The Survival and Prosperity of the North-Easterners
in the 21st century: a comparative study
- Part 2 -
By Puyam Rakesh Meetei *
A NEW DEVELOPMENT:
The first ever convention of the indigenous people settling in the north eastern region of India has resolved to build up unity among the ethnic people in the region among others. The convention with the theme 'peace and unity' was held at Hojai in Nagaon district of Assam under the initiative of the Young Horizon, Manipur.
The convention resolved that unite all the indigenous groups of people in the region to a common platform. For achieving this goal, it also resolved to hold cultural exchange programmes, youth festival, academic interaction etc. in future.
It also agreed to protect the indigenous people in a democratic way and organise exhibition of the cultural heritage of the indigenous people and to organise interaction programmes for the senior citizens.
The convention also took resolutions to protect the rights of the women and uplift their social status.
In the first ever convention, representatives of the Meetei, Chothe, Baite, Maring, Rongmei from Manipur, Meeteis coming from various places of the Assam, Assamese, Karbi, Dimasa, from Assam, Nagaland and Tripura also attended.
REVIEWING THE PAST POLICY:
Every great leader from N-E might be thinking of a 'Grand Design' to bring a new light in the region for the welfare of the general masses at one or another moment in their lives.
They could not do the task of uniting the different ethnic groups though having many common historical, cultural and linguistic similarities. Some tried it but without success as many are against the 'Grand Design' or they aren't successful leaders of the people.
Leaders like Haipou Jadonang, Rani Gaindinliu,
Hijam Irabot, A.Z. Phizo had passed away leaving behind their foot prints for the future generation to see their love their peoples. Except Hijam Irabot, most of the leaders mentioned above centered around their activities to their own ethnic groups.
They were not alone in this field. The present leaderships in N-E lack a wider horizon to love every ethnic group as his own. This "Charismatic Personality" can only be a god sent being in this region marred by ethnic hatred, enmity, jealousy, and selfish actions.
The policy of 'Ethnic Exclusivity' in N-E is the venomous project undertaken by some narrow-minded sectarian leadership. A hilltop shared by two different antagonistic ethnic groups has to be divided equally or one group has to uproot the weaker one as what had happened during the Naga-Kuki ethnic crisis.
Many of us (North-easterner) want to see a peaceful and progressive North-East every morning after a night-long sleep but impossible. Why so? We shout for peace or human rights or equality but never give a serious thought on what we are up to. We love to be part of the small worlds called 'Meetei's world', 'Mizo's world' or 'Naga's world' not a united N-E.
We are Nagas no matter who is a Tangkhul or Angami or Sema. We have different psyche, philosophy of life, culture and language. However, our being a Naga compels or leads us to have a fellow-feeling towards the other.
When we don't have this, there can be no 'Nagalim' of more than one lakh square km. Now, some section of the people is trying to draw a line between the Hill North-easterners and Plain North-easterners or Christian North-easterners and Non-believing North-easterners. This divide and rule policy is very dangerous even for those who are selling this venom among the people for their selfish motives.
If we recognize the ancestral land holding system in North-East and draw a demarcating line to carve out exclusively separate ethinic territorial states, there will be hundreds of such lines criss-crossing every household.
At one point of time, there were inter-tribal warfare among the tribes now coming together on the basis of language or ethnic affiliations. It will pay the desire level of dividend only when we can sort out a new design under which the Nagas, Kukis and Meeteis can live together.
Ethnically exclusive states are undesirable anywhere much more in N-E where pluralism and multi-culturalism must be blooming fully. The present Naga, Kuki and Meetei leaderships have to take their historical roles assigned to them by the Almighty for a new N-E.
to be continued....
* Puyam Rakesh Meetei, MA in International Relations(Politics) in the SIS, JNU, New Delhi, contributes regularly to e-pao.net . The author can be contacted at khuman_mei(at)yahoo(dot)com . This article was webcasted on 06th July 2008.
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