The idea of the Northeast is intriguing. It indicates a direction; therefore, it should have remained as an adjectival clause—‘northeast.’ It indeed does, to some extent, but increasingly the hyphen is dropped for it to become a single-word proper noun with many layers of nuanced meanings. Among the many images evoked are of wilderness, exotic customs, pristine landscapes, insurgency, incomprehensible tribal feuds, underdevelopment, etc.
The name also conjures up the picture of a composite geography of eight states, including Sikkim, after this former Himalayan kingdom became a part of India in 1975. In spirit, probably North Bengal/Darjeeling should also be included, as this peripheral extension of West Bengal geographically, culturally, and psychologically shares many affinities with this region.
How did a term signifying a coordinate come to be so intimately associated with the character and personality of a region? The question will necessarily invoke a legacy from British colonial rule. If the anchor of this coordinate were India’s national capital, the region should have been just east and not northeast, for the place lies directly to the east of New Delhi. Obviously, the anchor was different when the region first came to be taken cognizance of on the Indian map, which is after Assam’s formal annexation into British India by the Treaty of Yandaboo, 1826, signed with Burma (Ava kingdom), ending a devastating invasion and occupation of Assam by the latter.
After annexation, this new territory was merged into Bengal and remained so till 1874, when Assam was separated and made a separate chief commissioner’s province. It then constituted almost the entire Northeast, with the exception of Tripura and Manipur, separate principalities. From the then British India capital of Calcutta, Northeast was indeed to the north-east.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 05, 2024-Ausgabe von The New Indian Express.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 05, 2024-Ausgabe von The New Indian Express.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Forest staff hurt as tusker overturns vehicle
A field staff of Anti Depredation Squad (ADS) was injured after an elephant overturned a vehicle at Thondiyalam in Gudalur on Thursday.
HM who failed to report sexual abuse gets no Pocso relief
HOLDING a school headmaster responsible for failing to report an offence of sexual assault of a student, the Madras High Court refused to quash the case pending against him in a special court for trial of cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
Interim stay on dispossession of land for Madurai airport
THE Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered an interim stay against the dispossession of parcels of land from 130 residents of Chinna Udaippu village for the Madurai Airport expansion.
Set up special court in all dists as per SC/ST rules
THE National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes asked the chief secretary to the state government to set up special courts in all districts as per the SC/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 2016.
Unused biometric system at Chennai airport helps smugglers 'strike' gold
The system meant for monitoring the entry and exit of airport employees was installed five years ago; AAI says it's not being used due to back-end server issues
Scientists discover fast-growing glacier
A group of scientists recently discovered a new glacier in Uttarakhand that was found to be rapidly expanding in size.
Uproar in LS as BJP links Oppn with Soros
LOK SABHA proceedings were on Thursday disrupted after the Opposition and Treasury Benches clashed over the latter's allegation linking Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other oppositon leaders with US-based multi-billionaire George Soros.
TN flood fiasco: Villagers flag lack of sufficient alerts
THE unanticipated and sudden release of water to the tune 1.8 lakh cusecs from Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai district on Sunday night may have triggered the flooding in many areas along the Thenpennai river in Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, and Cuddalore districts, but lack of specific details about the level of flooding or pointed instruction to move to designated relief shelters, during the initial hours of the calamity, may have put the residents to avoidable trouble.
2 DEAD, 33 ILL DUE TO ‘WATER CONTAMINATION’ IN CHENNAI
TWO persons died and 33 others were admitted to hospitals for vomiting and diarrhoea due to suspected water contamination at Pallavaram Cantonment and nearby areas in Chennai's suburbs on Wednesday.
Rohit makes bold call, to bat in middle at Adelaide
AND there it was. About 24 hours after KL Rahul told the media in Adelaide jokingly that he had been informed about his batting position but asked not to reveal it, captain Rohit Sharma cleared the air by announcing that he will be moving down the order in the second Test against Australia beginning Friday.