By Heigrujam Nabashyam
"Shaare Jahanse Utccha" - the best of all, these were the words from space serenely coming out from the heart of the first Indian in space to describe the beauty of India when he was asked by Indira Gandhi, then prime minister of India, how India looked from above ?
"Jewel of India" - these were the words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru fondly describing the beauty of Manipur when he saw it from above, from the air, in the aeroplane.
When I was a boy I did not know that Manipur is beautiful. I came to realize its beauty only when I went to other parts of India, even though anyone would say the same thing for one's own country.
Someone who have not seen Manipur and have just visited it either by road sans the troubles at the innumerable police and army checkposts and devoid of any highwayman or by air I am sure, he or she would love the beauty of it. I am also sure that the moment he touches and feels the hardware and software of Manipur the love would go hot and cold.
"India's wild wild East" - was how a Delhi journalist who came to Manipur during the last street fights described it so succinctly after she spent a few days and a few nights. But she did not know that there was a Housie or lottery draw at one corner organized by enthusiastic social workers for a social cause with loudspeakers blaring "your lucky number, your houseful number .........." with men, women, boys and girls cheering on their turn of luck probably till late into the night. She also did not know that at another corner there was a gala evening to release the days' tensions built up by the Dharnas, strikes and teargas attacks launched on them by the riot police - a wonderland indeed !
In Manipur there are one hundred and one problems and there are also one hundred and one civil society organizations ready to take on anything for Manipur. I remember a Very Important Person telling a story few years ago that he was playing host to a visiting German team who were taken to a Meitei marriage ceremony to show them the cultural part of it. The Garments it seemed, were so impressed to see men and women elegantly dressed teamed up to attend the marriage and they were so overwhelmed by the notes flying around the Drummers and vocalists of the Band - the PALA that at the end of the ceremony when the VIP asked the guests for their opinion one of the Germans politely said "Had it been in Germany we would have built a bridge". Such is the elaborate style and purposefulness of the Manipuris that the Germans had "praised"!
One characteristic feature of the Manipuris that can be easily made out is the ready participation of the community in whatever activity - be it a social activity or a religious function or a sports bonanza, or etc. And it is just amazing. This community participation can be equated at least, in spirit with the participation the Chinese community showed in the last Olympic Beijing - 2008.
Coming to the 101 problems of Manipur, let us make an attempt to identify the problems and the causes. One can easily start with the statistics as carried by the local papers and the local electronic media. Take the closure of the educational institutions, highway blockades, strikes, dharnas, and etc. and see how these problems had started. Also take some other instances that had rocked the state, say the 52 days economic blockade by a student's organization or the incidents before and after the burning of the State Central Library of Manipur neighbouring the Raj Bhavan or the issue of Monorama, which ultimately resulted in the liberation of Kangla - the national heritage of the people of Manipur - a tribute to those women who had violated their own modesty at the western gate to protest army atrocities in Manipur.
Those problems not only made the people suffer the most but more important, it sent a wrong message to the world that the public of Manipur are hopelessly unruly, senseless and violent. Take case by case and see how the problems had started. Is it not the SPF government that had ignited people's anger by its arrogance, ignoring the just demand of a judicial inquiry into the July 23 BT Road killings and prompt legal action against the alleged culprits as legitimately demanded? Is it not the SPF leader who had provoked the hurt feelings of a section of the society by declaring June 18 as Manipur Integrity Day? Perhaps the most interesting part of the story was after the declaration CM disowned his responsibility for the resultant fallout of his own actions telling "Eidi Karimata Khangdabani" - that he was innocent to none other than Mani haranamei, then outer MP of Manipur.
As for the other cases also, it is the same incredible stories of the SPF leader of how he either started or let the problems aggravated. In fact, the acts of the SPF leader made the people suffer. To be fair, given the grace points to the government for its administrative constraints the SPF government fails to deliver its services to the public. Sadly the SPF government has become a problem. This is the irony. And it seems there is no alternative to the present SPF leader. This is a reality.
To take a society forward every society need knowledgeable leadership with vision and integrity. But it is not happening in Manipur when globalization all the more threatens small societies like ours into oblivion. Indeed this is an inevitable challenge. This is also a reality. So how do we take on the challenge?
To start with, let us see how other advanced societies have overcome the challenges of globalization; take for instance - the Bengali society or the Malayalee society. It is the values and culture of their society that make them responsible. It is the genius of their society who has shown the way. It is how they look at things in the global context. It is their vision and mind that drives them to compete with the best in the world. And in their efforts their governments provide the impetus and the resources to ompete in the global race. This is how they have come up.
This process is also applicable to our society to take on the challenges of globalization. But we must ensure that our students are trained by the best of teachers and guided by the best of scholars and pandits irrespective of nationality and sex to prepare them for the inevitable challenge. Our teachers and scholars should have an open mind and be ready to learn new ideas. Make education competitive without bias. This is the only way.
Has the time not come to do some plain speaking? Is it not true that our decision-makers or the rulers are the ones we elect? Is it not a great shame that we with one or two exceptions sale our votes for a few rupees and a meal when the future of our children is at stake? Is it not true that our intelligent public and civil society organizations behave irresponsibly ?
Is it not true that plain speaking in this "wild wild East" is highly risky? Is it not true that the huge developmental funds pump into the state is unprecedented? Is it not true that the alleged siphoning off of developmental funds to the insurgents as asserted by the Union Home Minister is unfounded? Is it not true that the CM exploits the fake encounters to enhance his image of a nationalist? Is it not true that the fake encounters also act as a deterrent against plainspeakers who would tell the misdeeds of the chief minister ?
Or hopefully, a miracle may get us out of the quagmire of our proverbial Mapu Pandaba Lum - a land cared by no one!
This article was published on Imphal Free Press