Ignoring their advice, I joined NEHU because I felt Shillong is the best place to learn more about the Northeast. I have spent 24 years of my life in Shillong and will be retiring next year. Having seen how the city of Shillong and the state of Meghalaya have changed for the better in these decades, incidents like what happened on 19th August disturb me. It takes several years to build a positive image of a person or place. But one incident or few minutes are enough to tarnish that image. While acknowledging the need to condemn violence and demand punishment for the perpetrators, I feel it is necessary to respond to those painting the entire state and all local people as communal and hostile to outsiders.
Even when I joined NEHU way back in 2002, there were tensions in the city. There were frequent bandhs and road blockades in Shillong. People were afraid to come out to celebrate Independence Day and Republic Day. Drunkards and anti-social elements roamed the streets in the evenings. Civilians were hesitant to walk on the streets after 6 pm. Several incidents of dacoities and car thefts were reported in the city. I was informed that many non-tribal doctors and business owners had left the city, unable to pay ransom to the militants and hooligans. There were fears and tensions during the days of the Puja. While locals talked about exploitation by non-local traders, non-locals complained about the discrimination they had experienced. Few tourists flocked to Shillong then, as the roads were narrow and touring the state was viewed as unsafe and unpleasant. Apart from tribal and non-tribal tensions, there were also tensions in the state between the Garos and the Khasi-Jaintias. Some felt that civil society was weak, and only a couple of ethnic organizations dominated the entire civic space in the state. But this situation did not continue in the same way for long.
Since 2005, I have seen many positive changes taking place in the city and the state. Insurgency has subsided. Violent bandhs and blockades became less frequent. The fear factor gradually disappeared. These days, people have been coming out and celebrating Independence Day and Republic Day. The dorbars, the women's organizations and the police have reigned in on the drunkards and anti-social elements. Shopping and walking on the streets have become more pleasant. In recent years, shops have been kept open in many parts of the city until 9 -10 pm. Nightlife has begun, and one can reach home without fear after watching a second-show movie. Many locals have become self-reliant and confident shop owners, hoteliers, and business entrepreneurs. With the development of roads and infrastructure, tourism has picked up and is providing employment and livelihood to people.
As education expanded, people have become cosmopolitan in their outlook and started thinking beyond tribe, religion, and region. Access to higher education has enabled the new generation to realize that one cannot remain in cocoons. The educated youth have come to accept social diversity and the need for greater mobility. I have come across many elders who regret the ethnic riots that occurred in the past and truly aspire for unity and harmony. The communal situation has improved considerably, with leading politicians and intellectuals joining the Puja committees and Hindu religious celebrations. Tensions between the Khasis and Garos have also reduced over the period, and demands for separate states for the Garos and the Khasi-Jaintia are rarely heard these days. Civil society and the media have played their part in keeping a check on the extremist and lumpen elements attacking ethnic and religious minorities in the state. The people at large realize that unabated violence and ethnic tensions are not in their interest. Unlike in the past, when attacks on minorities went unreported, one can see locals raising their voices against the criminals and hooligans who attack minorities for no reason. On their part, the administration and the police in the state have been fair in upholding law and order.
These positive developments should not, however, make one ignore the negative developments that took place in the state in recent decades. As market forces penetrated the state in a big way, there are growing concerns about land alienation, environmental destruction and corruption. The tribal society is getting divided into classes, and we see the rise of landless labourers. There are also growing concerns among educated youth about declining job opportunities. The economy is not growing at a pace to address the problems of poverty and unemployment. Under these circumstances, the organizations representing the interests of the locals have every right to express concerns and demand that the government address their problems. However, the movements they lead will remain productive only if they remain positive and peaceful, and not turn parochial. We have seen how in the rest of India, the genuine problems of the people are given a communal colour and majoritarian sentiments are whipped up, making religious minorities the scapegoats. Experience tells us that ethno-centric politics hides the structural roots of the problems of land alienation, unemployment and insecurity. They divert public anger against the minorities and against those whom we view as the other. Ethno-nationalism dims the rational spirit and promotes a narrow vision. Movements based solely on ethnic identities pit one community against another; they break the internal unity of the labouring masses, and weaken the people's movements. It is for these reasons that the organizations claiming to fight for upholding the people's rights should focus on structural issues and stop chasing imaginary enemies.
The globalized world in which we live is inherently multicultural. In the modern world, no community - tribal or non-tribal - can lead an isolated life. All our lives are inter-dependent and inter-related - socially, politically, and economically. When different communities have to share a common space, all should learn to accept the differences and learn to coexist. Inter-community conflicts need to be resolved through negotiation, not through violence. The exclusivist attitude -'my way is the highway'- will not work in the present times. For, no one is without power. Everyone can checkmate the other. A particular community may have a majority in one region, but they end up being a minority in another region. When some people behave in an arrogant and anarchic manner, their actions affect not only the other communities but also their own community interests. In Shillong, one can find rational and reasonable people in all communities. But there is little dialogue across the communities. There are no visible common public platforms that bring together all people opposed to communal violence of every kind and seek peace and harmony in the state. The city and the state badly need civic forums that would create a conducive environment for positive interactions among citizens belonging to different communities. Our fears and ethnic prejudices disappear when people begin to understand and appreciate other communities. Let us hope we all introspect and find the ways and means to transcend ethnic barriers and build social bridges that ensure social harmony and peace in the region.