Wanna party? You better not be North Eastern!
We’ve seen the no-floaters rules, we’ve seen the strict entry-by-guest-list-only rules, we’ve seen the entry and cover charges and we’ve even seen the club rules that state we won’t be allowed in if we’re wearing our national dress (!!). We reluctantly complied with these rules because, lets face it, Delhi loves its nightlife. But what we see being enforced now is the no-chink rule. No-chink, a politically incorrect term meaning no Orientals and no North Eastern Indians.
Come again? Racial profiling, by a country that has seen and continues to see more than its fair share of racism? Being racist in our thoughts and perceptions is nothing new to Indians. But to openly propagate it, saying that you won’t be let into a nightclub for a few drinks if your eyes are the wrong shape or if your skin is the wrong colour is so offensive, that, frankly, I find it unbelievable. And when targeted towards North Easterns, it becomes even more inconceivable, given the fact that they are as Indian as any Delhi-ite is. To deny an Indian citizen entry to an Indian bar, in India, because their features are a giveaway to their race is the worst kind of racism ever- because it’s being done to them by their own people.
I have tons of North Eastern friends, and none of them are prostitutes. Why must they be punished for a few people of their race who choose to indulge in prostitution? That’s almost like saying that because some Muslims are terrorists, it justifies the fact that I could not find a house in Mumbai. It’s saying that our old friend, Narendra Modi is justified in economically crippling a whole community in his state. Or applauding Brahmins for their history of crushing Harijans and Raj Thakeray for his tirade against non-Maharashtrians.
While we will let a young nubile white woman on the arm of a portly “lala” draped in gold chains and rings into our poshest nightclubs, we will restrict entry to a group of three Singaporean women who want to catch a drink with their Indian buddies. Or we’ll allow the whole world to pass by a young Naga woman into a nightclub while we hold her outside, not letting her in. We won’t stop the white lady from entering, though we know fully well that women from certain countries are notorious for being involved in the flesh trade. But we wont blink an eyelid when we tell a group of North Eastern people that they cant get in because their “characters are questionable.”
And amazingly, we can tell that from the shape of their eyes!
Come again? Racial profiling, by a country that has seen and continues to see more than its fair share of racism? Being racist in our thoughts and perceptions is nothing new to Indians. But to openly propagate it, saying that you won’t be let into a nightclub for a few drinks if your eyes are the wrong shape or if your skin is the wrong colour is so offensive, that, frankly, I find it unbelievable. And when targeted towards North Easterns, it becomes even more inconceivable, given the fact that they are as Indian as any Delhi-ite is. To deny an Indian citizen entry to an Indian bar, in India, because their features are a giveaway to their race is the worst kind of racism ever- because it’s being done to them by their own people.
I have tons of North Eastern friends, and none of them are prostitutes. Why must they be punished for a few people of their race who choose to indulge in prostitution? That’s almost like saying that because some Muslims are terrorists, it justifies the fact that I could not find a house in Mumbai. It’s saying that our old friend, Narendra Modi is justified in economically crippling a whole community in his state. Or applauding Brahmins for their history of crushing Harijans and Raj Thakeray for his tirade against non-Maharashtrians.
While we will let a young nubile white woman on the arm of a portly “lala” draped in gold chains and rings into our poshest nightclubs, we will restrict entry to a group of three Singaporean women who want to catch a drink with their Indian buddies. Or we’ll allow the whole world to pass by a young Naga woman into a nightclub while we hold her outside, not letting her in. We won’t stop the white lady from entering, though we know fully well that women from certain countries are notorious for being involved in the flesh trade. But we wont blink an eyelid when we tell a group of North Eastern people that they cant get in because their “characters are questionable.”
And amazingly, we can tell that from the shape of their eyes!
posted by Mojo | 1:28 AM
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