Significant stand of TNL : Noting gesture of Ukhrul
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 18, 2023 -

The one line statement 'Do not check vehicles in our area' from the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) is timely, significant and is a gesture that should be noted and acknowledged by the civil society organisations whose activities are mostly felt in the valley area.

The quoted one line statement should be viewed and understood in the backdrop 'of the reality that is Manipur today and in a significant way this is a gesture that should say a thousand words with none needing to vocalise it.

This is more than extending a hand of friendship and the unsaid part in the line 'no organisation and group should check vehicles or frisk commuters in all areas under our jurisdiction in Kamjong and Ukhrul districts' is pregnant with meaning and significance.

Only those who are familiar with the history of the land, which may be in the written form or may have been passed down the generations verbally or through songs, fables and tales, will get an idea of the significance of the stand of the TNL.

This gesture should be reciprocated by all concerned for it says something profound about the people who are rooted to the soil of the land.

How things develop will depend to a great extent on how much Imphal and the valley area can appreciate the gesture from the apex body of the Tangkhul folks of Ukhrul and the sentiment and logic in the stand of TNL must have also been noted by the people of Senapati, Mao, Maram, Tamenglong etc.

A sentiment which is being echoed by the Zeliangrong people including the Kabuis who have settled in different parts of the State.

It is this fraternal bond and ties which together make up the understanding of the people and the land and no force on earth should be allowed to erode this fraternal reality.

And it is the sons of the soil who will understand the need to protect the hills and valley of the land, who will recognise and respect that the soil that one tills, the air one breathes and the forest one lives and thrives on are inextricably linked to the identity and culture of the people and no one else.

It is this tie, the bond that ties everyone to a common future that should not be allowed to be overlooked or forgotten.

Misunderstanding and even misgivings between sons and daughters of the same mother and father can happen, but these differences are not something which can snap the ties that define the people and the land.

And here it becomes important for everyone to come to the realisation that it is only those with no umbilical ties to the soil of the land who will have no compunction to plunder and loot what mother nature has provided.

It is also significant to note that the TNL took the trouble to remind 'All people living in Tangkhul areas should not write/comment anything on social media regarding the prevailing situation other than the official statement from the office of the TNL.'

Here again is a profound line, a line which addresses the need for everyone not to shoot off their mouth but stick to certain protocols for the overall peace of the land and the people and this is a point which everyone and not only those living in Tangkhul areas should take note of.

This is the time for everyone, particularly the key board heroes and heroines, who wish to pass off as warriors, to come to the point that this is not the time to play to the gallery and 'impress' anyone with their foolhardiness.

Rumours, loose talks and 'unspecified reports' can unleash unwanted and undesirable chain reactions and it is to check this that the State Government has imposed a ban on internet connections since the evening of May 3 first on mobile data service and then broadband connections including Reliance Jio Fibre, Airtel Xtreme Black, BSNL, FTTH etc from May 4.

There is as yet no indication that the ban will be lifted any time in the near future and with even the newspaper establishments and local news channels hit hard, enough space has been created for loose talks and rumours to rise and fill the gaps left by the newspapers and local news channels.

And rumours have the propensity to go viral too.