Who get's to speak for us if not us ourselves?

*Welp, this is quite the cheesy, but I remember writing this a long time ago after experiencing blatant racism.* *I got quite mad and felt like penning some feelings down.* If you’re from the Northeast, you’ve probably felt it—that moment when you realize that the rest of the country barely knows who we are. They don’t know our history, our cultures, our struggles, or our achievements. And worst of all? They seem indifferent about it-- sometimes even our own people give up our histories for a westernised or mainland-ised one. We’re either treated like an afterthought or flattened into stereotypes. We’re "that place with tribal people," or "that place near China," or worse—just one vague, misunderstood region where everyone looks the same, talks the same, and lives in the same way. Never mind that we have over 200 languages, multiple religions, and a mix of tribal and non-tribal communities with histories that go back centuries. Never mind that our cities are growing, our businesses are thriving, and our people are making an impact across India and beyond. And yet, when someone from the Northeast wins a medal, the media suddenly remembers us. When there's a political or military issue, headlines scream our names. But where’s the coverage when our scientists make breakthroughs, when our entrepreneurs build something great, when our artists redefine creativity? This is the pattern. And it’s not going to change unless we change it. So, what do we do? We **take control of our own story**. We support each other’s work. We demand representation. We show up for our own people. And most importantly, we remind ourselves that we are not *just* one thing. We are diverse, complex, and powerful. Like a body with all its organs working towards a common goal. Northeast India is not a footnote, we are the chorus. We are not just "exotic", We are a peoples. And it’s time the world saw the NE for what it truly is.