15th October 2010 (Friday) at 3 P.M.
NORTH EAST INDIA STUDIES PROGRAMME
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY
NEISP SEMINAR SERIES 2010
Speaker
A. Bimol Akoijam
Associate Professor, CSSS
School of Social Sciences, JNU
Topic
Paramountcy to Insurgency
A Story on the Merger Agreement (1949) and its Estrangements
Abstract
The armed insurgency and violence that mark the confrontation between the Indian State and the rebel groups in Manipur is a contemporary fact that has a history. And that history is the emergence of nationalist ideas and processes of state formation in South Asia, particularly from the 18 century to the emergence of two postcolonial states in South Asia in mid 20th century. The 'two-nation theory', which had led to the creation of 'India' and 'Pakistan' and its subsequent legacy, has drawn the attention of scholars.
However, the place and role of the 'geo-political' entities which were not part of British India in those processes have not command similar attention. Nonetheless, the fact of these 'states' has come to exert significant impact in the political life of the post-colonial states in South Asia, particularly the Indian State. Armed insurrection or armed insurgency in Kashmir and Manipur are cases in point.
That the 'accession' of these two 'native states' into the postcolonial Indian state is, historically speaking, at the root of the nationalist assertions that confront the Indian state today. While the case of Kashmir has got attention from the media, scholars and political class, the case of Manipur has largely remained more or less unacknowledged. This lack of acknowledgement has something to do with the place of Northeast India in the imaginary of the Indian 'nation-state'.
In the light of this absence, the present paper looks at the controversy around, and the consequences of, the Merger Agreement signed by Maharaja Bodhachandra in 21st September 1949 and the subsequent taking over of the administration of Manipur by New Delhi on 15th October of the same year.
Date & Time
15th October 2010 (Friday) at 3 P.M.
Venue: SSS-II Committee Room
All are cordially invited to attend
Sd/-
Dr Atom Sunil Singh
This information is sent to e-pao.net by Atom Sunil Singh. The sender can be contacted at atomsunil[AT]gmail[DOT]com>
This PR was webcasted on October 14, 2010.
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