Will Separate Parties For NE Students Help Them?

By Neha Das

With admission over in DU seniors are now planning to welcome the freshers. But a special effort is being made to make the Northeastern students feel more comfortable.

In their attempt to remove a sense of alienation, many colleges are planning to organise separate freshers’ parties for them. But is it a great idea to have a separate party especially for Northeast students? Will it mainstream them or will it deepen the so-called divide?

Metrolife spoke to few students from DU regarding the issue of organising community-based freshers’ parties apart from departmental and regular college dos. While some students said it is an important tool for interaction between newcomers and seniors, others disagreed with the concept and saw it as an act promoting groupism.

Vanlalzauona Hnialum, a fresher from Manipur who has got admission in Shyam Lal College, feels that this is a positive step. “Having a separate fest would help promote our culture. We can also mingle with our fellow community members and strengthen our bond within the community.”
Victor Jamatia from Tripura, pursuing Geography (Hons), seconds Vanlalzauona. “It is good for those who come from far-off places; it will help in community build-up. We will get to meet our seniors from the Northeast. They will help us relax. In a regular fest we are not involved by general students and are ignored. So, in a separate fest we would get a chance to take part in the preparations as well.”

Recently, a few incidents in the Capital have highlighted the vulnerability of students from the Northeastern states. Numerous demonstrations and meetings to curb these problems have also been held in the City. So it is important for certain measures to be
taken, for them not to feel marginalised. Madhu Chandra, Regional Secretary of All India Christian Council and spokesperson of North East Support Centre and Helpline also welcomed it as positive change in the University.

“If they are planning this out of a general concern for NE then organising separately is well and good. But, if they are doing it in order to bring some sort of solution then it should be integrated along with all other communities, not just by and for NE students. Cultural integration is very important to explore our vast and varied cultures and societies, which form our country.

“Organising separately for NE students will help mingle them within the different tribes of NE and not with mainline communities. For that separate parties should be done. In most of NE cultural functions, traditional costumes are usually worn. Such traditional costumes could be mocked at by others at such a gathering.

Terming this step as more problematic, Spriha Rastogi from DU, said, “It will add to the existing issues. This will result in groupism and students from NE will not mingle with other students. Parties should always be for everyone and not held separately. How else can they be mainstreamed?”