Her Story: A Northeastern Lawyer Who Fights Against Racism in India

This is the tale of an inspiring Indian humanitarian, activist and lawyer from Manipur, Dr Alana Golmei.

Born in Tamenglong, Manipur in a Naga family, Golmei has worked in preventing harassment and abuse of women and tribal individuals from the Northeast.

Often, north Indian cities like the capital city Delhi, are not the best host to people from the Northeast, who often suffer visible and invisible forms of racial discrimination. While the students are called racist names like ‘Momo’ or ‘Chinky’, women from the Northeast employed in hospitality and direct customer services often face sexual harassment in a metropolitan miles away from their home. Unable to communicate in the local language and in the absence of any support, tribals from the Northeast often find themselves stuck.

Alana’s goal has been to assist people from north east, both of tribal and non-tribal backgrounds, to fight racial discrimination across India. Golmei was also part of the 2014 Bezburruah committee, which famously suggested measures to deal with racial discrimination targeted at north-eastern Indians. The committee was formed after the alleged death of a student from the Northeast after facing racial discrimination in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market.

Get to know stories of more such inspiring women and stay tuned.

Her Story is a special text and video series by the CSR Journal that is focused on news that promotes gender equality.