Of people and communities
Schindler Potsangbam *
Variation is a fact of nature and people are no exception to this.
To ease this, a community is a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society. And people are part of it, which means WE are part of it.
I may be writing this sitting somewhere else far from the place I belong, but trust me I know exactly what it feels like and here I am saying on behalf of every community alike.
We’re living in a chaotic period when our Meitei and tribal brothers and sisters have been made to feel very different, made to feel a shadow over their very names and identities, houses being burned down, children being killed, and violence all over this piece of beautiful landlocked land. I am here to elaborate on how connected and dependent we are as communities, and without us being us we are not complete.
I remember the days when I used to go to my friend’s house on Kut and have a nice exotic meal there, and I am sure he loved it when he enjoyed those local dishes of my culture on Cheiraoba.
I remember going to his village to enjoy a nice evening on Gang Ngai and that friend still calls me during Yaosang asking if I am free so that we could go out for Thabal Chongba.
All these instances are alike: Christmas, Lai Haraoba, Diwali, Durga Puja, Eid-ul-fitr and all the other festivals and celebrations are only to integrate ourselves as one group and bind us together within this soil.
I am not here to discuss over those heinous jobs we as a whole State pulled recently, and I don’t even blame us because we are humans and we are bound to make mistakes, but these mistakes are the pillars of how well we will grow up. I am also not here to put the blame on the Government and play the victim card and also because I don’t have a say in this.
I am just here to offer my empathy to those people who are suffering and to propagate the thought of unity and how well we are versed in the name of Manipuris.
We are raised to respect communities and protect it as a whole because that is what we are.
* Schindler Potsangbam wrote this article for The Sangai Express
The writer is a student of Delhi Public School RK Puram, New Delhi
and has just appeared for the Class XII exams
This article was webcasted on May 10 2023 .
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