Churachandpur as the winter capital

Free Thinker *

Ukhrul as summer capital is a great proposition. It is good not only for the people of Ukhrul but also for the entire people who believe in the idea of Manipur. Then what about Churachandpur as the winter capital? The majority of the people both in the hills and valley still want to see Manipur as it is (without violence).

In history, we find that the ‘capital’ keeps changing according to political and strategic reasons. In most cases, the capital city is shifted according to administrative convenience and strategic advantages (militarily or otherwise). During the British Raj, the capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911; that was mainly because of the political convenience of the Colonizers. They also had a summer capital at Shimla (to avoid Delhi Summer).

During Mahabharata time there were two cities, Hastinapur and Indraprastha; the latter was constructed by the Pandavas. Though the Kuru empire was not divided between the Kauravas and Pandavas; it was indicated that twin cities existed. Today , Manipur also can have three capital cities - Imphal, Ukhrul and Churachandpur respectively for strategic and political reasons.

In the Medieval era during the Tughlaks the Capital of the kingdom was shifted to Daulatabad from Delhi. Muhamad Bin Tughlak was an intelligent King . He transferred the capital of his kingdom from Delhi to Daulatabad.

He thought that Delhi was too close to the invaders who came from the northwestern sides. Those days invasions and intrusions were taken place only from the north-west of the subcontinent. These days intrusions and encroachments are also taking place through the Himalayas and even from the East.

Manipur is a beautiful place; it is a tiny heaven on earth. The food, water, the weather , people & culture , fauna and flora – all these are amazing and exotic. This heavenly land is inhabited by 37 communities.

They normally live in peace and harmony. Sometimes they fight amongst themselves to settle certain irritants and differences. Within years they come back to normalcy and live together happily or grudgingly. But both land and people continue.

Clashes and skirmishes take place even between the Meitie clans and groups . These have been normal happenings since ages. We also have a traditional system of settling the differences by “Chainaba”; it is basically a duel fight between two leaders or chosen ones belonging to separate groups . The winner carries the issue; it could be a boundary or property issue or road/route matter or about fishing or forest jurisdiction .

For the unity and integrity of the people & State we must try to do all kinds of things, so that this beautiful land remains intact. The Nagas , the Kuki-Chins , the Meiteis, the Pagans , the Koms and other lovely communities from outside must try to exist together; and we have been doing that for years together.

Of course there are differences and difficult issues that crop up between ethnic groups. That is quite natural because the population is growing, employment is not growing, educated unrest is on the rise , technological advancement is there without the economic backing.

For instance through the internet and mobile phones we are exposed to all kinds of developments in the world- which is absolutely absent here. There is a huge mismatch between what we see on the internet and what we have at the ground level.

A kind of frustration looms large almost everywhere. People are exposed to the beauty of Tokyo, the fashion of Paris, the rush-hour of New York , the serenity of London, the cleanliness of Singapore, the liberty at Bangkok, the carefree style in the Scandinavian countries, the war between Russia & Ukraine. People must be thinking that we don’t have economic and material developments but at least we can follow Russia-Ukraine and now Jews-Arabs.

Shifting the State Capital here and there , and conducting the cabinet meeting here and there, we are trying our level best to preserve hill-valley unity and also conserve the idea of Manipur. But the most crucial part is to redeem the trust amongst the people. Time will be the best healer.

At the same time Moreh can be made the Commercial capital; because it is strategically located at the border, having the potential of trans- Southeast-Asian trading.. Last time it was also suggested that Moreh may be converted into a Cantonment cum commercial town. We can have a hybrid administrative system at Moreh. There is nothing wrong in having a unique setup - a combination of Military and civil administration.

Churachandpur may be declared as the winter capital. Winter there, is not very cold like Ukhrul or Mao. It is good to see Churachandpur at Christmas and New Year time – people are always in a festive mood, joyous and happy. Winter festivities start from 1st November with ‘Kut’ . People will enjoy working with the festivities of Kut, Christmas, and New Year. If people are happy their work efficiency also increases.

Ukhrul as the Summer capital ( May, June, and July ) and Churachandpur as the Winter capital ( November, December, and January ) , let us pray Manipur lives on and continues.