My sojourn at Makhan foot-hill also reminded me of the Koirengs of Ekpan and Nurathel villages of one time, and the route used by them while travelling from one village to the other end through Kanglatongbi till the early 1960s.

Ekpan Koirengs of Motbung of those days were not lured by the expanse of Kanglatongbi valley to establish a village there as they thought the area of land in their physical possession was a far more unmanageable affair, and the idea of village expansion was never struck in them. It would not have been an impossible feat if they ever staked their claim over the valley.

Thus, the lesser known and luckless Koireng people lost all their possessions such as Kharang(Kangchup), Yaingangtang(Yaingangpokpi), Nurathel and Iril Valley(Saikul), Kumbi Hill and Ngangkha Lawai(Moirang), Yongabung and Nakecheng(Tamenglong), Leitong(Imphal West), Sadu (West of Nambol), one village near Chandel and many more.

Alas! Everything is lost. Everything seems to be impossible to regain the paradise lost in the midst of strangers.

At the Jubilee, I had the opportunity of meeting personalities of different traits of both sexes. What can be a striking note is that all the women delegates were cheerful showing their smiling faces every time.

The chief officer of the association is coined as the Executive Secretary who is responsible to the assembly of it. The current incumbent is Rev. Ngamlei Zimik, an eminent theologian whose devotion to the missionary path to crush the design of sectarians or the sectarian divide is only to be appreciated. He is a man of forth-right views in his early fifties.

Another orator who was in the limelight of the association for a long time is Rev. Ayao Rocky, now in his seventies and his father was already a Christian convert much before he was born. The reverend went to Toronto in Canada in 1979.

As the family to which he belongs is natured to Christian way of life, everything looks to be perfect----in manner, hospitality and speech. The person who teaches Christian values by setting a good example in the society is of a golden heart to be relied on forever.

His fluency in Meiteilon is another advantage for him to give sermon to the core in every congregation. His remarkable success as an orator was mainly due to his well-modulated voice, his fluent and fine articulated delivery---a good imitation of the American missionaries.

In one’s imagination, he has found it easier to speak articulately in Meiteilon than in his mother tongue. The other equally important orator who travelled abroad on several occasions is Rev. Jonathan Gangmei who was an able Executive Secretary of the association for ten years, being still active in the mission field.

One of the pioneers, Rev. Chungsei Kilong who babtised me at Longa River is no more. He also spoke Meiteilon as if he was brought up in a valley family. He was a well-read ardent Christian leader whose contribution to the association is, indeed, great---the paragon of virtue.

As it is, Meiteilon is likely to continue as the common language of the people of the state of Manipur for an unknown period of time though a large number of hill people in the interior parts of Manipur are still not familiar with it.

The gap is a result of communication bottle-neck, not due to any other reason since the conditions of the few roads that are constructed in the remote hill areas of Manipur are deplorably bad, blocking all kinds of development. Those of us of the present generation belonging to different professions and different walks of life will have to invariably depend on Meiteilon as a better means of communication between us while, at the same time, we will make every effort to get our respective dialects or languages developed.

We must rightly strive to make the effort fruitful, and it must be our belief that those who are just and wise in the state will assist us in the effort. Each dialect or language that may be spoken by a few hundreds or more than a million people is for us precious beyond measure.

Because the dialect or language spoken by each community is the direct descendant without break of the language one’s ancestors spoke in those far-off-days. Of an outlook on life deeply Christian and rich in practical wisdom, a language today is worth far too much to dream of letting it go.

Suppose, we part with it, we will abandon a great part of ourselves and lose the key of the past. It amounts to cutting away roots from the tree. It is sentimental.

The only truth is that with the language gone we could never aspire again to being more than half a tribe or community. But it is never wrong to use the language which is actually more widely spoken among the people of Manipur.

It also doesn’t mean that we will lose our dialects by speaking Manipuri as though it is infiltrated by many borrowed words from Sanskrit, Hindi and Bengali; rather it will help develop various tribal dialects.

We won’t be able to renounce it at once just as we will forsake dust from our clothes. Till date, the SBA is pulling on smoothly, all because of the “language” that binds the affiliating churches together.

Last of all, what more is most desirable is that instead of confining one’s life-long activities to the well-being of a particular tribe or race to which one belongs, serving diverged communities is a much nobler task as the modern history of the world is replete with stories of great men serving communities.

What is even more puzzling is mixing of religion with politics. The belief that mankind will not survive without strong politics is an out-and-out lie. That kind of politics often leads to lawlessness and outbreak of arsons.

That is why we need moderates in politics, liberals in social thoughts and believers in religion so much so that the Christian approach is of persuasion, not coercion. In the context of the SBA, the existing three Reverends possess the qualities of being persuasive, open-minded and well-meaning, treating all communities in the association equally.

After having attended the Golden Jubilee, it is now possible for me to write on it with the other round ups. So, ten years later, diamond jubilee will be celebrated at the place that is agreed upon.

As life expectancy in Manipur is very short, it is difficult to predict who will be around there by that time or who will not be. It is lovely.

It is excellent and significant that the Association has been successful to hold the 50th Anniversary of its women’s Union at Makhan. It is a great achievement to be cherished, heralding peace in Manipur.

Thanks to the past and present leadership of the SBA.

Concluded ...