She was all praise for our civic authorities who continued to help her with accommodation as she was struggling to afford a pricey hotel for so many days
Rebita Devi in her hotel room
This paper featured a disturbing report about a female body builder from Manipur who has been stranded in Mumbai since lockdown. The lady who was here to collect an award and then, stayed on in the city for some meetings, found herself unable to go back to her Northeastern home as borders between States closed abruptly.
She was all praise for our civic authorities who continued to help her with accommodation as she was struggling to afford a pricey hotel for so many days. They have been stellar in their work she had said.
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On the other hand, some people continued to target her because of her features, which are Oriental and so make her look Chinese. We had seen this pattern earlier, when students from the Northeast were targeted in the city, because of how they looked. This body builder who has a solid, muscular build because of her sport, also cut off her hair short and posed as a male to make life easier.
This is a damning and very shameful commentary on our times.
We need to use this time for introspection and real transformation. Let us never see harassment based on features, skin tone, religion or community again. If the pandemic is the great equaliser like some say, then it should be the spur to more equitable treatment of all. Every ordinary citizen does not have the tools or is not equipped to close economic divides in society. He can though, remove prejudice from his head and in that way too, move towards a level playing field. To see this harassment happening in Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city where every kind of person arrives from all corners of the country in search of work and a future, is shocking, to say the least. Banish stereotypes and remove preconceived misplaced notions. Locked down physically, but free from bigotry and hate, that should be our takeaway.
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