Communalism : A chasm in the unity and integration of Manipur

Bamishwar Nameirakpam *

Unity in Diversity - Different communities of Manipur at Republic Day 2013 parade at Imphal :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

Communalism is so prevalent in Manipur that it shapes our thoughts, emotions etc. For instance, in Manipur, when a person from a tribal community happens to commit a crime against a Meitei or when it is done against a Meitei by a tribal person, there always sparks communal tensions among the communities In Manipur, there is a common concept that if a person from a particular community commits a crime, we tend to blame all the person in the community.

We can prove this statement. For example when an economic blockade is called by some tribal organizations, we tend to blame the tribals in the valley or in the hills even if they have no connection with the blockade.

The language we are using has rubbed more salts to the communal wounds of Manipur . We, the Meiteis generally refer the tribals as " Hao" which is an obnoxious word for the tribals . And in the markets, we usually hear people saying I Meitei yen' as if Almighty God have created chickens in Manipur only for the Meiteis ! We also hear people saying I Meitei morok' as if some of the flora and fauna of Manipur belongs only to the Meiteis!!

We praise ' Mary Kom' , the Olympics Bronze Medalist as one of the paragon among the Manipuri women and among the sportspersons. We take pride in her achievements as we are from the same motherland. But when we think deeply, we actually look down on her by calling her as I Hao For some reason or the other, antagonism among ourselves seems to be embedded in our subconscious mind

We, the Meiteis call the tribals as 'Hao' because they are oblivious of the fact that they are offensive to the tribals. What the tribals are thinking is that these words are always used in negative sense, so they should not be used. So, the communication gap between the tribals and Meiteis has to be bridged so as to foster communal harmony in Manipur.

Reprimanding each other will rob off the genuine significance of celebrating' Mera Haochongba' which is an annual get-together feast for strengthening the emotional fibre between the' Chingmis and the Tammis'

A time will come when we realize that we, the people of Manipur have the same anthropological origin. According to a book, " Manipur: Maid of the Mountains" written by " R. Constatine, "the people of Manipur are the' Shans' from Mongolia. We , the meiteis are also tribal. With the passing of time, changes took place in their lifestyles, dialect etc and they gradually become different communities.

We need to make aware of the escalating need of the communal harmony in Manipur. When a crime is committed by a person, we just need to find the justice, we don't need to accuse the community which he or she belongs to. It creates a sense of mistrust among the communities in our society, thus hampering our nation's progress.

Promotion of communal harmony is of paramount importance in our society. If we wish to make sound progress in political, social and economic spheres, we Shbuld have a sense of brotherhood amongst all, throwing aside his community, religion, caste he or she belongs to. The spirit of oneness should be carved in the hearts of all the people of Manipur, then only, we can march forward in the light of progress. Communal clashes only leads to bereavement of life and property.

We should refer the tribals as 'Chingmis' not as 'Hao' and the tribals in the valley as :'Tamgi Chingmis' as they are the descendents of the Chingmis. It will be a herculean task to obliterate the word 'Hao' from our tongues owing' to the fact that these words have been stained to our tongues. But, it can be achieved by giving extensive awareness among the people of Manipur .

Collective participation of all ethnic groups in the various cultural activities is one of the effective measures to live in amity and combat communalism like in Gang-Ngai, Lai-Haraoba etc. In Ningol Chakkouba also, the Tammis can call the 'Chingmis' for a feast and the same can be done by the Chingmis and this will ultimately intensity the spirit of brotherhood among the Manipuris.

Manipur is not for Meiteis neither Nagas nor Kukis. This is our MOTHERLAND- a land of Unity in Diversity and we have to strive hard to I root out the feeling of animosity among ourselves.

Let's understand each other and wipe off the feeling of communalism from our hearts and live together as II ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY ".