Time to call out the bluff
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: October 01, 2024 -

OF the 12 months in a year, the month of September is very significant to the people living in Manipur for various reasons including worshipping and offering of tributes to their departed ancestors.

But of the 365 days (or 366 days if it is a Leap year) that add up to a calendar year, September 30 is one of the most important days for one singular reason.

It was on this day in 1896 that Hijam Irabot, a Manipuri revolutionary social activist to the core, who latter came to be revered by all as "Lamyanba" (meaning pioneer) for his pioneering works in many fields, was born.

As a matter of fact, apart from observing September 30 every year as Irabot Day to commemorate his birth anniversary, the whole of September is designated as Irabot Month, for it was on September 26 in 1951 that Irabot breathed his last and left this mortal world.

Among the younger generation today, there is no two arguments over Irabot being anointed as the one and only truly qualified leader of the mass in the entire history of Manipur.

No other so called public leaders in the past or the present could stand up next to the towering figure of Irabot, who sacrificed not only the comfort that life could offer but his life itself for the common good of his motherland and its people.

Rather than clinging on to his seat of power as a member of the then Manipur State Durbar and later as an elected representative to the Manipur Legislative Assembly in 1948 to enjoy the entitled perks and privileges, Irabot did not hesitate from raising his voice against the authoritarian regime of his time and thought it proper to walk hand-in-hand with the oppressed and marginalised commoners in their fight for justice.

How many elected representatives as well as self-proclaimed leaders in the contemporary Manipuri society have come close to the ideals of Hijam Irabot in their dealing with the people?

It should not be difficult for anyone to find an answer to this question if one looks at the prevailing situation in Manipur.

Even though the state has been on the boil literally for close to 17 months now following the outbreak of an unprecedented violent ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Chin and Meetei communities on May 3, 2023, none of the elected representatives as well as self-proclaimed leaders have been coming out to speak openly other than pointing fingers at each other.

The fact that hundreds of precious human lives have been lost so far and the body count is still continuing with each passing day while thousands of displaced families on both sides of the clash divide are languishing in the relief camps with no certainty of when they would be able to go back to their respective homes, which have been either burnt down or razed to the ground with no traces of human habitation anymore, has not been able to move the heart and conscience of these elected representatives and self-proclaimed leaders.

It seems the perks and privileges that come along with their power and position are more valuable than anything else.

Unlike "Lamyanba" Hijam Irabot, who did not hesitate from sacrificing everything if it was for the common good of the state and its people, the current leadership in the state is more concerned about their own well-being.

So, when they speak on the occasion of commemorating the birth anniversary of Irabot and exhort the congregation to get inspiration from the sacrifices made by the pioneering leader for safeguarding the motherland, there should be no doubt about "Lamyanba" Hijam Irabot turning in his grave.

It's time to call out the bluff of current leadership in the state by showing the mirror to their own faces so that they do not dare to wag their lying tongues to taint the legacy of a legend they themselves would never be able to attain in their entire lifetime.