Reminiscising how ATSUM was born : In my version
Part I

Yangsorang Rongreisek *

Learning that the 40th Foundation Day of the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) was observed some days ago at Imphal, now circumstances leading to its formation may be retold for the youngsters in the present generation. I don't distort historical facts, and there is no exaggeration in this essay.

The Journey: The journey is long to make it forty years spanning from 1973 to 2013. Six months after Manipur got her full fledged Statehood in 1972, various Govt. departments were seeping back to formative stages as restructure was immediately required in every department. New departments were created and some of the departments renamed and streamlined. We also heard of the existence of a department called Tribal Welfare. Now, it is this and that every time. Both Pre and Post-Matric Scholarship awarded to SC/ST students was managed by the School Education Department.

The Directorate functioned from the North Block of the Manipur Secretariat which had a barbed-wire fencing all around. We went there frequently to meet late Shri T.Ibotombi Singh, the then Director of School Education and his Deputies late Shri Thienlam Vaiphei and late Shri Th. Modhu Singh for expediting the process for early release of Post-Matric Scholarship awarded to SC and ST students in Manipur. Perhaps, the Director, in consultation with the Finance Department, was all in all.

Once, he deputed late Shri Th. Modhu Singh to oversee distribution of scholarship for a large number of ST students at D.M.College, Imphal. M.Tuizar, now retired I.A.S. was Joint Secretary (Edn) to the Government of Manipur who also helped us a great deal in many different ways. Many of us were just fresh from the high schools knowing not what to speak for what and how to make presentation of our points to the department. We were only to be unruly when the officers were always lenient to us or we were too demanding.

The Pilot in the cockpit: It was, as far as I call back to my mind, in the month of August, 1972, one among us was Shri Gaikhangam, the present Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur who was sensitive to the grievances being faced by students from the hill districts of Manipur. He was curious enough to form an association or union for tribal students of D.M.College first.

On his initiative, D.M.College Tribal Students' Adhoc Committee was formed with him as the President in the month of September, 1973, and Shri Makanmi Peter from Keihao Tangkhul village in Sadar Hills, East was the General Secretary of the committee. Why Adhoc committee? We didn't know the reason behind it, being known to the pilot in the cockpit only as his passengers were kept in the dark without informing them of the route he was negotiating with. I pleaded for renaming the committee several times but in vain.

Soon afterwards, the committee authorized seven of us to convene a general meeting to float a union of all the tribal students of Manipur. Five of them were Benngam Anal, Haba Pou, Jacob Tangkhul, Haopu Haokip and L.B.Songate. Thus, the Manipur Tribal Students' Union was born in a meeting held on the 16th December, 1973 at Majorkhul UJB School. Dr. Donald Kosha, L.Ricky Guite, Mansang Songate, James Hosea, T. Thangjalam Haokip, L.Lienpu Kom, myself, Ms.Amusana Rongmei and Athouba F. Gangmei were elected as President, Vice-President, Asstt.Gen.Secy., Information & Publicity Secy., Assembly Affairs Secy., Finance Secy., Treasurer and Auditor General respectively for a term of one year. A year later, the nomenclature of the union was changed to All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM).

Credit for deserving leadership: Even then, Shri Gaikhangam deserves his rightful place in the history of the formation of ATSUM. It was he who had first dreamt of forming the ATSUM initiating almost everything. Every expenditure of meetings and other similar activities was borne by him only. Shri Jim Kamei of Majorkhul was always available for support. He was required every moment by us as he was conversant with typing work and driving of jeep. Here, success depends in very large measure upon individual initiative and leadership quality of a man, and cannot be achieved at once except by dint of hard work and honesty.

In fact, Shri Gaikhangam absolutely absorbed himself fully in politics and often avoided most classes, joining LEO Club of Imphal City and many other associations. He was young and determined. He was already an experienced student leader gaining popularity among his fellow students regardless of caste and creed. He was a nice talker, too. Both the times, youth and determination won. It is amazing to revisit his Pamphlet titled "RELIGION BILL—A SINISTER dated 29-4-1979.

The Freedom of Religion Bill for banning cow slaughter and other religious practices throughout the country was being tabled in the Indian Parliament. In defence of Christian communities irrespective of denominations, he circulated the pamphlet denouncing the bill when the Christians in the entire North East were in silent mode. He is still energetic and he can challenge the very best of politics admirably—actually the man I have not met for nearly a decade. Candidly, the credit is for him to have founded the ATSUM in the Golden Era of Manipur. It is now 40 years old——excellent.

Back to initial stage of ATSUM: No one was serious enough to deliberate on the aims and objectives of the Union. It was simply to press the State Govt of Manipur to release the scholarship in time and reserve tribal quotas in admission of students to colleges at Imphal including Regional Medical College (RMC), Imphal and Centre of Post-Graduate Studies at Canchipur along with job reservation in Govt departments.

Next, many agenda were brought in for upgradation of demands for the uplift and welfare of tribal people. Then, the question of development of hill district headquarters emerged. Establishment of a separate Hill Secretariat with a separate budget allocation to be funded by the Central Govt of India which would look like two parallel government functioning in the same state also figured in our talks. I was not interested in it at all foreseeing its futility and impracticability, and no such motion was ever put up for discussion in the meetings of ATSUM.

Whether it has relevancy or not, very often reality is blown out of proportions for personal gains. During my presidentship ('1975 to 1977), Shri Ajekpam Dwijendra Singh, the then Finance Secretary of AMSU often visited me with a proposal for a joint venture for the welfare of students' community of Manipur. He was also always prepared to lend his helping hands. Such a meaningful and loving Imphal friend!

Expedition to Mokokchung: Naga Students' Union of Imphal was planning to send some delegates to the 3rd General Conference of Naga Students' Federation to be held at Mokokchung in Nagaland from the 22nd to 25th October, 1974. As it was my passion to attend as many conferences as possible, I joined the expedition of eight members led by one late Hepuni Mao from Punanamei of Senapati District.

Halting a night at Dimapur, we missed the 1st day of the conference which was graced by the then Nagaland CM late Mr.Vizol Angami as the chief guest who came to the conference venue in a helicopter to boost the morale of the students in their movement. In observance of the constitution of the NSF allowing only two representatives from each Naga Tribe in the Federal Assembly, delegates from Imphal were debarred from sitting in the session of the Assembly with the exception of cultural programme.

But as an observer, I was allowed to sit in the closed door brainstorming session of the Federal Assembly held in the Mokokchung Govt High School under the Presidentship of Mr. Zaku Tsukru, a law student of Gauhati University who was also an alumnus of Don Bosco High School, Chingmeirong, Imphal. Members who took part in the discussion on Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act in Nagaland were all serious. The level or in that respect standard of their discussion was much higher than ours in Manipur.

That was the impression I had of NSF. For me, it was a grueling schedule—meeting Rev.Longri Ao, the Greatest Missionary in Nagaland, one Basanta Singh from Imphal who was the SP of Mokokchung and trying to make intimacy with prominent Ao students there. That was my exclusive Mokokchung experience in 1974.

Coming back home: I started feeling for going the NSF way which was never to be an easy task to imitate the well organized students body in the North East, second only to All Assam Students' Union. They had money, vehicles, their own state govt and scores of sympathizers. My story doesn't mean to say that Manipur Government favoured AMSU and ATSUM fell from favour. No sign of discrimination was visible.

Without any further loss of time, in my capacity as the Finance Secretary I drafted the constitution of ATSUM on the model of that of the NSF. To be frank enough, the draft of a mere college student was tidied by Dr.Donald Kosha who had just done his MA in 1974 and it was finally approved in a meeting of the executive body of the union.

The most important document was made redundant by the office bearers of the later chapters. All the resolution books and other important records of ATSUM since its inception from 16 Dec, 1973 to 10 June, 1977 that I preserved had been handed over to my successor Mr.P.John Bosco from Pharung village of Ukhrul District in a meeting held on 10th June, 1977 at Manipur Baptist Convention Hall, Imphal.

In my suspicion, all those hard-earned records must have been destroyed as the spirits of Holier than Thou Posture persisted in ATSUM, a conglomerate of 29 Tribes of Manipur. As it is, the present leadership of whichever faction it may be is unable to prepare even the list of, at least, former presidents and General Secretaries of the union. It is unfortunate.

A Rare Mission to Churachandpur: It was during yet another Ccpur trip with the present Dy.CM in May, 1976 travelling in a Lambretta Scooter driven by him that reality finally caught up with the then powerful Ccpur Branch of AMSU volunteered mainly by members of SIAMSINPAWLPI (Paite Students' Association) over a controversy in the deduction of certain amount of money from the Pre-Matric Scholarship awarded to ST students in the district. Our presence was highly required there so we rushed towards Ccpur on learning something had cropped up.

In a proper frame of mind, the present Dy.CM was calm and quiet throughout the negotiation without his intervention. The fruit that we earned was for deduction of only three rupees from the scholarship of each student for the fund of the branch. Such was the fame of ATSUM of my time. Well then, Part-II of my essay will be more touching and revealing. Until then....