Cheeni Come?

Irrespective of which side of the political spectrum we belong to or more importantly which side of the rational spectrum we belong to we all think a Chinese adventure in India is imminent. And the adventure can range from a harmless “expression of unhappiness” to more than occasional “incursions” to actual annexation of a piece of land. All eyes are on Arunachal and despite posturing by various Netas in charge, I honestly do not think India, or more importantly the Indian leadership has it in them to take a firm stand in case any or all of the above situations present themselves.

I am one of those fortunate Indians who has been to Arunachal. And that too for pilgrimage. Legend or rather mythology has it that Parashuram (of the Sita Swayamvar, Shivji Dhanush fame) washed away his sins on the banks of River Lohit (Brahmaputra). Every year in January thousands of pilgrims from mostly North Eastern India cross the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, by ferry, foot, elephants etc etc to reach this picturesque place and take a dip in the icy cold waters of Lohit. Maybe it is more accessible now because my frame of reference is 1984. But I doubt it, as the place still does not find a mention as a popular pilgrim ‘four day five nights’. In-fact whenever I mention the place, I immediately get the “what on earth was Parashuram doing there”. But then come to think of it, what on earth was any of our Gods and Goddesses doing in any of those unreachable places that dot our pilgrim landscape.

I have a theory, and would like honest opinion. Its these places of worship that help make India. Or at the very least define our boundaries. From Dwarka to Jagannath Puri and from Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari to Haridwar, Amritsar and Vaishno Devi, millions of Indians travel across the great land mass to bow, touch, see and take a dip to be one with the creator. And I think this mass movement of souls not only defines religion, it personifies India. Taking it one step further, I think it helps mark territory. This sea of humanity on foot, trains, buses, is India and this India is as much at home in Haridwar as it is in Tirupati or Rameshwaram or Sabarimala.

Taking the same argument forward, I believe the reason Jammu still feels mainland is it’s the gateway to Vaishno Devi. And in those queues from Katra to the temple, you will find Indians from every state, caste, colour and bank balance. My bad, the one’s with means try and take the chopper and go for VIP darshans (like airport security, the path to Nirvana also has a Fast Track option). But VIPs apart, if Lord Rama had gone north instead of south, Srinagar might have been the setting of Bharat Milap or Sita Haran and not just our religious but our socio-political landscape would have been very different today.

The net state domestic product data released by the National Accounts Division of the CSO recently states that 7 out of 8 North Eastern states in India lag the national average in terms of per capita income. Only Mizoram has incomes above the national average. Moreover except Sikkim, for all the other states the delta between their incomes and the average national income has increased in the last 15 years. This despite the fact that Mandarins in Delhi have spent crores in the name of development. Perfect recipe for disaster. And if this does not precipitate Chinese designs, what will.

The only solution is better amalgamation. And we all know it. We have known it all along. Its one of those obvious truths that stare you at the face and mock you to do something about it. The government has tried its best and having spent 12 years in the Northeast I know a Government solution will never work. The way to amalgamation is Parashuram Kund. Or rather multiple such Kunds. The moment millions of Indians start travelling to all corners of Northeast to kneel, bow, bathe, it will pave a path for the region’s prosperity and integrity. Nothing in India sells better than religion and I for one believe a polluted Brahmaputra is worth keeping the country together.

Today mainstream India is indifferent to Northeast. Tomorrow if that same area is home to a few pop Gods and Goddesses (have to be pop like Ganesha or Ma Vaishno or Balaji) we won’t have to worry about Cheeni in our Tea Gardens.