Editor,

I write as an ordinary Chakma of Arunachal Pradesh, not as a leader, activist or office-bearer. I was born in these hills, grew up here, and have never known any other home.

I write because I believe it is time we spoke to each other, rather than about each other. Much of what is said about us today comes through social media, where assumptions about our origins, appearance, food and identity are repeated until they begin to appear as facts. I hope this letter can offer a view from within the community itself.

For more than six decades, we have lived in Arunachal without full political recognition. Our community was rehabilitated here by the Government of India in the 1960s, in consultation with the local chiefs and NEFA administration. Land, ration cards, government employment and trade licences were provided at that time. After 1980, however, many of these facilities were withdrawn, leaving subsequent generations facing uncertainty over their rights and status.

Our children are born here, study here, work here, marry here and raise their families here, yet some are still called 'refugees' or 'outsiders'. Many families remain without secure land and work as tenants or agricultural labourers. Vulnerable families can also find themselves excluded from welfare schemes or exposed to exploitation and trafficking. These are not political slogans; they are realities that many families quietly live with.

I understand the concerns of Arunachal's indigenous communities about illegal migration and the protection of land, culture and identity. These concerns are legitimate. But genuine concerns about illegal immigration should not result in an entire community being treated with suspicion because of its historical circumstances.

We are not here to change Arunachal's demographic character. We are farmers, students, workers, shopkeepers and families who want to live peacefully and with dignity.

Our culture is deeply rooted in tribal life. We are Buddhists, while our traditions retain elements of the ancient hill cultures of the region. We practise jhum cultivation, maintain customary village institutions, celebrate Biju and Al Paloni, and preserve our language, traditional dress, weaving and distinctive way of life. In many respects, our customs and everyday life share much with other hill communities of the Northeast.

I do not ask anyone to surrender their identity or their right to protect their homeland. I ask only that we distinguish legitimate concerns from collective prejudice.

Our aspiration is neither confrontation nor permanent separation. It is genuine integration, where our tribal identity can exist alongside the identities of Arunachal's indigenous communities, with dignity, mutual respect and a shared sense of belonging.

I know that one letter cannot undo decades of mistrust. But perhaps it can open a small window through which an ordinary family is seen not as a statistic, a political dispute or a headline, but as people who share these hills, seasons, hardships and hopes.

We may have different historical timelines, but we have lived under the same sky for generations. Arunachal is not merely the place where we were settled; it is the only home we know.

I hope that, in time, we can respect our differences, recognise our shared humanity, and call this home together.

With respect, humility and hope,

An ordinary Chakma