The men living in Manipur like all the depressed chauvinism under the Indian expansionist have been cautioned for the fake encounter, custodial tortures and killings for joining underground outfits or uprising for restoring sovereignty of the one time independent country since the merger to the Indian Union with the 'Instrument of Accession' in 1949.
Since then there has been no security in this fragiled State. Such Indian atrocities in Manipur have nothing to complain to anybody for the cause of 'Sovereignty of Manipur'.
As the trend passes today the Indo-Manipur conflict, the Indo-Naga issue, the Naga-Naga conflict and the Manipur-Naga tussles say all these above come to their own days.
The name of Manipur itself is a corrupt name and came after the Vaishnavism which evolved since 1967 AD after the reign of King Kyamba.
Like this, Naga is also a borrowed or an entitled name by the then British and came to be known as Nagaland on July 20, 1960 within the Indian Union as a State from the Naga Hill district of Assam and Tuensang Frontier Division.
On the other there was no Naga in Manipur. Now, all these names (Manipur and Nagaland) are coming to change to the likes of their originality. Before coming of the name Nagas there are the clans called Tangkhul, Mao, Zeliang, Liangmei, Rongmei, Maring, Kabui and the names of Kuki-Chins clans etc in Manipur as today in course of time.
Likewise, there are Ao, Sema, Angami, Lotha, Chakeshang, Konyak etc in Nagaland till today in course of time. And different religions gave the forceful impacts in Manipur after converting Vaishnavism and Christianity among her subjects.
Still, Manipur remains unity in diversity as the people living in this State have been the descendants of the ancient forefathers living in the hilly surroundings. According to Captain Hudson's 'The Meitheis' it is mentioned that the people of Manipur valley were the settlers or descendants of the surrounding barbarious tribes.
Moreover, the alluvial plain of Manipur valley was formed due to the deposition of silt of the southerly flowing rivers from the north of Manipur. Thus, it was once the lake covering one tenth of the total area of the State.
Loktak lake and some other lakes and swamps still exist today though most of the valley is for-med and as sedimented suiting for dwelling and agricultural practices in course of time. She is the proof that the people from the surroundings hills have been migrating here for habitation and living from immemorial times till today.
Again Meiteis are not foreigners. Today Manipur represents a cosmopolitan State. So, they should not be sectarian nor communal like some self style autocratic leaders of the State.
The people have been walking a long way and they now come to senses that they should base on reality for the common pool and that should be acceptable by all the citizens of this State. Some low political profile leaders can never claim authority of self justice.
The only thing is that the mandate for anything say Naga integration or Manipur's freedom should be under reasonable public acceptance. In the same way the MLR and LR Act of 1960 is one of the main causes and defects of divi-ding between the valley dwellers and the hilly inhabitants among themselves in Manipur.
Taking the chance some sectarian leaders have been building up self style assurances to the people who trust them or by forces in some kinds. The people should not neglect that such type of hypocrisy is due to the lack of political principles, unreasonable political hypnosis or political unconsciousness. One thing Manipur and Nagaland as so called now a days have geopolitical differences.
It is not the time of class clashes, if so, there will be sidetrack at all. So, it is necessary to check the drawbacks and meaningless dramas. Manipur's metabolism can't be uprooted at any time at any cost.
Some persons who have been trying to deviate by creating a new history without consensus is beyond the mainstream. It is not a political dimension but a crucifixion to self and to their fellow citizens.
The people are so perturbed because of the mere stage of trekking towards a juvenile juncture for Manipur's freedom and international recognition during this recent development. To this certain height, the gesture within herself seems a contempt for a sorry thorn like the head hunters of the clans throughout Manipur now a days as liked under the village chiefs once upon a time.
Yet, those are siphoned apart from her unique genealogy and analogy. Such fascination continues by some sections of Manipur's hill tribes. In reality the world itself has come up from such sectarian period. But Manipur is a living dead of her one time sovereignty under Indian occupation.
Manipur has been suffering from the divide and rule policy that Meiteis, Muslims and no other Indian nationalities can't contest any election in the hills but the tribals of the State are allowed to contest any election anywhere in the State making an undemocratic State in India.
Such conditions heighten the futile heaven of the 'Warning Lords' in Manipur today.
On the other the improper system of demarcating 'Revenue Districts' in the State somehow or the other heightens the turmoil of the present situation. Moreover the systems of varied election systems in Manipur for MPs, MLAs, Panchayats, Municipalities, Hill District Councils etc are worth mentioning that all those are the fabricating institutions for the mounting pressure in Manipur's integrity.
Furthermore, it was after the Khongjom war (1891) that the then political agent Maj HST John Maxwell who took over the charge of Manipur administration from Brig. Gen. H Collet made the division of the State into two i.e. the valley and the hills keeping outside the administration of the -hills from the jurisdiction of the then Maharajah Churachand of Manipur as the hills had not been a part and parcel of Manipur perpetuating divide and rule policy of the Britishers.
Again, under the Indian umbrella the system of autonomous Hill District Councils in Manipur is defective in the State's unity and integrity. On the other, the British's colonial expansion and the role of missionaries are taking place in Naga integration.
In present Manipur's context the Generals, OBCs, Scheduled Tribes and the Scheduled Castes are not treated fairly under economic criteria as a defect of the provisions of the MLR and LR Act 1960 in Manipur.
These make them an unbalanced economic conditions as well as a social class among themselves. Such unfair policy promotes insecure lives and depressed future for more than 80% of them. Thus, the people of Manipur are facing a dictating time to tame time taking a tie.
According to Simon Commission of 1929 the Naga Club of 1881 covered except the area of Naga Hills. Thus came up the “Naga Hills District Tribal Council” in the year 1945 and this same council was called or renamed as “Naga National Council” (NNC) in the year 1946.
Thus Naga is not a nation but an organization of the 'Trust Territory' or 'Crown Territory' of Sir Reginald Coupland who aimed to establish a 'Christ Kingdom' through the efforts of Christian missionary in the hills after spreading of Christianity through conversion.
Nagaland, on the other hand has been on the verge of her right claim since the MK Gandhi's era and catering from the clutches for freedom. The course of her chanting has been gaining more and more popularity.
By now Nagaland is about to give finishing touch if she does not deter on the uncompromised demands like in Manipur's demand for her integrity. Again, the logic of acceptable debate is in due about the Zeli-angrong (Zeliang, Liangmei & Rongmei) region which has its rights in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam's territory at present.
The question is whether Nagaland will demand along with Manipur and Zeliangrong to become a liberal country or not.
Amidst problem creators and problem solvers mainly in Manipur, Nagaland and Zeliangrong Region the people are tossed into the mimic phobia for the past half a century or more. In these course the people of Manipur valley where mainly the Meiteis are residing is trapped because of the abrupt front of the Naga integration claiming Manipur has been with her long history.
But the mounting pressure of the hill districts of Manipur along-with Nagaland is becoming a time bomb to the Meitei community and likely to sanction upto the last if the Meiteis are the abrupt fronts to the Naga cause in Manipur.
It is really a fearsome situation to think about the coming few years in this State if India and Nagaland come to close the chapter by agreeing with the long standing dispute for creating a new dreamland what NSCN(IM) wanted for long. The effects may be firstly, communal clashes or riots between the Meiteis and the Nagas.
It is worth mentioning that if there happens a communal clash in the Manipur valley during this present tension there may likely a loss of thousands of lives on the way to Imphal and from Imphal to other places on the National Highways. Then there may happen holocaust in the adjoining areas between the plain and the hills of Manipur.
Secondly, a devastation in the valley by the Nagas as long as Meiteis remain indifferent as today. Thirdly, the solution with the Nagas and the Meiteis in the Manipur valley. Even so, geo-political benefits of the people will decide in the long run.
It is the people of this compact region (Manipur, Nagaland and Zeliang-rong) who may come to reconcile among themselves for their faith and destinies of their future without the loss of their belonging.
Thus they can protect the history of these regions that they have something to be proud of. The people of these regions have been waiting for the dynamic history respecting each other, of course but from the compact whole and a quasi Federal structure of liberal outlook.
And the real topic about sovereignty is between India and this above mentioned region (Manipur, Nagaland and Zeliangrong) as to come up shortly.
So, the world is peeping the developments silently about this coming up of a new nation as a whole or differently as of today.
* Takhelmayum Devajit Singh wrote this article for The Sangai Express
This article was webcasted on 17th October 2006.
|