Reality

“It has always been like this for us. We generally tend to ignore minor incidents of racial discrimination on a daily basis,” said Apamee Barua, who is from Guwahati, Assam, and works in Delhi. Her words deserve attention. When discrimination becomes something people expect and learn to ignore, the problem extends well beyond any single incident. What some dismiss as harmless teasing can become a daily reminder to others that they are treated as outsiders in their own country. The death of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, brought that prejudice into sharp focus. He was assaulted in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on 29 January 2014 following an altercation reportedly involving remarks about his appearance. He was found dead the next day. His death prompted protests and demands for justice, raising urgent questions about the safety of people from Northeast India in the capital. But why should it take a death for everyday discrimination to command public attention? Barua’s account poin...