Sourabhee Debbarma has won the contest, Indian Idol 4. It certainly is great news for her and her family, but the honour should be seen as carrying much more weight given the fact that she is from Tripura, the tiny state in the Northeast that is usually in the news for the wrong reasons. And not only is she from that state, she is also a tribal, though, of course, she belongs to one of the more advanced tribal communities of the state. The illustrious Sachin Dev Burman also belonged to the same community, but he spent most of his life first in Calcutta and then in Bombay. His tribal identity subsequently got somewhat hazy with Bengalis claiming him as one of their own. Sourabhee’s identity remains very much what it should be.

And that distinguishes her also from the young tennis player, Somdev Dev Varman, who seems to have a bright career in front of him. The lad is a Tripuri by birth but has spent most of his time outside that state and also India. Tripura must certainly be proud of him, but the state would perhaps be a shade more proud of Sourabhee who is truly a home product. In fact, the entire Northeast had rooted for her during the contest in a wonderful display of solidarity. It showed that the Seven Sisters can be one in standing up for a common tribal identity without taking recourse to violence. That is the message that should go out to the rest of the country.

The singing sensation from a modest neighbourhood of Agartala could not have had it easy. Budding talents are not a rarity in the Northeast, but they enjoy little support by way of infrastructure. For one, there are no private television channels in these states — the limited market does not allow such a luxury. So the initial exposure, even to home crowds, is difficult to achieve. There cannot be any dearth of thespians but how does the world, or more specifically Bollywood, get to know them? There are rock groups in Imphal, Aizawl and Shillong who have it in them to go places but that does not always happen. With determination and some luck, Sourabhee managed to break through the barriers but then the nature of the contest allowed for external support to be counted. Others in different spheres of activities may not enjoy that advantage. So how do they get to be known?

Not just exotic

Those who never tire telling the Northeast that it should join the ‘mainstream’ would do well to ponder this. How to swim along the mainstream when the river itself is so hard to reach? The alienation that is spoken of in the context of these tribal communities is not natural. If it exists, it is very much a result of the rest of the country alienating itself from them.

Sourabhee’s story is, of course, not the only one from the Northeast. The present generation may not remember that fine footballer, T. Ao, from Nagaland but there are players from Manipur doing teams in Calcutta and elsewhere proud. The point here is that such individuals cannot be exceptions, they are very much part of a tradition that is also just not their own. When Sourabhee sings a Hindi song, she tells her audience outside Tripura that she is very much a part of it, her background notwithstanding.

This is what needs to be understood. Admiration for the ‘exotic’ Northeast must also take into account the fact that the region does not want to be treated as a hothouse plant. Of course, fissiparous elements in the Northeast want the people to feel differently but the best way of striking at them would be to reach out to the younger generation and draw them into the academic, cultural and sporting arena. The more ‘idols’ there are from the Northeast and also from the Kashmir valley, the better it is for all concerned. That will also create greater opportunities for tomorrow’s Sourabhees.