What is it that makes Nagaland the safest place in India for women? Sneha Bhura travels to the northeastern state and finds that reality doesn’t always tally with statistics.
Dimasa seems quite the life of a party. A 28-year-old musician from Dimapur, the commercial nerve centre of Nagaland, he can fire up a crowd of giggly teenyboppers and reserved grownups with his perky singalongs. On this cold December night, he has magically whooshed in to bedazzle a karaoke stall in a rollicking street market along the central square of Dimapur. It’s a road that runs behind ruins of the 13th century Dimasa Kachari kingdom, and is peppered with small stores and clandestine booze joints. Jaunty and self-assured in a Fedora-like hat and a well-fitting beige jacket, Aakki regales a growing posse of young boys and girls—squished around the computer monitor—with a popular Bappi Lahiri number, sometimes leavened with Nagamese. No one seems to be ill-at-ease or jostling for space. The crowd is singing their hearts out, even with a patchy internet connection fouling up the lyrics on YouTube—with Aakki’s liquid movements in the spotlight. He has the air of a local celebrity about him.
I start to relax, watching the frenzy that Aakki seems to have stirred around me on my first night in Dimapur—otherwise one of vacant streets, closed shops and expressionless commuters even at 9 pm. I later approach Aakki to learn more about him; he is strolling around with a bunch of thuggish looking men. I greet Aakki with a cheery ‘hello’, and his companions start joining us one by one.
Aakki tells me that he’s with a band called We Five Brothers, which mostly performs Hindi songs. “I am headed to a party. Do you want to join us?” he asks. I politely refuse, saying I’m too tired, and regret it almost instantly. What am I scared of? Isn’t Nagaland India’s safest state for women?
As I discover, it’s true—somewhat.
Denne historien er fra January 18, 2016-utgaven av Open.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 18, 2016-utgaven av Open.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Can Therapy Break The Taboo Of Hypersexuality?
Can therapy break the taboo of hypersexuality?
Afghanistan: Waiting For A New Life
Ravaged by war, terror and bad politics, Afghanistan is waiting for a new life after the withdrawal of American troops.
Grand Opening Of Dance Bars, Are The Girls Excited?
Following a Supreme Court order, Mumbais dance bars are preparing for a grand opening. Are the girls equally excited?
Discovery Of Colonial India
Lord Hastings 1814 journey from Calcutta to Punjab with painter Sita Ram is a discovery of Colonial India through lives mundane and magical.
Imtiaz Ali: Auteur In Love
Imtiaz Ali's new film too is a celebration of desire and longing. The filmmaker in conversation with Divya Unny.
Athleisure, A Lifestyle Trend Of This Decade
As the defining lifestyle trend of this decade, athleisure has changed the way we dress, appear, move and feel.
Hate Wave In Communal India
Provocative clerics, frenzied mobs and the widening fault lines of communal India.
Delhi Government: Getting Even With The Odd Chief Minister
A righteous Kejriwal makes the governance of Delhi all about one man’s whims and paranoia.
India’s Cricket Prodigies: Who Will Stay Like Tendulkar?
India’s cricket prodigies today are luckier than their predecessors, but who will stay the distance like Tendulkar?
Dating Apps: A Sexual Revolution
As the dating app sets up office in India, its first ever outside the US, Lhendup G Bhutia signs on to see what the fuss is all about. He comes out unwanted.