Banning Bandhs

You are here: Home » leisure » EI » Robert Baite

E-Pao! EI - Banning_Bandhs

Banning Bandhs

By: Robert J. Baite *

If you happen to ask a common man on the streets of Imphal about what ails our Manipur society, there is no doubt that the culture of bandhs will be first thing on the mind. It has to be.

Every other day, social organizations, in the name of fighting for justice and drawing the attention of the Government, threatens to call bandhs or strikes without taking into account the opinion of the civil society. Things have come to such a point where a few people can form an organization or association just to call bandits.

Bandhs affects each and every common man on the street. The daily wage earners are the ones who are affected most. Students are deprived of their daily classes. Then of course, there is the Government who loses precious hours which in turn can be calculated into lakhs of rupees.

But do the organizations or associations who call the bandh ever think of his fellow beings who are being subjected to forego their daily business just because of some grievances against the Government?

The answer is no.

I believe that today, organizations or associations who clamp down bandhs do not ever think that people of the State have had enough of bandhs, blockades or strikes.

In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that bandhs have lost its essence today. Support for bandhs is slowly diminishing among the civil society. Except for issues of State interest, no one seems to bother about bandhs these days.

True that buses do not ply on a bandh day, however, one can see almost normal activities during such bandhs. People still travel on the streets of Imphal taking it as a day-off from their normal duties.

With numerous organizations calling the shots by clamping down bandhs, the time has come as how the issue should be nipped in the bud. Here is one suggestion. Far-fetched, it may seem but it not totally impossible.

We need to have an apex organization which will look into the grievances of the people. If a particular organization has any grudges against the system or Government, the apex organization may be consulted.

The demands and their grievances may be discussed. Then, it can be brought to the notice of the concerned MLA/ Minister who in turn can bring up the issue to the highest authority.

Under this understanding, no organization may be allowed to call bandhs or strikes without the consent of the apex organization. If any organization happens to impose it, then the general public should boycott such organization and defy such imposition. Now the question is how do we form this apex organization?

This humble idea germinates from the recent bandh call by Dam Action Committee of Churachan-dpur. As soon as the organisation announced the bandh, the Churachandpur District Students' Union asked the organization to suspend the bandh.

The reason they do not have the mandate of the people. Nor have they got the consent from CDSU or the apex organization Indigenous Tribal Leaders Council (ITLC). Of course, schools and offices opened with the bazaar bustling like any normal day.

Churachandpur today

Churachandpur or Lamka is one of the few places on earth where my heart is close to. I had had a good sometimes wild times during my college days. With mends we would spend the weekends there. A trip to Inspection Bungalow (IB) is a must where we used to sip rice beer straight from the earthen pot.

The pot is filled with rice husk and the beer. We would sip it passing the pipe one by one and then pour water on it off on and on. After some minutes (depending on the size of the pot), the beer would get diluted signalling the end of the sipping session.

It was always lovely to walk on the streets of Lamka especially in the nights under the moonlight. We would go for jay-walking with guitars slung across our shoulders. The streets were filled with young people especially on summer nights. There were laughter and happiness on everyone's face.

While the rest of the hills were burning due to ethnic clash, Churachandpur was an oasis of peace. It was also a centre for learning where students from every part of the State flocked to spent their student's life at Bethany or St. Mary's or Don Bosco.

Or how can one forget the Christmas season? Almost every house, where there are some young chaps, throws parties and dances till the wee hours.

Or one cannot forget Jesse of the Dark Krusaders fame (may his soul rest in peace), who would throw impromptu gigs in front of his courtyard belting out numbers from Ozzy, Nazareth or Bob Dylan. Indeed, those were the days where one can experience the beautiful aroma of peace in Lamka.

Fast forward to 2006. Today, Lamka town resembles a ghost town as soon as darkness falls in. Eerie silence haunts' the streets. Every other day, there are gun duels between rival underground outfits. Guns boom from different directions. Some residents have reportedly fled their homestead 'out of fear.

Today, if there is place were violence and fear rules the minds of the people, it is Churachand-pur. The IB is occupied by security forces and beer drinking sessions, signs of normalcy, have become only memories.

May be it is high time that the top honchos of tribal organizations initiate a peace deal between these outfits so that Lamka can regained its pristine glory where people smile from their hearts.

What was that?

In front of the main gate of the Churachandpur District hospital stands a signboard. It says, 'Prepare to meet your God'. Sometimes, I wonder if the patient who is admitted will be discouraged or encouraged by the signboard.

Imagine yourself having an accident (God forbid) and you are hanging on the last thread. You are rushed to the hospital in the hope of getting medication. But when you see the signboard, what will be your reaction?

Sengdokchaba

Sengdokchaba or clarification is one area where the print media is garnering lots of revenue. Every day there are two or more such clarifications. Some are addressed to underground outfits asking for pardon. Then there is wakatchaba or appeal where people ask justice from loving organizations to intervene and solve their problems. But this one takes the cake.

In one Manipuri edition on 14th July, a school boy inserted a sengdokchaba. He has asked for forgiveness to a student organization and promised to attend his classes regularly.

Well! Hard times ahead for truants and class bunkers.

Robert J. Baite wrote this article for The Sangai Express.
You can contact him at [email protected]
This article was webcasted on June 24th, 2006

* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.