab Bora, a form of protest which has never before been seen in Assam. Hence, it is Akhil Gogoi who should take full responsibility for the death of Pranab Bora and not Tarun Gogoi. This incident also reflects the dearth of leadership qualities on the part of Akhil Gogoi. He must work as an activist and should not exploit the sentiments of the people.

Dr. K. K. Jhunjhunwala