Breaking barriers in post-independence India a journey out of the northeast Rajkumar, Falguni 1949- creator author. text bibliography History. enk 2023 monographic eng print xii, 259 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cm. "This book looks at India of the 1950s and 1960s while it was still emerging from two centuries of colonial rule and striving to come together as a nation. It critically explores the history of nationalism and identity in Northeastern India, a region with diverse ethnolinguistic communities and people, through the personal history of the first Manipuri (Meitei) direct recruit in the Indian Administrative Services. The book weaves in autobiographical stories with the story of Northeast India, capturing its politics, socio-cultural distinctiveness and milieus that set the region apart from the rest of the country. It covers the career of the author in the IAS, serving in Manipur and Karnataka, with the Union Government, and finally as Secretary for the northeastern region. Through these, the book tells the story of a changing society, of a developing nation and a people on the move. It shows how borders and barriers were collapsing and being formed at the same time and how the country was dealing with it. The book is a unique and significant addition to the literature on Manipur; it deepens our understanding of the northeastern states and the complex interactions of the people of the region with the rest of India." -- Part I: Backdrop and setting -- Rites of passage -- Brahmaputra calling: Assam -- The cuckoo syndrome -- 'The unreal city': Gauhati, aka Guwahati -- Cultural instincts and survival instincts -- Khasi highlanders -- Rhapsody on a 'Ka-duitara' and hobbies -- Mathematics and friendships -- Return of the prodigal -- Part II: The westward gamble -- Hindu college: Dreams take wings -- Hostel life: 'Stolovaya' -- Beyond the sunrise is Northeast India -- The semantics of war and other stories -- The graduate in the making -- Stray impressions: Lasting influence -- Post graduation: Changing contours -- Agha Shahid Ali, Begum Akhtar, and me -- Part III: Crossing the Rubicon -- The civil services examination -- Yes! it is possible -- Gathering of the eagles -- The IAS and Northeast India. Falguni Rajkumar. Rajkumar, Falguni 1949- Civil service India History 20th century India, Northeastern History 20th century Manipur (India) History 20th century Civil service India Northeastern India 1900-1999 fast JQ298.8 .R35 2023 954.1 Transition in Northeastern India 9781032394046 1032394048 9781032458533 1032458534 9781000859621 9781000859560 pda,print YDX 221012 20250318214948.3 in00004729681 eng