Darjeeling: A speech made by Yangchen Bhutia, an IRS officer from Darjeeling, in front of the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi recently, is winning hearts and minds of the people, especially from the Northeast. In the speech, Bhutia talks about the discrimination NE youths have to face outside the region.
Apparently, Bhutia is the first IRS officer from Darjeeling to have addressed the President of India. Her speech has been resonating not only with the people of her native Darjeeling, but also with the marginalised communities across the Northeast and the rest of India.
In her speech, she highlighted how, despite coming from a marginalised region bordering the NE states, she always found people accepting of the diversity, yet when she moved to cities outside the region for higher studies, she had to face discrimination from the people. Given that she studied in some of the best educational institutes in India, it is disturbing to realise how racism is prevalent even in those places.
Bhutia completed her ICSE and ISC from Himali Boarding School in Darjeeling. Following this, she completed her BCom (Hons) degree from Sri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi, before finishing her PGDM from IIM Indore.
