People may have different perceptions on the causes and effects of the prevailing behavioural and the
social jumble of Manipur. Each of us knows what we are going through, but the reason why we are going through
seems to take its own shapes depending on the experience and the influencing factor in and around them.
The question of a clear vision in identifying the cause may not be put across to almost 50% of our
population, as we seem to have limitations on our thinking beyond our culture, geographically beyond
Guwahati, limited knowledge for better comparisons, and most importantly acceptance of the above.
It is sad that majority of us haven’t had any chances of experiencing a good social setup in our past nor good
amount of exposure to see the charm of being in a good society. Most of our goals are imaginary based on
perceptions of how a good society should be, resulting to a very weak foundation to support the goal.
It also lacks the reality aspects of framing it from where we are to what we should be.
One thing is clear, we haven’t been able to stand on our own socio economically, post merger with India. We
may bring up numerous thoughts and perceptions but our incapability of establishing our own foothold in the
society to stand upright can’t be denied.
It would still be considered a weakness of ours even if the indifference attitudes of mainland India exist. It
doesn’t surprise me when there is perceptual difference between the state and the centre in assessing the situation.
We have too many twisted prominent visions developed knowingly or unknowingly due to a movement that got kicked off with little
knowledge about the ways to go.
Like everyone has his or her own ways of looking at things. My little knowledge on our history says that Hijam Irabot was the one
who gave birth the secessionist (from India) tendency among Meities. I am not too sure how it started but he initiated the
opposition to the merger of Manipur to India.
The formation of Red Guard Army was supposedly the only last resort to regenerate confidence that was strife
away from him by his fellow Meiteis and a way to preserve the right guidelines of his ideological
approach meant for the benefit of the Manipuri.
The Nikhil Manipur Mahashaba, Manipur congress, interim government CM and congress sympathiser R.K. Priyabarta
would have known better how they have aggravated a right movement which could have given a clean history.
It may further be noted that Hijam Irabot was a communist by name only and the Communist movement in
Manipur was a product of radical impetus coming out of fear of revisiting the cultural exploitation, social
and economic exploitation and sectarian strife.
The ideology of Marxist policies was advocated and he accepted the communist tagged due to limited
alternatives. His movement was a result of genuine love for the Manipuri people and not a course of what
we called communist.
Had our prominent political leaders and workers understood the meaning of welfare
of people, as it is suppose to be, we would not be going through what we are going through.
First impression created by us during the course of merger was not a very good one and India has had enough
understanding to put us at a 2nd class level and we haven’t not been able to break their impression not
even for ourselves.
I am not sure if the merger was a better option or not, but a united stand and a collective idea for a better future would have
framed a better Manipur rather than the history that we know. It may not be of much use to debate on the “Merger” at
the moment, before we analyse our involvement in making a better society post merger.
Whatever possible can go wrong has gone wrong except our acceptance of going in the wrong direction.
We seem to see a history of “self-betrayal” on all related fields that drives the health of our society.
The bribery, the run for power abuse, the killings, and the immature cultural evolution are some of our
prominent society character. Surprisingly all these characters are exclusively exercised within our small
society possibly due to limited courage and lack of knowledge and confident of gaming in big water.
Each of us seems to know all the characters and studies the society by segregating in groups without placing
ourselves to any of these groups. This may not be treated as a self-criticism directing towards awareness but the truth.
We should try and educate ourselves about the truth. Education by comparison may be ineffective at this juncture due to the fact
that it needs prior self-acknowledgement of where you stand.
Our comparison usually and naturally goes too well with inferior group and the elated smug has been
the black curtain for the vision which should have made us realized the reality of where we stand in
terms of psychological advancement and the social harmony.
A better approach would be to look at strategies, social manipulation that generates
motivation for discovery of truth in one’s self. It is not as easy as it sounds but a good participation with
a genuine interest of “selfishness” in creating yourself a good social human being would put you in
the first step to a good Manipuri.
We have certain responsibility as a good Manipuri, a responsibility to be responsible for anything that
relates to our society.
For instance, we are responsible for thinking rationally and this responsibility can only be executed when you think
within the humanity guidelines. It is as simple as it is and it is as complicated as it is.
It is about understanding the thin line between the socially accepted truth and the biased perceptions that
supports actions. At times it could be confusing but a boarder view with a bit of sensibility could possibly
help us significantly.
For instance, you may punish someone for stealing something, however a mother
stealing the same thing for his baby survival may need counselling. This is the outlook of a human society.
At the present scenario, it is a mixture of too many things. An individual steals because he has a reason
to steal, since he has a reason he feels it is normal to steal, and everyone is stealing. So, whom to be
punished and whom to be counselled is a big question.
It had taken time to pollute the minds and it would take a lot of time to purify it. We can’t expect a
miracle to happen especially when the source of pollution has his/her share to contribute in the
process.
The turmoil is a combination of sequential impact of actions that was carried out by each of us
in our society where each impact triggered another action. The net of impact and actions has gone too far
for us to identify crucial stoppage point.
It would not be too much to say that we need to start all over again. The only possible way is a psychological
evolution and you and I know how tough and how easy it is.
It is needless to discuss the problems as we know and we know the best being an active creator of the same
and being actively affected by it.
Problems are part of life but inviting problems is not supposed to be part of life. I am sure the above lines might sound funny, as funny as we look to others.
It is very important to realize the meaning of funny here.
Nongmaithem Meghanath writes regularly to e-pao.net. The Writer can be contacted at [email protected] .
This article was webcasted on November 13th, 2006
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