Manipur is in crisis. And by crisis, I don't mean the tired roster of naharols, corruption, bad governance, poor economy - the staple diet of countless articles and debates in the media and public discourse. They are old hats and the less we discuss about them, the better. Nothing, except frustration, will emerge out of the mudslinging match pitched between the proponents of naharols and those of the elected thugs. It's a lose-lose situation.

The people who are actually going to pull Manipur out of the morass that we see today are ordinary people like you and me. It's us who can save Manipur - not politicians or revolutionaries.

What Manipur needs are people with imagination and a shared vision to push the state on the fast track of development. The good news is that we have denizens of them and the sad news is they are increasingly leaving Manipur for greener pastures elsewhere. This flight of talent is draining Manipur of her hopes of becoming a progressive state on par with any other developed state or a country.

And therein lies the real crisis.

A silent crisis

It's a silent crisis that is not even recognized as one, and I felt it's high time someone pulled the plug. It's a crisis of the declining breed of intellectuals, of bright young and women who have not found any opportunities for growth in their homestate and so decided to cross seas and mountains to realize their dreams and potentials.

For the lack of a better word let's call this crisis 'brain drain'. Lack of employment opportunities and professional challenges have always been a convenient, if justified, excuse for the Manipuris to leave their homestate behind and seek jobs elsewhere. Yet, it is heart warming to know that many Manipuris have broken the glass ceilings and reached heights in the unfamiliar environ of the corporate world. There are also other determined lot who have cracked some of the toughest competitive examinations in India and infused the fear of God in the interviewers' mind.

Now shall we celebrate this global march of the Manipuris or bemoan the loss of skilled manpower that could have been tapped towards the development of the state? This is a complicated question, not least because we are in a catch 22 situation. If we confine ourselves in our state, we are doomed; if we venture out, our society pays the price, suffering from a shortage of intellectual capital that drives development.

Dilemma

What is the way out then? Should we stop sending our children to educational centers outside the state so that they remain available for the state whenever they are called forth to contribute to her reconstruction and development?

This is of course a non-starter. To expect the parents to stop sending their kids for higher studies is of course foolish - and even suicidal - for a society that needs fresh infusion of intellectual muscle. And more so at this juncture when Manipuris everywhere are leaping the educational, professional and corporate ladder with equal ease.

Telling them to go home to be the vanguards of the society is like killing the goose with the golden eggs. Nevertheless, the problem at home is also real. Do we want all the bright Manipuris to serve the private individuals and companies in the mainland India while their homestate languishes out of neglect by her capable sons and daughters? [Disclosure: I live in New Delhi and a private company supports me].

Gestation period

What we should realize is that the crisis at hand posed by the diminishing species of educated youth in the state is only a temporary one. When the history of modern Manipur will be written, the next two or so decades will be written in golden letters as Manipur's transition to becoming a global brand.

This is because my generation will see the meteoric rise of the Manipuris in the national consciousness. Do expect to see the children of the current crop of students and the students themselves becoming much more dynamic, successful and patriotic and giving back to the community after the gestation period.

The immediate challenge is for someone to run the state smoothly and develop her infrastructure while the expatriate Manipuris keep fine-tuning the skills to compete with the world. A lot has been said about the knowledge economy, and that has finally turned into reality with BPOs, elearning vendors, IT companies all coming to India. Manipuris have made themselves a part of this economy and soon they will be all over it.

For a taste of it, go to any blue chip Indian or a multinational company, you will most likely see a Manipuri quietly making her presence felt. Soon this trend is going to be a revolution, which is what I would call a true Manipuris' revolution. A revolution which we will win, without a shot being fired.