Letter to Nandita Haksar

Laishangthem Dijen *

To
Learned Advocate, Nandita Haksar
Human rights lawyer and writer.

Thank you for your article "Constitutional Crisis in Manipur". However the core agenda of your story – humiliation and exploitation of the tribals – the Nagas in your mind, which you have created from your "many years" of "meaningful" experience of your life in Manipur is incomplete and pathetically distorted.

Singjamei Political Forum (SPF) – an open forum of open minds and welcome open minds across community, religion or region – feel obliged, considering your concern for the welfare of Manipur, to help you to correct your distorted view of Manipur.

SPF have also gone through the "reply" to your article by T. Lunkim, Chairman, KUMHUR which was also carried side-by-side with your article on June 26, 2010 edition of Imphal Free Press, and SPF believe the "reply" might helped you to enhance your knowledge of Manipur – your area of interest, we presume. SPF also believe, you might have got your article published in other journals/newspapers in India to enlighten the "fellow Indian citizens" about the humiliation and exploitation of the Nagas by the Meiteis.

You, being a lawyer, one would expect you to have the minimum expertise to get to understand problems and issues in a logical manner. And especially for the issues you deal with in your article, you should have come a little down to earth and should have looked at the ground realities before your ideas are propagated. Anyway it is not too late.

Taking inference from your article you seem to have associated with the Manipur issue for a pretty long time. You even claim an "effigy" image of yourself along with prime minister Vajpayee in the June 18 episode of 2001. But it is quite strange you fail to understand the issue till today.

Your story of humiliation and exploitation of the tribals – the Nagas by the Meiteis only belittle the community which is no less courageous than any other community as your story portrays the Nagas like the Hijraas – the eunuchs, who cannot fight back; but they are not. In fact your story is a tale of your imagination not related to Manipur.

It was true that at the height of Vaishnavism of the Meitei-kind which considers other religious followers as impure, a ridiculous form of untouchability did exist, especially among the Meitei Brahmans and the illiterate orthodox Meitei Vaishnav.

But that untouchability had to do with religion of kitchen. And this practice of religion of kitchen or religion of untouchability – would have been told by the older generations of the tribals, who had suffered the humiliation of drinking water from their cupped hands poured from a pot by an old orthodox illiterate Meitei woman who thought she was pure because she was a Vaishnav unlike the impure tribal; therefore she took all the care not to touch the impure tribal while pouring water or else she and the pot together had to take a bath to purify herself.

Oh, what a scene it could be, if one could see it in a movie! This is really humiliating to any civilized human being.

Such untouchability was there within the Meitei community also. A Meitei had to drink water in the same fashion from a Meitei Brahman because a Brahman is more pure then a Meitei. Or a Meitei Muslim had to face the same humiliation from a Meitei Vaishnav.

And this religion of untouchability did not make any exception even for the English Masters who had ruled over us. And this is still practiced in the religious feasts even today. No one cannot touch the Pujari – the Brahman cook or any of his Haathyaar – Khabei-Chegup; the tools or else the Brahman and his haathyaar had to take a dip in the Gangajaal even in a chilly winter night.

And this religion of untouchability cannot be justified in any manner and the Meitei are probably the ultimate victim of it. But we cannot change our past and we are sorry for that.

But this untouchability had nothing to do with the rights, facilities, opportunities, etc of the general public. It had nothing to do with the land laws or land ownership of any community – Kuki, Naga, Meitei, Meitei Muslim, etc.

It had nothing to do with education. It had nothing to do with the economic activities of any community. It had nothing to do with the political, economic, social, educational, employment rights, etc. of any community.

But it is a matter a personal prejudice and bias which are only condemnable. And, you must have been aware that the Nagas are more equal than the Meiteis. Meiteis are not rightful inhabitants of Manipur. They do not have the right to domicile in 90 % of the total area of Manipur whereas the Nagas can in 100 % area of Manipur.

Indeed the issue is not an issue of deprivation or inequalities but a question of plain communalism glorified as Nagalim which bode good for none and therefore any right thinking person do not agree to it.

We are shocked to learn that you being a lawyer could be so ignorant of the law when you said "the Chief Minister did not want to have an official constitutional crisis, so the acceptance has been taken back." We are afraid you could be a disgrace to the learned society of the lawyers, but hopefully you could save the situation if you have the dignity of a Lawyer and resign from the noble profession.

And please do not worry the Chief Justice of India cannot force you to remain a Lawyer. SPF is not interested in picking up all your nonsensical points of humiliation and exploitation.

In fact your humiliation and exploitation theory of the Nagas by the Meiteis is ridiculous propaganda; and it shows the Nagas as Lilliputs and the Meiteis as Titans.

So next time if anyone should try to raise this ridiculous theory he must understand that it insults the valiant Nagas more then it hurts the Meiteis.

Finally SPF would like to remind you that someone said that nothing is better than nonsense and therefore the best, if one does not understand the matter, is to remain silent.

(Laishangthem Dijen)
Convenor
Singjamei Political Forum