It is not everyday that the words penned over three long decades by a Shillong journalist takes centre stage in the national capital. Such was the evening of September 6, 2025 at India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi. The book discussion drew a charged audience for senior journalist and editor of The Shillong Times, Patricia Mukhim’s seminal two-part volume titled _From Isolation to Integration: Navigating the Geopolitics of India’s Northeast (1990-2023)_ which is a repository of newspaper articles, reportage, personal accounts and editorials circling issues around the North East.Discourse around the book The book discussion saw a stellar line-up of panelists from Vrinda Grover, senior advocate, Tiplut Nongbri, former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of The Print, Shyam Saran, President IIC who presided as the chair, GK Pillai, former Union Home Secretary who was the moderator and Patricia Mukhim, the author.
The converging point of most of the discussants was around Mukhim being an ‘active voice’ and an ‘insider’ from the region who vigorously challenges and engages with burning issues.
The subject of Manipur became the entry-point into the discussion with the state suffering from years of political neglect, and cultural invisibility especially with the backdrop of the recent ethnic crisis in the state.
The timely release and discussion of the book becomes even more contextual in relation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Manipur on September 13 for the first time since the conflict flared up in May 2023.
The book
The volume sifts through a careful selection of the author’s articles written from the 1990s to 2023. It offers readers an archival insight into the geopolitics of the North East by tying together the socio-political landscape of the region while crosscutting it with the varied cultural forces and outlining it with the current scenario at play.
The range of subjects covered in the book is wide ranging from – corruption, insurgency, governance, environment, Khasi culture and looking at each one of the Northeastern states as separate entities.
Mukhim’s panoramic view underlines Assam’s illegal migration, insurgency, NRC while also drawing upon illegal rhino poaching and border tussles with Meghalaya. On a similar plane, Naga nationalism, Naga peace process and the puppetry of Governors in Nagaland’s recent times are insightful in providing a backdrop to the realities of the region.
A major lacuna in the book however, is the absence of photographs and other visual materials.
From author to reader
As a chronicler of events, Mukhim has been actively using her agency of ‘voice’ through her writings to highlight issues of apathy plaguing the North East region. The two-volume magnum opus are her carefully stitched together pieces written for national dailies such as The Statesman, The Telegraph, The Hindu and the Indian Express once in a while and The Assam Tribune besides other online news portals. “I feel it a privilege to be able to write about the region and be given space in these so-called mainstream media as a means to educate the rest of the country about our aspirations and anxieties”, she points out.
Mukhim, through her unbiased stance, draws attention to the many Northeastern states that were created after 1972 and goes on to share how differently the dream of statehood could be realised.
“Politicians have wasted the goodwill they were vested with when they demanded a separate state. New Delhi pumped in ‘development funds’ but never monitored how the funds were spent. The states lacked financial accountability and corruption became a way of life. It’s no wonder therefore that some states have in fact slipped further on the education, nutrition and poverty indices,” she stated.
Mukhim’s books serve as a record of important benchmarks in the seven states of the region which sees itself as the periphery. She stressed, “The very word North East to define ourselves is a misnomer because we are the North East only if we view ourselves from Delhi. Here in the region we are the centre of the universe; there is no geographical direction to define us.”
As a next writing venture, Mukhim contemplates turning the course towards the personal realm. “I am thinking of penning down my autobiography which will give readers a glimpse into how an ordinary woman can also emerge as a voice from a region that is silenced by the tyranny of distance”, she divulged.
Published by Martin Luther Christian University Press, Mukhim attributes culmination of these voluminous tomes to Dr Glenn C Kharkongor, Chancellor of MLCU, who took a keen lead in assisting with the overall process.
By providing a detailed narrative about the region, Mukhim’s books are both educational and informative, paving the way to access copious research material.