The gathering: The only social sign of northeastern communities living
in and around Ejipura are the special services that happen in the
churches there. Photo: Karan Ananth
Ejipura’s proximity to commercial localities and service sector jobs has drawn migrants from the Northeast
When Y. Arunkumar first came to Bangalore from Manipur, he found the
omnipresence of coconut in all items served at restaurants . “That and
buttermilk,” he says. Even curd was not something he was used to, but
its diluted form with pieces of chilli, ginger, curry leaves and mustard
floating in it were a mystery to him, and initially unpalatable.
“Then, I realised I needed to get used to those things if I was to make a
living in this city, and now, have made my peace with coconut and
curds,” he says. He comes from Thoubal district in Manipur, a place
where bamboo shoots and fermented fish prevail over other ingredients.
“We explain to our landlords, that fermented fish may be totally alien
to them, but it is an acquired taste, just like coconut and curds, and
there is nothing wrong in cooking with it in our rented houses,” says
Arun Yambem, secretary of publicity and communications at the Manipuri
Meitei association of Bangalore. “The good thing is, landlords these
days understand.”
Opening minds
International schools in Marathahalli are where families from the
Northeast prefer to send their children to. Multicultural and
comparatively more open-minded houseowners are one of the reasons why
they seem to prefer staying in Ejipura, Viveknagar, Austin Town and
Neelasandra.
The other obvious reason is proximity to the heart of the city and areas
where service sector jobs in retail, fashion and hospitality are
plenty, such as M.G. Road, Koramangala and Indiranagar.
What is less obvious, says Johnson Rajkumar, professor in St. Joseph’s
college, is that migration is often fed by a migrant drawing relatives
and friends to the same college or work that he or she is engaged in.
For instance, A. Sarat, a physiotherapist, came to Bangalore to study in
Goutham College of Physiotherapy because he heard about it from his
friends. After having worked in Rajajinagar for a while, he rented a
place to stay in Ejipura because that was where his friends were.
“People from each northeastern State tend to socialise with people from
their own States,” explains Johnson. He headed a student research
project that looked into the issues faced by migrant workers from the
northeastern States in the unorganised sector, such as in malls, beauty
parlours and restaurants.
“While an IT employee or a management consultant from Manipur may stay
in houses adjacent to a retail salesperson or a security guard from the
same State, they do not mingle socially,” Johnson says. “So, there are
many cultural associations for each State, mainly involving students and
IT employees. The unorganised sector worker does not even have the time
to engage in those, working almost seven days a week and long hours.”
Despite northeastern communities occupying many positions in the service
sector, the only social signs of this churn are the special services
that happen in the churches around this area. “There is a church that
people from Mizoram go to, another for those from Shillong and so on,”
explains Fr. Jhabu Imsong, who conducts the Naga service at Richmond
Methodist Church.
No spice
Apart from a Northeast diner in Koramangala, not much else has come up
in the area to indicate the presence of such a community. There are
Tibetan restaurants and roadside momo stalls, but not restaurants and
grocery stores selling spices and ingredients for Manipuri or Naga
cuisine.
“So, we get our spices parcelled here from back home,” laughs Redibala
Thongram, a physiotherapist working on Bannerghatta Road, but still
preferring to stay in Ejipura. “Around here, it is easy to get meat —
fish, chicken and even beef, only pork is difficult because of the
religious profile of the area. But, in some other areas of the city, it
is difficult to get any kind of meat at all.”
“We generally love to cook at home, so the lack of restaurants is not a
problem,” says Arunkumar. “All kinds of vegetables are available here
too. So, it’s only the spices that are a problem, like for instance the
Naga chilli.”
Search for love
The other search he is into now is for a partner. “Arranged marriages
are not at all common in our native place. Here, things are a bit more
conservative, but it is still possible to date in this city,” he says.
Perhaps, not many other communities, especially from remote regions, in
India can claim a more liberal background than the big city that they
have migrated to.
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