Humko Indian Bolo: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju responds to Arunachal girl’s cute request, “Humko Indian bolo”: “You have become famous; the whole of India loves you”
A few words from a little girl in Arunachal Pradesh have travelled far beyond her hometown. After a video of Karga Tinkle Gongo objecting to being called Chinese went viral online, Union minister Kiren Rijiju spoke to her over a video call and told her that people across India were now cheering for her.The union minister, referring to the attention her video had received, told her that she had become famous and reassured her: “Now the whole of India loves you.”
The union minister also told Tinkle that he’ll visit her home in Itanagar
Tinkle’s cute interaction with Kiren Rijiju
The Union minister spoke to the little girl on a video call. The interaction took place during an India Today interview, after the minister was asked whether he would like to speak to the child.Tinkle’s mother posted a clip of their interaction on her Instagram handle @karga_tinkle_gongo. Being the little girl she is , Tinkle politely asked Rijiju, “Aap kaun hain? (Who are you?).” To which the Union minister replied, “Main Kiren Rijiju hai… aapka mummy ko puchho.”The minister told Tinkle that whenever he comes to Itanagar, he’ll meet her. He also asked Tinkle if she’ll come to Delhi and also invited her for lunch. He said, “Khana khana hai Uncle ke saath mein.”In the video, posted on her account, the caption said, “Thank you so much @kiren.rijiju Sir for calling me! I had just woken up from my long nap when you called, so I was very surprised. I would definitely love to have dinner at your house someday. Hope to meet you soon when you’re in Itanagar..”He also asked the child who had teased her before reassuring her that people across the country were now supporting her. “Now the whole of India loves you,” Rijiju told her as per India Today report. “You have become very famous. You know that?” he asked fondly.
The video that brought Tinkle into the spotlight
Tinkle, who lives in Itanagar, had gone viral earlier this month after responding to someone who called her Chinese. Instead of ignoring the remark, the child explained that such comments made her angry and upset. In the video, she said that she and her community were Indian and asked people to call them Indian.“Humko Indian bolo”- call us Indian- became the line that was widely shared across social media. She also identified her home, saying that she lived in Itanagar. The simplicity of the response struck a chord with viewers, particularly people from the Northeast who said they had encountered similar assumptions about their nationality because of their appearance.Read here: Arunachal girl’s response to Chinese comments wins hearts onlineThe video was shared widely on Instagram and X, with many users praising Tinkle for speaking so directly about something that is often treated as a casual question or joke.Her social-media following also grew sharply after the video went viral, turning a child’s spontaneous response into a national conversation about identity, belonging and the stereotypes faced by people from the Northeast.Rijiju’s conversation with Tinkle added another public moment to the story. For the little girl whose original message was simply a request to be recognised as Indian, the Union minister’s reassurance was perhaps the simplest response of all: people across the country had heard her.
