Acceptance speech Irom Singhajit Gwanju 2007

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Daughter and Sister of all the people of Manipur : Sharmila
Acceptance speech delivered by Irom Singhajit,
brother of Irom Sharmila at the Gwangju prize function

Daughter and Sister of all the people of Manipur : Sharmila
(Acceptance speech delivered by Irom Singhajit, brother of Irom Sharmila at the Gwangju prize function)

I am here today on behalf of a woman who was once my sister and for whom the pursuit of justice, equality and basic human rights have become a mission for the last six years. She cannot be present here today amongst the distinguished gathering as she remains in judicial custody.

A small but resolute voice of Manipur finding a resonance in the distant Far East and the struggle of Gwangju is indeed a testimony of the umbilical bond of the Asian peoples far and wide.

Sharmila, adoringly called Memtombi, is the youngest sibling among the nine of us. I choose to address her as only Sharmila, as she has chosen her people and suffering population across the humanity as her family.

Irom Sharmila

Here I stand to accept this prestigious award, as Sharmila wanted, on behalf of the indomitable Meira Paibis and the people of Manipur whose relentless struggle for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act still continues.

Theirs is a movement for uprooting the Act from the face of the earth and not just the removal of the Act from Manipur for, as they say, they do not want other peoples to suffer as they have suffered.

I shall take the liberty to also mention the sufferings of other peoples in the subcontinent such as the Nagas, the Assamese and the Tripuris, all disqualified by the Indian state from being mainstream Indians through the Act.

As we gather here in Gwangju in memory of the countless sufferings and the defiant human spirit, Sharmila lies alone strapped in involuntary feeding in a closely guarded room of a hospital religiously hoping for an end, not of her self-imposed fast, but of the discriminatory Act.

As a child, she was somewhat withdrawn or somehow different from the rest. But I never thought, those subtle differences would later develop into what she is today. Born into the turbulent 70s, Sharmila grew up in a Manipur, wherein its people were undergoing a process of rediscovering its identity, historical pride and lost nationhood.

I shall not dwell much on the wounds of the past or how a proud and independent nation was reduced to a centrally administered region in 1949. But I must say wounds that refuse to heal with time or democratic pretensions of the state brought insurgency in 1964, and so also a series of student or civil society movements since the early 70s.

India, instead of democratic redressal of the issues raised by the various movements, brought in the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to the whole of Manipur in 1980. I must not forget to mention here, at a time when the Korean people were pushing for a break from the past chained in military rule, Manipur was sliding towards an oppressive regime.

Civil society resistance began with a petition challenging the constitutionality of the Act in 1980 itself to the highest court of India. But, it remained unheard and unresolved for seventeen long years till 1997, when it rejected the petition.

I am not an activist and I am not here to relate the untold sufferings under the Act. But, I must ask, why should there be a separate law governing the peoples of the North east.

Today, I cannot but mention the indomitable spirit of the Meira Paibis of Manipur (Women Torch-Bearers) who have been in the forefront of the movement for repeal of the Act and protection of human rights in the region.

Sharmila, a young poet and a girl who had just left high school, was deeply pained by the culture of violence perpetrated by security forces upon innocent civilians, a culture nurtured by the Indian state with impunity.

Come 2nd November 2000, ten innocent civilians were mowed down by irate personnel of the security forces in a bus stand near Malom, a suburban area adjoining Imphal city, in retaliation to an insurgent attack.

The incident became a defining moment for Sharmila. She set up camp at the massacre site and began her fast. Sharmila remains ever steadfast in her resolve and unique protest with a yearning for more democratic space and equality in Manipur and the North east.

I must also mention here, the historic protest of twelve Manipuri women disrobing at the gate of a city military station and the supreme sacrifice of a student leader torching himself in 2004 amidst widespread public upheaval seeking repeal of the Act.

When the news of Gwangju award was delivered to her, she said - ‘Go and accept the award on behalf of the people of Manipur. The movement needs it. We must thank Gwangju and the world for the solidarity and support.’

So here I am. For I sincerely believe this solidarity and recognition would bring a new vigour to the movement for justice, equality and basic human rights.

I am also here to insist upon a search for a new beginning where we can all live together with dignity and as qualified citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
With these few words, I thank you all once again.

Irom Singhajit, brother of Irom Sharmila delivered this speech at the Gwangju prize function at South Korea. This speech is reproduced courtesy from The Sangai Express . webcasted on e-pao.net on July 10th, 2007

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