Felix Anthony
ITANAGAR, June 05 2021: Northeast student unions across India on May 4 came together on Twitter to campaign for inclusion of a chapter dedicated to their region in textbooks prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Termed ‘Twitter Storm,’ the campaign lasted two hours from 6 p.m.
Within the two hours, the campaign became the top trending topic in India in the micro blogging website. By the time it ended, the hastags #AchapterforNE found 136,000 mentions and #NortheastMatters had 151.000 mentions.
Among their supporters was Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament and former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations.
“There is absolutely no doubt that the#NorthEastMatters. It is essential that a chapter on Northeast is included in the NCERT syllabus,” tweeted Tharoor, a writer and a former international diplomat, who in 2006 contested for the post of UN Secretary General.
According to him, people should know their countries better.
Asmita Bharadwaj, the vice president of North East Students Union, explained the reason for the campaign, “Our motive is to make a place for North East India’s detailed information in the NCERT books.”
The people from the North East India have been often subjected to racial discrimination and abuse due to lack of awareness on the region. “If our region gets a mention in NCERT books, we hope that everyone will take us equally as Indians and may be the abuse, discrimination, ignorance and violence against our people will reduce and end gradually,” the student leader said.
More than 30 student unions collaborated in the Twitter campaign that demanded that the history, ethnicity, lifestyle, personalities, natural resources and patriotism find a place in the NCERT textbooks from class six to ten.
The student bodies oversaw the two-hour campaign that included trending the topics, tags, and keeping up the enthusiasm of the students, talking to media and spreading awareness.
The online campaign, that tagged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, federal Home Minister Amit Shah, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju and all chief ministers of the region’s eight states, had massive support from student bodies, social activists, and youth organizations from the whole of north east region, Bharadwaj said.
The social media campaign comes at the backdrop of racial slur on Arunachal legislator Ninong Ering by YouTuber Paras Sing, who has been arrested and kept in police custody in Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh state.
“We believe inclusion of chapter on north eastern states in NCERT books is the only way to educate the fellow Indians about the distinctive cultures and the rich history of North East India,” the student leader added.
Courtesy: mattersindia.com