Fourth Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Lecture 2014 Proceedings
Part 1

Dr. Homen Thangjam *

Fourth Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Lecture 2014 Proceedings on 30th December, 2014

Proceedings of the
Fourth Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Lecture 2014
Rapporteur: Dr. Homen Thangjam
Asst. Prof., Maharaja Bodhcandra College, Imphal

The fourth Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Lecture 2014 was held on Tuesday, the 30th December, 2014 at the VC's Court Room, Manipur University, Canchipur. The Memorial Lecture was organised by the Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Trust (OSMT) in commemoration of the 69th Birth Anniversary of Late (Prof.) Naorem Sanajaoba.

Prof. H. Nandakumar Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Manipur University, Canchipur graced the function as the Chief Guest and Prof. N. Lokendra Singh, Registrar, Manipur University, Canchipur was the Guest of Honour. Prof. N. Rajmohan Singh, Department of Chemistry, Manipur University, Canchipur & President OSMT presided the function.

The Memorial Lecture titled, "North East: Common Aspirations - Shared Destiny" was delivered by Prof. (Retd.) Udayon Mishra, National Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla, , formerly with the Department of English, Dibugarh University, and Editor, Social Change.

S. Bhobon Singh, Managing Trustee, OSMT delivered the Welcome cum Introductory Address.

In the memorial lecture, Prof. Udayon Mishra remarked that Prof. Sanajaoba is one of the most illustrated sons of Manipur who had worked on diverse topics and subjects. He defined the late Professor as a "Public Intellectual", a term popularized by Julien Benda with along with Edward Said. The term received more popularity from Julien Benda's work, "The Treason of the Intellectuals" published in 2003. Romila Thapar describes "public intellectual" as a person who is deeply committed to social change and also who stands up for his position. Prof. Sanajaoba was one such public intellectual.

Prof. Misra also observed that there were numerous kinds of reaction against the works of late Prof. Sanajaoba. He recalled that one such reaction pertained to the view of the late professor on his take on feudalism and self-determination. Nevertheless, the person who criticized Prof. Sanajaoba endorsed that he was interested in Sanajoaba as person committed with people's suffering. But such criticisms are mark of an evolved society and as such the strength of democracy, which lies in the ability to tolerate and accommodate dissents and differences.

What is worthwhile to be considered an academic is not just a disinterested person in knowledge. But he is one who not only he engages in theory but was one who respects differences. The above observation carries relevance in today's North East. We in Northeast have become so accustomed to violence as compared to other parts of the world. Precisely, on account of this, he believes this is the time when people in the North East have to introspect the goals of the different movements and the direction where such movements are heading.

In this context, Prof. Misra quoted the introductory remarks of Prof. Temsula Ao in her work, "These Hills Called Home: Stories from a War Zone", who said that the Nagaland story started with high idealism and romantic promises. "It has ended in disillusionment. It has become the very thing that have become to be overcome." According to Prof. Misra, she grasps the sordid affairs of "things", which can be generalized in the North East, wherein the tools of oppression are being used to fight violence and ultimately the common people and the innocents bear the brunt of the atrocities. Indeed, these are great times of difficulty for the Northeast.

Impersonal, common people, women and child, outsiders and impoverished people are killed. Violence marks the North East society. In a sense, what does it mean to have children if they are to die so unripe?

But the larger society (including human rights activists) has remained silent on such atrocities and violence. But Prof. Misra feels that silence about the silent voices will become very loud someday. And the collective North East society have reached a stage where one has to differentiate between governance and atrocity (a term borrowed from the editorial of the Imphal Free Press).

In spite of such transgressions and violence, Prof. Misra feels that the great thing about the North East region is that it has taught the Indian State how to respect small nationalities and nationalism, which were never a part of India's freedom struggle. Just as nationality, identity and culture do not remain static, it is worthwhile to note that the North East has reinvented its own heroes and the invention of the same to meke the difference goes on in the region. In this sense, it is an exciting period of the North East; it is on a rediscovering turn, to find its own hero by going back in time and discovering the same. This is something which the Indian nation-state has ultimately acknowledged despite its repressive acts.

Take for instance, the Indian Constitutional Act regarding control over resources, emerged from the demands emanating from the North East. This Act regarding utilization of land and resources and that it must belong to the people would not have taken place have not the people demanded. This shaped a process towards a more federal structure in India. Apart from the aberrations that one witnesses in the North East, this is a "commonality" thrown up for the larger whole of the North East. Prof. Misra remarked that during the debates in the Constitutional Assembly of India, the same kind of autonomy (political, financial, etc). was demanded by the representatives from the Nor East.

However, the debate was defeated by the collective voice of the Congress on the grounds of suspicion. For example, BR Ambedkar stressed for a strong centre. He opposed a federal state and more decentralization. The same debate, which the North East representatives raised in the Constituent Assembly in terms of financial autonomy and control over resources still rages on today. The region, otherwise, continues to be caught in the warp of history. These issues are of relevance today.

In the initial stage of armed opposition movements (for example, in the case of the United Liberation Front of Asom), the same issues were raised. However, ethnocentric movements in the region have rendered them irrelevant and meaningless.

See a Photo Gallery on this event here

To be continued