The spot opens on the voice of a teenager, belonging to North East India. She starts listing the various cultural biases that she and others like her are subjected to, because of the region they come from.

As her list continues, the music grows in intensity.

She concludes by inviting you to visit the region, to find out who they really are.

The voice-over explains that the only way to turn your biases around (about a culture or its people) is to travel there.

North East India consists of eight states. It is a region that has been socially marginalized by the rest of the country. It is home to the beautiful Himalayas, confluence of a few major rivers, and an extremely diverse cultural heritage. But despite its rich natural and ethnic background, there is very little social exchange between the region and the rest of the country.

Seen as outsiders, or tribal, or even separatists, the people from the area are often at the receiving end of stereotyping and alienation. The issue has also turned violent at different times in recent history.

However, those who have visited these states realise that the culture and people are very different from what they might have assumed.

(MUSIC: Ambient music all throughout)

TEENAGE GIRL:

We are not Chinkies or Chinky eyes.

We are not Nepalese, Chinese or Thai.

We are not outsiders.

We don’t eat just momos or noodles.

We don’t all work in massage parlours.

We are not tribal, though some of us are, and we are proud of it.

Come, and find out, who we really are.

(MUSIC pauses, before starting again)

V/O: Turn what you know around. Travel to the North East with packages starting at Rupees 29,999 only, with thomascook.in