Sunny side up
- Imphal Times Editorial :: February 20 2018 -

The alacrity with which the gloomy and despondent mood of the public in the state gave way to spontaneous celebrations and revelry with the turn of another new year once again demonstrates the innate positivity of the human mind.

The loud cheers, the gregarious chatters and magnanimous wishes would have anyone who have been in the state just recently believe that there has been a major shift or quantum improvement in the situation prevailing for the last two months.

Unfortunately, but for the buoyant moods, nothing have changed and if the past is any indication, the standoff is set to continue for a lot longer than anyone would have cared to wish.

But just for once, leaving the intricacies of solving the protracted and cathartic show of one-upmanship between different players to experienced hands, it would be a worthwhile exercise to count the blessings in disguise the present social development brings to our fore.

Starting on a positive note in keeping with the moods at present, an all-out confrontation between different communities, while being a distant possibility, can be ruled out for the present since there are more than enough individuals and groups on either side of the communal and ideological divide that understand and are capable of comprehending the irreversible damage such conflicts would definitely inflict not only in terms of human lives but on the very identities and traditions each is seeking to protect and propagate.

These voices of sanity will broke forth to maintain ties of cordiality irrespective of the differing views and opinions.

And hopefully, such initiatives will strengthen the bond of trust amongst the different communities and ethnic groups despite varying ideologies, needs and aspirations so that an enduring arrangement for peaceful coexistence may be arrived at.

Perhaps such escalations of social tensions are healthy indications of the need to change the system or to fix some glaring errors in administration and governance.

Parallel may be drawn to the 1950s and 1960s when the entire world was shrouded with the overarching fear of an imminent nuclear war breaking out due to the intensifying cold war fuelled by the increasing stockpiles of nuclear armaments amongst the nuclear powers.

Yet instead of the nuclear war that was considered inevitable, the world realized the holocaust such war would cause, and consequently the whole system by which international politics and interactions were conducted underwent a radical change for the better.

Closer home, the present ‘siege’ by the hill based civil society body has produced some positive outcome in the society.

Realization for the need of increasing local production and self-reliance has spurred the people to action and thereby initiating a mini-revolution towards self-sustainability.

The lessons in austerity this ‘blockade’ has enforced on the people of this generally spendthrift society to revise and readjust are just priceless and couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.

The public have learnt the value of the things they took for granted all along till now.

But most of all, the drastic drop in vehicular traffic has managed to reduce carbon emission as well as fatalities due to road accidents.

Alternative means of transport such as bicycles and even walking short distances were seen to be on an increase.

Parents were also forced to look into the academic activities of their children thereby strengthening the bond and bringing back the much required attention back to their wards.

Although such outcomes in the society will definitely be unintentional to many, we still owe a big THANKS, being the civilized kind that we are- so THANKS.

Now that we are even, life goes on and the celebration continues.