I’m a 19-year-old from the state of Assam, currently living in Bengaluru for my studies. I’m facing a ‘nationality crisis’ despite the fact that I’m an Indian – not because I’m from the Northeast, but because my mother tongue is Nepali.
People usually give judgements like “He is from Nepal but settled in India.” I mean, how can you issue such judgements based on the language I speak? Nepali is a part of the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which lists the official languages of India. I speak a language which is officially recognised by India, but still, people call me an inhabitant of Nepal.
My ancestors have lived in Assam since the time it was ruled by the Ahom. As per the information I gathered, my ancestors came from the Terai region as priests for Hindu temples or as farmers or as dairy-workers in the Brahmaputra valley, even before the Britishers came here. The freedom fighter Chabilal Upadhyaya, who was the first president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and with whom I have a blood relation, was a Nepali.
My father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather and so on were all born in Assam, but still, people judge us without knowing the facts. Even the Indian government says that I’m an Indian, but the people are never going to accept this fact. I’m tired of telling everyone the history of how Nepali people settled in Assam even before the British came to Assam. I’m tired of telling people that I’m an Indian like you are.
I call myself an ‘Assamese Nepali’ because I’m from Assam and I consider Nepali as my mother tongue. However, the traditions, customs and culture of the Assamese society can all be found in me.
One day, I was sitting with few of my friends. One of them said to another, “You know, Nilutpal is from Nepal and his father settled in Assam after getting a job in India.” I was shocked when I heard that. I thought of fighting it out with him, but I realised that I should teach him about the history of Nepalese people in Assam. I thought that teaching him would have a greater impact than fighting it out. Since then, he has stopped saying anything about my nationality.
I don’t feel good when people issue their judgements. “Oh you speak Nepali. So, you’re from Nepal?” – this is what I hear regularly. One day, I was even told to leave India. Even the so-called ‘highly educated’ people label me as a citizen of Nepal despite the fact that I’ve my name in the first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) which is currently being updated in Assam. Apparently, the NRC is a list of ‘genuine’ citizens of India which is currently getting updated.
In India, there are nearly 3 million Nepali-speaking ‘Indians’. The number of such people in Assam is over 5 lakh. Almost every single one of us are facing a ‘nationality crisis’ despite being Indians. For people to accept us as Indians will take time, and we have to make an effort to make them aware of our history.
I’m a Nepali but an Indian like you. Just because I speak Nepali doesn’t mean I’m from Nepal. A Bengali is not always a Bangladeshi, a Tamil is not always a Lankan, and an Urdu-speaking person is not always a Pakistani. Similarly, a person speaking Nepali is not always a citizen of Nepal.
I hope people will understand this and will stop passing their own judgements on my/our nationality.
Jai Hind!
Joi Aai Axom (Long live Mother Assam)!
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Featured image used for representative purposes only.