The Gorkhalis of Mizoram

"Our population in Mizoram during 1960s was around five thousand; 50 years later it is roughly the same," says a Gorkhali shoe salesman in Aizawl, the state capital of Mizoram. "Back then the state government used to offer us scholarships to study in schools and colleges. Now our sons and daughters receive no such assistance." After a few minutes pause, he murmurs, "How are my children going to have decent lives here? It's very disturbing to think about such things, and this keeps me and my wife awake all night. The only way out of this is either we leave this place or assimilate into the Mizo society. Earlier, Mizos and Gorkhalis were like brothers and sisters, but now they see each other as 'us' and 'them'"

When the Indian Air Force bombed Mizoram in March 1966, it became – and remains – the only Indian state to come under such attacks. For two decades afterwards, armed revolutionary movements shook the Mizo hills. It was only in 1986, when a peace-accord between militant groups and the Indian government was signed, that positive changes began to be seen within Mizo society. Today, Sikkim is the only other state in the Indian Northeast without violent insurgent groups. However, the fruits of peaceful development have not reached the Gorkhalis living within Mizoram. While the rest of Mizo society is on an uphill trajectory, the Gorkhalis are heading downhill.