ENGLISH EDUCATION AND LITERATURE IN THE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE IN NORTHEAST INDIA

Abstract

The place of English in the whole scheme of the education has been a subject of much heated debate, since English is a foreign language. Inspite of all this we are ardent admirers of English. English education has admittedly done us great good. English language is one of the richest languages in the world in respect of literature and culture.The use of English in Northeast India had started during the pre-independence period, with the arrival the Christian missionaries and the spread of English education. Western ideas and Christianity has spread widely in this region. English language has as such become the lingua franca in most of the states in Northeast India. Thus the study of English language is both a necessity and an advantage in this region.In this paper I would like to focus on “English Education and Literature in the Culture of violence in Northeast India”. Northeast India is known to the world for its beautiful landscape, different races, different cultures and sub-cultures. Unfortunately peace could not be sustained in this region over the years and there is conflict and insurgency amongst the different ethnic tribes asserting their identity. The negligence and indifference from the mainland had spread insecurity in the region too.The writers of Northeast have something very different to say because of the distinct regional sensibility of Northeast India. Northeast India is precariously situated, linked to the country only by the bottle neck at Siliguri. The moment Siliguri is dislodged by any alien force; the entire Northeast will be cut off from the rest of Indian sub-continent. There was this fearful possibility during the 1962 Chinese aggression. Therefore political myopia, in this important and highly sensitive area can have grave consequences. “If the Siliguri gap were ever to fall to the Chinese, Bhutan. NEFA, Assam and Nagaland would be cut off from India”. (Mehta, 1973, p. 257).The social, cultural and political nature of the English writings depict violence in the region as a result of times that the states had experienced in the contemporary times. Most of the writings of Northeast Indian writers have been translated into English to educate and evoke empathy for the violent socio-political situations the region has faced They provide an insight into the contemporary culture and environment of Northeast India and awaken the readers’ sensitivity to the region. Since the Northeast is going through a crisis of values in the social and political life; disregard shown to basic values like honesty and tolerance has become a matter of grave concern. Crime, violence, cruelty, greed and apathy to human suffering have spread to all aspects of life –political, economic, and social.After decades of violence it is but natural that the writers from the region express their sufferings, of fear and terror they had endured, the loss of faith, the bitterness, the anger, and pain of shattered dreams; and in spite of all, hopes for a better future through their writings. They have been portraying such events of their life which has left a permanent impression in their mind.Looking at the current situation, the goals of peace, secularism, social justice and democracy to which human kind has declared its ideological commitment have come under severe strain in the region. Forces of social and national disintegration have become active, putting our democratic social order to its severest test, which has seriously affected the quality of life of the masses and has caused social tensions and unrest. All these problems can be effectively tackled through efforts -- educational and social. Ccommunication of messages of peace, prosperity and development amongst the masses can happen much better in English language and literature, since this is an international language and understood by most of the masses in the region.What we need under the present circumstances is to educate the learners to a good life. English education and literature in Northeast India is in a process of transmission of values in our education--something that we consider as good and desirable for the learner to acquire both for the learner’s own and the society’s good.