What happened to Kong Tailin Lyngdoh from Langtor Village, Mairang Civil SubDivision, West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya State at the Delhi Golf Club is atrocious and humiliating. The manager, Ajit Pal and Ms. Sumita Thakur along with the whole Club must offer a public apology and personally meet Kong Tailin Lyngdoh and her employer, Dr.(Ms.) Nivedita Borthakur and offer profound apology to both of them individually and separately as it was an affront and insult to the dress of the Khasi ladies which indigenous community is matrilineal.
Adding insult to injury, an unnamed former President of the Club as per report published by Shillong Times on Tuesday, 27 June, 2017 has said, “We do have a strict dress code. Just what happened in this case, I can’t say.” And what is that dress code ? Sari ? Salwar Kameez ?, western dress ? Do members of the Delhi Golf Club that in India, it is not only one type of dress for women ? If not, they have to educate themselves and undergo a crash course on fashion and dresses, on culture and etiquette.
Do they know how many states of the Indian Union are there in the North eastern region ? If not, they need to undergo crash course on what is India - its mosaic, plurality, diversity of cultures, languages, ethnicity, dresses, food habits, reality time difference and many more.
These, of course, are meant for all of the NCR since racial profiling and racial discrimination of persons from the North East, happens most infrequently there.
Why did the Club’s Secretary, Rajiv Hora not take calls ? Will Siddharth Shriram, the Club President, now act on this or not and by now, he would have come to know of the most discriminating and insulting incident that took place against Kong Tailin and Dr. Borthakur and it is grievous insult to the whole Khasi people and to all indigenous communities in the entire North East.
Such incidents are sensitive and belies the multi-fabric Indian society and, racial profiling must stop forthwith. Fascist mind set and colonial mentality must be blown away now and forever.
Rev. Dr. P. B. M. Basaiawmoit
Nongpyngrope, Mawpat,
Shillong