So Many Stories, But no Audience: Comic on Meghalaya Mine Tragedy

Abhineet Mishra, a native of Meghalaya, says that the northeast has “many stories to tell but no audience.”

For over three weeks since 13 December, 15 miners have been trapped in an illegal coal mine in Ksan, located in East Jaintia Hill district of Meghalaya. The rescue efforts, which have been delayed from very beginning, has made little progress.

“If this comes as news to you, you are not alone,” reads the disclaimer before the start of Abhineet Mishra’s stand-up set (not comedy, as he puts it) – highlighting the lack of coverage of the northeast by the mainstream media.

Mishra, a native of Meghalaya, performs his set in an empty club, to throw light on how the northeastern part of the country has “many stories to tell but no audience.”

The six-minutes-long video touches upon the Indian government building a 300-feet statue but not sending people in to rescue those trapped 300-feet below the ground level.

From pointing at media’s obsession with Taimur Ali Khan, to the round-the-clock coverage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi and even prime time discussions on the Tim Paine-Rishabh Pant episode – Mishra touches upon how the northeast is “always” ignored.

“Our nation and our media is fascinated with other things — why did Rahul Gandhi wink at Modi? Why did Rahul Gandhi hug Modi?” Mishra says in his set.