Nearly 500 years ago, no native American Indians would have imagined that their contacts with the white people of Europe would one day reduce or completely annihilate them in their native lands. The process was slow but a steady one. At the beginning the two groups of people - local inhabitants and outsiders - dealt in matters of business such as exchanging goods.

However, as the time passes the white people began to buy lands from the natives and settled there. Their contacts with the natives brought them a good deal of information regarding the tribals. As population expansion took place in Europe, many people migrated to the 'New World'. With this began the policy of conquest.

The white settlers learned about the rivalry amongst the tribes. This was fully utilized by the whites. They supported the weaker ones to destroy the stronger ones. Whites, being far more advanced, systematically terminated those who resisted them.

With the growth of their population, as a result of unabated influx, they became more optimistic about grabbing the lands from the locals. They then set out to colonize the 'New World'. The whites gradually eroded on the value system of the locals, came in control of vast stretches of lands and the natural resources.

It was preceded by mass murders, conspiracies, plots to disunite and bring feuds among the native tribes who never realized the way their future was to become. This influx in large number totally marginalised the natives in their own lands. Thus ended the glorious chapter of American Indian history.

In the history of Manipur, such a similar context had taken place. Prior to the Seven Years Devastation', there were constant quarrels among the princes for the throne of kingship. This was vividly realised by the Burmese and was considered a favourable time to invade Manipur to seek vengeance for the humiliation they had earlier received from this tiny country.

The rest is history. Wouldn't have been a different history had the princes united and put up a strong resistance against the foreign invaders? To those who forgot their history, they are bound to repeat it again.

Today's Manipur presents the same circumstances that had earlier been encountered by the American Indians centuries ago, but in a more complex form. The present generation has so much to learn from the misfortunes of the American Indians.

The last few decades have seen a tremendous increase in the population of non-locals (non-Manipuris). They have filled the void created by Manipuris declination of doing menial jobs in the pretext of honour. We see barbers, cobblers, juice sellers, coolies cropping up in each and every locality.

Migration are moreover encouraged by Manipuris preference of doing business with non-Manipuris because of cheap and more disciplined labourers. On the other hand bigger businessmen (in standard with that of Manipuri businessmen) consisting almost all non-Manipuris have virtually taken over the markets of Imphal and other important places.

While our own businessman are losing out in the struggle, it is to be noted that most of the authorised dealers and agents are predominantly non-Manipuris. Thus, it can be concluded that the control of economy of the State has fallen into the hands of the outsiders. In addition to it, transaction of products or business in the most active part of Indo-Myanmar trade centre, Moreh, is done mainly by Tamils and other non-Manipuris have also enrolled their names in the electoral lists paving the way to upholding the power in the not so distant future.

As regards to the struggle of power in the state, different organisations are cutting each other's throat, literally. Holding of power means getting rich by hoarding money meant for the people. As the State has severe financial constraints, many people strive for political ambition. This has led to extreme rivalry among the people.

Quite contrary to other parts of the world, ideological reforms and revolutionary ideas have nothing to do with achieving power. The way to political power is through the ability to spend more money for buying the votes. The more amusing part is the willingness to sell one's own vote for a few sum of rupees.

In such a situation, there are allegations of 'funding a person(s) of their choice to come to power'. There may be 'hidden agenda' behind this gesture. Is it to make their business thrive against the monetary demands of insurgent outfits? There are reasons to believe for the extra security cover in the market areas than any other places. Do the non-local business persons want a puppet Government? For what purpose?

Continuous influx of outsiders has reached an alarming proportion. Their gradual erosion into the native community can be seen in community feasts (meant basically for the locals) held such as after a marriage or shradha ceremony. Their settlement in large number along the riverside of Imphal on the pretext of being washer-men and in different parts of valley has enormously increased the population of non-locals in the State.

On the other side of the coin are insurgency, diseases, addiction, ethnic conflicts, suspicion, hatred among the original settlers. Years of insurgency-related violence and epidemic diseases like AIDS have dwindled the local population. Almost all the major communities of Manipur - Meiteis, Ku-kis, Kabuis, Zomis, Nagas, etc have communal tensions amongst them.

Although linguistically, and originally all of native settlers belong to the Tibeto-Burman group of family, they have overlooked the fact for much lesser concepts of sub-nationalism. Everything is divided along the lines of ethnicity. Brothers who have lived as peaceful neighbours for centuries, have turned so much agai-nst each other than only a spark is needed for engulfing the entire state in flames.

Instead of trying to solve their differences they are constantly digging the ground to create more hatred feeling amongst them. Are their external, invisible forces responsible for this? Peace, however desirable, in this region can not be brought by negotiation with particular insurgent outfits. One must realise this. To presume that peace can be made by signing some accords with one or two outfits is totally miscalculation.

Family planning is of utmost importance to the mainland India which has more than a billion population. It has several advantages. It is in line with the common man's dream of a small and happy family. On the outsides it directly means the gradual decrease of local population.

One must know that Manipur doesn't form even one percent in the whole population of India. Popularizing large family is not the solution, the thing is to regulate the inflow of outsiders, to stop them from grabbing political power in near future, to prevent them from controlling the economy of the State.

The most important issue is not AIDS, insurgency, corruption but to stop the continuing influx the west. Else the Meiteis as well as the tribes will one day be marginalized in their own homeland which had been in their possession from the earliest human habitation.

The ways as to how to prevent from such a thing to happen is our responsibility. May be, by undoing the things done by the American Indians; whey they gifted their homes to the whites by allowing them to buy and settle in their lands, by not dealing with any sort of business etc.

Such things may be and will be considered narrow-mindedness in today's world of globalisa-tion. Let it be said rather than drown under the waves of immigrants from the west.

With realisation must come action and responsibilities instead of nodding heads and turning away.