Apart from being known as "The Land of the Dawn-lit Mountain," "The Land of the Rising Sun," "The Orchid State of India," "The Botanist's Paradise," and so on, Arunachal Pradesh is also satirically dubbed as "The Land of Khushi-Marzi" by the locals of the state, which somewhat interprets as the land where a section of the people have the presumption of self-entitlement, self-privilege, and the tendency of performing everything according to their wishes.

Based on years of personal experiences and first-hand witnesses, I’ve compiled below some of the practices that are so common in Arunachal Pradesh that many citizens have knowingly / unknowingly acquired these dreadful habits. 

Online Trolling and Canceling culture

With enhanced connectivity in the region, the vast majority of Arunachalis who have social media accounts have a tendency to engage in online trolling under false identities. As a form of exerting social pressure and self-expression, they are actively partaking in the habit of online trolling and mass cancellations by making false accusations and spreading rumours against public personalities like politicians, journalists, officers, actors, and YouTubers, as well as fellow common citizens. 

Rude Behaviour towards Customers in Customer Service 

Some business owners in Arunachal Pradesh, including those who sell meat, clothing, vegetables, and tempo-auto drivers among the others can come off as rather stubborn and impolite. Customers who try to call out how unnecessarily pricey something is, ask about the products or even try to bargain a little will get a straight response from the shop owners telling them to visit another store if they don't want it or if the price appears excessive. It's acceptable to have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude as long as it's not said to the customer's face in an arrogant manner.

Unnecessary Bandh Calls and Protests

Our people tend to frequently act in the same way, calling for a bandh or starting a protest for seemingly insignificant issues. For instance, when the Covid shutdown first began, students screamed and protested against online classes to the Hon'ble CM and the administration. Reason: Students could not attend online classes because they lacked smartphones and internet access. Admitted that lack of online infrastructure did interfere with the online education mode; in lieu of which their demand for lifting the lockdown may seem justified. However, after the lockdown was revoked, the protestants took a U-turn as college and university students pushed for the right to take their semester exams online -  leading to the recent mass protests of the Arunachali students during the new-normal phase of the pandemic. And just like that, the faults in online infrastructure that compelled them to take to the streets, disappeared. You might be wondering where logic fits in here? 

Corruption During Election

Election-related corruption includes all parties involved in money laundering and other illegal activities, be it the nominees, the voters, or the campaigners. The planning for these unlawful practices begins way, way before the election date and peaks at the highest right around the election time. From the election of representatives in schools, colleges, and universities, to those held by student unions and other associations to the grand venture of general elections, it embodies every kind of malpractice. The majority of the voters either demand a lump sum of money, or a government job, contract work, cars, gadgets and other materialistic items for casting a vote or generating vote banks. 

Then there are those select few who abstain from this unethical embezzlement behaviour nonetheless cast a vote, either because they are relatives to the candidates, or the nominees are their acquaintance's relatives or simply because a friend may have requested to vote for the specific candidates of their choice for whatever reason, resulting in political alienation and voter apathy.

Complaining After Choosing the Government 

Having made the important decision to choose the government during the election, the residents of Arunachal exhibit an interesting trait, that involves persistently criticizing and constraining the government. We share equal blame and responsibility for the compromised government. If we had chosen the ideal government body, one that was rational and free of corruption, concerns like unemployment, scholarships, healthcare, and competitive exams, among the other issues, would not have gone unaddressed.

The citizens' blatant hypocrisy needs to end, in which they keep on complaining about everything in the developmental activities initiated by the government that they willingly chose to vote for. So, the people of Arunachal Pradesh should quit the tradition of pointing fingers, vote sensibly in the upcoming elections, and back a candidate who has a strong chance of bringing about a change in society.

In Conclusion

These ingrained behaviors exist everywhere in the world, not just in Arunachal Pradesh. It's essential to call attention to these hypocrisies in order to highlight the fact that before society can be changed, we must change as individuals. We ought to take accountability for our own deeds. Are you curious about more of these habits that Arunachalis have? Await for the part 2 version of this.