Racist remark, yet again

"Walk into a spa which has music, scented aroma candles, but here you'll meet a professional doctor rather than a Linda from the North-East. And order for yourself a quick botox, lunchtime peel, nip-and-tuck liposuction or a nose surgery. " writes Nona Walia her article "Spa with a difference" in page 3, of Times Life, Times of India's Sunday supplement on 2nd March, 2008. I didn't read it in the newspapers though I have been a regular reader of the Times of India for the least eight years. I got to know it from sms newsgroup "Zogam Thuthang" delivered right to my inbox only in the afternoon. I never expect a newspaper of such repute as the Times of India will ever publish such a derogatory remark against a community. I am hurt. I know this is not the first time that the Northeasterners are depicted in such a bad light by the media, and it wouldn't be the last. The media, the very people who are supposed to dispel the myths of the ignorant masses, have failed their noble profession, once again. Sometime ago, when a certain Mr Kumar Vikram wrote a very, I repeat, very disgusting article about Northeastern girls, I felt anger raging inside me. I immediately shoot of an email to the writer the moment I read that article. This time I am not sending any email to the writer. Others like Hoihnu Hauzel, a reputed journalist from our community had already done that. But it hurts that I have been a regular reader of the paper for eight long years, from the first time I set foot in Delhi. What are the editors doing anyway? I am sure the article must have passed through at least a couple of editors before it came out in black and white. Maybe they didn't notice the racist slur in the article, or maybe they are just a bunch of racists, like the writer of the article.

I will reproduce here, once again, the mail sent by Hoihnu Hauzel to Nona Walia, the author of the article:

Dear Nona,

Just a few weeks ago, we read a disturbing racist report in a national paper on how NE girls are accused of being drug peddlers. Your Sunday story "Spa with a Difference" is yet another example of how media is so callous in its approach to loosely make stark racist remark against a particular community. Quite unmindful of the fact that we live in a country which is so colourful and diverse like no other country in the world.

"Walk into a spa which has music, scented aroma candles, but you'll meet a professional doctor rather than a Linda from the Northeast."

I don't quite see the connection between "a Linda from the Northeast" and your attempt at telling a story on a booming trend on medispa. In fact, I will be quite happy if you can enlighten me with the link between the two.

If I am correct, it seems you were trying to refer to Linda, the nurse from Manipur, who was recently held for her supposed role in the kidney scam. Anyway, you must understand that there is a black sheep in every society and we, as supposed members of the media, cannot effort to be prejudice and racist.

In fact, it may be worthwhile for you to know that of the service industry in the country and particularly in the Capital city is employing people from the Northeast like never before. This is simply because people from the Northeast are considered assets to the organization. First of all, because they are non-political, hard working, do not shamelessly market themselves and are silent workers, among many other qualities.

The two smiling ladies who usher you in each time you walk into The Imperial (hotel) are from the Northeast. The ladies, who serve you your pasta at Flavors, Big Chilled, among others, are from the Northeast. Similarly, the oriental looking sensitive masseurs in all the spas around the city are actually from Northeast and not quite from Thailand or Indonesia. We ought to look at the positive side of every community. And especially in the case of Northeast, which has a perpetual grudge that they are being given a step-motherly treatment in their own country, we ought to be responsible and sensitive.

While am trying hard to figure out why you have made that reference, I would like to let you know that as responsible people form the media, we ought to be sensitive about sentiments of other communities. After all, India is a diverse country. It would be incorrect, if the media loosely make such remarks.

Your reference to NE is in your story is ugly and cruel. It is hurtful and negative to the community. To me and many members of the civil society, your reference reflects ignorance and insensitivity.

Warn regards,

Hoihnu Hauzel
Gurgaon

Glory Road

Watched Glory Road last week, and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Based on the true life story of a team that changed everything. It is about a basketball coach who selects/recruits blacks or coloureds for his team at a time when no blacks played Division I basketball. It depicts racist America, the discrimination the blacks faced and their struggles in a society dominated by the whites. The coach is a hard taskmaster who, through sheer grit and determination builds a team from scratch that went on to win the NCAA Championship. The film really reminds me of the discriminatory and racist attitude of mainland Indians towards the people of Northeast India, and I can really relate to the story. Let me reproduce here some of the great and inspiring conversations from the movie here:

The conversation between the coach and Bobby Joe Hill when he tries to recruit Bobby:

“You get real talent, why waste it, son?”

“I’ll tell you why. Ever since I was a kid, I only loved one thing-that was playing ball. Do you understand what that’s like? To have that ball in your hand. It’s like making sweet music with your hands. Only thing is you don’t wanna hear that song.”

“You gonna let a black player play from the get-go?”

“I don’t see colour. I see quick, I see skill, and that’s what you have. And that’s what I’m putting on the court.”

Coach to players:

“You’re here to learn fundamental, disciplined defensive basketball. Now, that means both on and off the court. No girls. No booze. No late nights. Nothing besides fundamental basketball. I speak. You listen. I don’t wanna hear “I can’t” or “won’t” or “Coach, I’m bleeding.” I don’t wanna hear anything except the basketball bounce. You play basketball my way. My way’s hard.”

“You wanna quit? You quit right now. You’re gonna quit everyday for the rest of your life.”

“I can’t have a big man who’s afraid to play like one.”

Coach to Bobby Joe:

“My old man drove a truck for the better half of his life. Now, there ain’t nothing wrong with that. Other than the fact that he hated it. But that’s the only way he knew how to put food on the table and give his kids a chance to do something they loved. I love the game. I love this game. I never was the greatest player. But I busted my butt, and I outworked better players. I ain’t the smartest coach, but I busted my butt and I outworked smarter coaches. And when I see the talent you got and I see you wasting it, it ticks me off.”

Cager:

“Coach, I’ll die if I don’t play. Coach, my whole life I only loved playing basketball…but I never stopped playing in the street. Never. ‘cause not to play, coach, man, that was like having something just crawl up and die in me.”

“They’re trying to take our dignity from us.”

“Your dignity’s inside you. Nobody can take something away from you if you don’t give them.”