What do mainlanders know about the North East? It’s famous for its tea, for its non-vegetarian cuisines, for living tree bridges, and houses on stilts, and, courtesy of our Prime Minister’s escapades, we’ve seen its feathered ceremonial headgears, and weaved fabrics. But apart from all of this, mainland Indians are pretty clueless about the ‘Seven Sisters’ (now eight, did you know?) Nothing spells this out better than the comedy set that Meghalaya comic Abhineet Mishra uploaded YouTube a few days ago.
The set focuses on a tragic incident that took place on December 13, involving 15 mine workers from Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district. They were trapped in a 370ft deep mine for weeks before being rescued. Giving us the facts of the case, Mishra makes the sharpest of comments on role the authorities, the media, and the Indian people played in this. And if you haven’t asked yourself about your relationship with the North East, as an individual, as a political actor, and as a consumer of the media, then you need to start now.
Hailing from Shillong, Mishra has previously used comedy to highlight issues like racism against people from the North East.
Eight states, over 6,00,000 lives, and how many of us have even heard of what happened in the East Jaintia Hills?
The whole of Mishra’s set pinches, but the last few seconds will absolutely decimate you.
