The Danny Denzongpa Model for the North East



I met Meghalaya Chief Minister DD Lapang at a dinner reception in Delhi the other night. He’s a good listener who put up with my monologue for quite a while as I held forth on ways to open up opportunities in the rest of India for youth from the seven northeastern states.

Danny Denzongpa

Danny Denzongpa

Lapang left with the promise of another meeting. But not before I asked him why Bollywood boasts of only one Danny Denzongpa? Given the abundance of physical beauty in the northeast, why do governments there not encourage young boys and girls to seek careers in films or in the television industry as smart reporters and news anchors? They also have the physical fitness to become world-class athletes with proper training and facilities.

Broader northeastern participation in these areas of opportunity would fetch double dividends: fame, remuneration and countrywide following for NE’s Gen-X scaling up their stakes in a strong and united India.

Films, performing arts and sports are time-tested vehicles for national integration. Remember Shahrukh Khan’s Chak De with its adorable pan-India hockey team? Or the huge public support for Darjeeling’s part-Nepalese celebrity Prashant Tamang when he won Indian Idol III?

Prashant Tamang

Prashant Tamang

The audience vote for Tamang came not just from West Bengal. His appeal transcended boundaries to mobilize fan following across the region including Nepal, Sikkim and the rest of India. Danny too is from Sikkim. He got his film name from none other than Jaya Bhaduri, Rajya Sabha MP from UP who was his classmate in the Film and Television Institute of India.

I’m convinced problems in the northeast can be best addressed through a broader emotional bandwidth.

The larger the number of national icons from that region, the greater will be their people-to-people communication with mainland India.

Yes, opening track-II with the alienated northeast is vital to peace in that region. China and Pakistan can wait. We must first start talking to our own people with the objective of giving them ownership in India’s future.

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  • Nikhil

    Dear Vinod,

    I’m glad you came up with this post. I liked your suggestion. Let me tell you that there is a huge demand in mainland to know more about the states in north-eastern India.

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  • http://ht--------- sanjeev

    @ Vinod

    This post from you is really meaningfull and pragmatic.

    Thanx, good work

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  • Shitanshu

    May I add one more to the bio-social aspects of the pleasing NE guys? They have got ear for music. Brought up in hills, they are clean and think fresh. We here have cluttered mind. I hope I am not far off the mark.

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  • yash

    Dear Vinod,

    No plotical party will give a damn for NE until they increase their population and makeup for 80-90 seats in Loksabha.

    Thanks,
    Yash

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    vinod Reply:

    Yash,
    I don’t share your pessimism. One visionary Chief Minister can trigger a trend. Youth in the northeast are gifted, beautiful and so refreshingly different in their way of life. We must give them a stake outside the region. The private sector must take the lead. Film companies and TV channels aren’t government owned.

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    Akhilesh Reply:

    Vinod Ji,
    From a person who started deriding your blog posts, I must say I am pleseantly surprised with this blog. Compliments to you on such a wonderful post and may I say, a really great “out-of-the-box” idea.

    My advice : Please keep interspersing such blogs with your usual peace mails to all things Pakistan. This will keep the bile of us Hindu bigots down ! :)

    Regards,

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    vinod Reply:

    Thanks Akhilesh. Bile is acid that causes pains in bone-joints, makes one lazy and dull. I’ll certainly help you keep it down so that you are open to my other ideas.

    Rajeev Reply:

    Vinod,
    You kind of look lazy and dull for a punjabi :)

    Nice to see you coming out of pakistani obessesion. I applaud you for bring North East into focus. I used to study with lots of guys from Manipur in a muslim college and I have see how they are discriminated in daily life by both opressors i.e. hindus and opressed i.e muslims.

    vinod Reply:

    Looks can be deceptive dear Rajeev. I am a warm and energetic punjabi. bina miley he aapney mere bare mein rai bana le.

    Rajeev Reply:

    It is just based on my observation on your TV appearences.

    I just wish that your become neutral journalist because that is what that matters most.

    vinod Reply:

    What you may call netural could be totally partisan in some other person’s view. I listen to everyone but follow my own conscience and sense of impartiality and truth. Or else I’d end up carrying the donkey on my shoulder—- woh gadhey or baap-betey wali kahani to apney padhey hogi.

    Rajeev Reply:

    Vinodji,
    As a journalist you are accountable to people and if they percieve you biased then you should accept it as fact and change yourself.

    You can not hide your bias behind so called conscience.

    May be according to Indira Gandhi’s conscience ememergency was correct but it was not so in the eyes of people. You journalist are no different from public servants thus accountable to people.

    Nikhil Reply:

    Dear Vinod,

    With the risk of digressing from the topic, I’d like to recommend a book authored by Pakistani journalist and scholar at Harvard, Arif Jamal. The title of this book is “Shadow War: The untold story of jihad in Kashmir”. The book uncovers the sinister designs of Pakistani establishment and how cause of jihad has been used against India since 1947. He argues that the Pakistani military and sub-contractors have trained close to half a million jihadis to fight in either Kashmir or in Afghanistan despite the talks of peace. It’s a scary revelation. Following is the link to more information about that book

    http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-War-Untold-Story-Kashmir/dp/193363359X

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    vinod Reply:

    Thanx Nikhil. Shall read and comment on it.

  • Anurag

    Dear Vinod sir,
    Emotional integration of these 8 states is vital for the idea of India.
    Though i’d beg to differ on one point – don’t say North East. By saying this u r viewing entire area as a different entity.
    I’m sure in some time government will take few more welcome steps like subsidised transportation to and fro for the area.
    Keep writing, This blog is vibrant.

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  • Shyam Sethi

    Dear Vinod
    You have touched upon a soft side of the issue. Here is the serious side.
    Rajeev has recalled above how badly his college mates from Manipur were treated by others. This example is typical : Delhi-based newspapers have written a great deal about the hostility , prejudice or unfriendliness with which these fine, well-behaved young men and women from the north east are often treated by people in Delhi, including apparently educated youths and even older people. It is obvious our education system and social environment have not taught our students what it means to be an INDIAN , also failing to impart to them even minimum civic sense and awareness of social responsibility The education system has just been teaching students how to pass exams, not how to be good citizens in a multi-cultural, multi-linguistic, multi-religious country that India is.. In Track-II , therefore, we need to fix our education system, besides doing a whole lot of other things to make people of the plains more north-east friendly.( Having more icons like Danny Denzongpa and Prashant Tamang will certainly help, but will be just one part of a large equation.)
    In Track-II, we also need to address very quickly the issues of acute economic backwardness and lack of employment opportunities in the north-east, problems which lie at the root of the insurgencies.

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    vinod Reply:

    Dear Sethi Sahab,
    Hindustan Times had run a series on racial barbs students from the northeast faced even in big cities like Delhi. That’s a reality that needs to be corrected. Don’t you think it was wonderful for a national newspaper to take up their cause?
    I agree with all the points you have raised. But in the middle of a spate of insurgencies and armed sub-nationalist movements, it’s the soft power of the northeast that needs to be focused upon— their ear for music, their culture, their captivating presence.

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  • Shyam Sethi

    Thanks, Vinod Ji. I appreciate your comment.

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  • Vikram

    Vinodji. i saw your latest post on Pakistan and could guess your usual ‘love thy murderous neighbour’ and moved on to this post which was quite nice. i think tourism to NE should be encouraged in a big way. with its pristine forests and i guess less urbanization it would be a great relief for people from the peninsula. the NE guys should also be encouraged to work in the Retail industry. i think they will fit in well. they seem to be overall more presentable and fluent in English.
    even in this region your favored people are as usual upto no good. but i am sure you have a nice explanation / rationale for that :) Sethi saheb the man with the ever forgiving heart. chalo koi nahi . Greetings on Dusshera

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  • Peter Hunt

    I would like to ask just a couple of questions. Reading the story spun out by the victim’s friends-they saw a white person emerge from nowhere, came to face one of the 9members in the group- this poor victim, asked the time and shot him. Why did he not pick others?Why there was no abuses hurled at the victim, which happens in a racist situation. Sounds too neat to me. Wait until the Jury panel hears the arguments, and examine the evident. I suspect a prior incidence before.

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  • satnam johal

    apart from the issues raised by Mr De sarkar, one thing that is neglected here is the part played by the Indian foreign office or the complete lack of it in the first few days. The family of Anuj had to write an open letter to the Foreign Minister for help . the foreign office of India and its cosulate staff in U.K. has let down not only their duty but also all the NRI’s. It has shown again that rather than look after their own citizen’s, they are too busy looking after themselves. Shame on them.

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    Peter Hunt Reply:

    The Indian Consulate I guess was closed as the Indian establishments enjoy public holidays of both countries! Lucky people! Strangely, the students’ Indian friends-they were a close knit team were of no help in terms of communication etc.. Not sure what help was asked for as it was a murder and the process of law has to be observed.

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  • Anonymous

    One thought that INDIANS HAVE BECOME A CITIZEN OF AN INDEPENDENT NATION, AND SLAVERY HAS BEEN ABOLISHED, not if you read the above GARBAGE dished out by a complete dick head who is paid by HT to write such puerile trash.Take his lines
    “And, in fairness, it should be noted that more Britons are murdered and/or raped in India than the other way round”
    Really , perhaps he would like to furnish some statistics.
    DOES THE DICKANKAR , know about a certain STEPHEN LAWRENCE.
    Bloggers just type the name in google as see what it throws up.
    I have lived in Britain , for far too long and being a surgeon interact and know far far far more than this DICKHANKER.
    The fact of the matter is , there is a DARK UNDERBELLY OF BRITAIN.
    People see London and think rest of UK is like that . No it aint . The whole of NORTH , part of wales , THERE IS A HUGE UNDERCLASS. Their life is worse than a beggar in INDIA. AND THERE IS MASSIVE RACISM IN EVERY FACET OF BRITISH SOCIETY, and more the economic downturn , more pronounced it becomes , flamed by the tory party.
    In india you may be killed or robbed , BUT COLOUR OF SKIN PLAYS NO ROLE
    IN BRITAIN COLOUR OF SKIN PLAYS A BIG BIG ROLE , DECIDING THE ODDS WHEN COMING ACROSS A WHITE TRASH.
    As for Peter Hunt’s inspector Morse like analysis , let me say having killed one the Psycho fled , why Anup Bidhwa was victim BECAUSE HE WAS DARKEST presumably , the same question Peter Hunt may like to ask WHY STEPHEN LAWRENCE WAS MURDERED WHILE WAITING FOR A BUS IN ELTHAM AND NOT HIS FRIEND, DYWANNE BROOKS STANDING BESIDE HIM

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  • rhvankar VANKAR

    In the name of majority,the water of Ganges,praised by all a lives,TO USE THE EVERY DROP OF WATER GENTLY!DO NOT THROW THE DUST IN EVERY STORAGE WATER.save the banks of sea too,save fish and sea world,mark our human limits too for happy future!

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  • Rajeev Krishnamoorthy

    Excellent choice of first name. The man clearly has good taste.

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