Rami Niranjan Desai is a North East India Specialist, as founding director of the North East Policy Institute, Guwahati she worked extensively in the area publishing on Insurgency and conflict, religion & social movements. She is presently Director of Pathfinder India Consultancy, an organisation that undertakes research and analysis. She has completed her higher education from King’ College in Theology and Anthropology of Religion.

0:00 Intro
0:48 Understanding North East on ground
5:18 North East & Indian civilisation
9:42 Sinister role of British in North East
11:12 Why British introduced Inner Line Permit
13:02 Headhunting in Nagaland
14:58 Role of Christian missionaries
18:36 Nehru’s tribal advisor was a missionary
22:31 Formation of Naga identity is very recent
27:00 How Missionaries converted tribals
32:41 Why Manipur is so unique in North East
34:18 Role of Modi government
37:18 Manipur is a very complex state
41:38 Demographics of Manipur
44:00 Meitis are 55% but they own only 10% land
50:28 Is Religion behind current violence?
52:55 Illegal migration from Myanmar is a big issue
1:00:44 Why Meitis want tribal status
1:07:13 Reorganisation of North eastern states isn’t a solution
1:11:56 What will govt & army do in Manipur now