Hijam Irawat and political movements in Manipur and the Surma valley
- Part 1 -

Dr R.K. Sanajaoba Singh *

Lamyanba Hijam Irabot - A rare photo : Wallpaper

Hijam Irawat was the harbinger of political awakening in Manipur. The political awakening symbolised by the fourth session of the Nikhil Hindu Manipuri Mahasabha (NHMM) developed into political movement and led into the historic Nupilan movement. Irawat spread his political movement not only in Manipur, but also in the Surma Valley (Surma Valley is the collective name for pre-independence Cachar and Sylhet Districts).

The political movement undertaken by Irawat may be periodically categorised as follows:
I. Pre-Second World War political movement in Manipur,
II. Political movement in the Surma Valley,
III. Post-Second World War political movement in Manipur.

I. PRE-SECOND WORLD WAR POLITICAL MOVEMENT IN MANIPUR

Two events served as the preparatory stages for the emergence of the political awakening and political movement in Manipur. The first is the resistance movement launched by Laikhuram Khagendrajit Singh inspired by the satyagraha movement of Mahatma Gandhi. During the movement against water tax, Khagendrajit founded the Nikhil Manipur Praja (NMP) in 1932.

The movement resulted in the arrest of nine leaders out of whom six including Khagendrajit were given jail terms. On their release from the jail in April 1936 Irawat met Khagendrajit and discussed the emerging political scenario. This period of Khagendrajit's social movement may be characterized as the proto-political period of social movement.

The second event was the social reform movement, a natural sequel to the intellectual and cultural initiated by Irawat, which was only a prequel to the people's political movement against the British paramountcy. Conceived during the Mandalay session of the Nikhil Hindu Manipuri Mahasabha (NHMM) on 28 February, 1 and 2 March 1937, the social reform movement had its epitome in the movement against the Brahmasabha, chaired by the Maharaja.

After his return from Burma, Irawat combined with Khagendrajit and launched a movement against Amang-Asheng – a practice of ex-communication enforced by the Brahmasabha. Just after the movement against Amang-Asheng Khagendrajit and all the activists of the NMP joined the NHMM.

In the fourth session of the NHMM a momentous metamorphosis in the perspective and objectives of the organization occurred. The communal qualifier 'Hindu' was removed from the nomenclature of the organization. The other momentous transformation was the taking up of political struggle by adopting the demand for responsible government. The session strongly condemned the repressive measures against those people in the states of Hyderabad, Mysore, Dhenkanal etc. who carried on agitations for fulfilment of their demands.

The Mahasabha also demanded the establishment of a legislative council for the attainment of a representative form of government. The fourth session also passed other political demands also. On the economic condition the Mahasabha resolved that in order to improve the economic condition and to enable to control the market an all-Manipuri Khadi Sangha be established by starting khadi pratisthans in the villages of Manipur and by propagating khadi culture.

In February 1939 the NMM forwarded an English translation of the resolutions passed in the fourth session to the President , Manipur State Durbar (PMSD for consideration and necessary actions. The PMSD promptly responded by banning all state servants to take part in the NMM or to assist it in any way. Maharaja Churachand cut all off all connections with the NMM.

Most of the state servants who were members of the NMM voluntarily resigned from the Mahasabha. Only two persons, viz., Hijam Irawat Sisngh and Elangbam Tompok chose to sacrifice to their official positions for the people's cause. Irawat resigned from his post of Sadar Panchayat Member and gave up his wife's landed property. Tompok resigned from his post clerk in the Revenue Department.

In November 1939 Irawat as the President of the NMM submitted an outline of the legislature to the Maharaja and theGovernbmenbt of Assam. The outline envisazed a unicameral legislature of 100 members of which not less than 80 were to be elected and 20 to be nominated by His Highness, corruption-free election and voting secret ballot and several other features.

In the year 1939 Irawat had become an activist of the Indian National Congress. Before the outbreak of the Nupilan in December 1939, Irawat paid a visit to Silchar on 12 November and stayed there till 14 December 1939. Achintya Bhattacharya says, "…Com. Irawat paid a visit to Silchar in order to assess the political situation and the Congress policy of those days... Congressmen organized a reception for him and there in the reception I met him for the first time. He was clad in khaddar and he donned a Gandhi cap as was customary in those days." Irawat also visited the Jaroiltola village. He presided over a meeting held in a mandapa near the house of Thaunojam Chandrashwar . Nikunja Goshai, a local leader of the Congress delivered speech. In the said meeting Irawat spoke against the imposition of the arbitrary rule of the British Imperialist power.

While Irawat was in Cachar, the Nupilan or the Women's Uprising had broken out on 12 December 1939 at Imphal. The absolute dependence of Manipur's economy on agriculture and the escalating rice export led to acute rise in the price of rice resulting in great hardship of the Manipuri people. At the same time, many Manipuri people could get the news of Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha movement from the office of the NMM at Nagamapal, Imphal. Inspired by this news, many womenfolk approached the NMM regarding a women's movement against the rise of the price of rice to be launched and requested them for intellectual guidance.

On 12 December 1939 a multitude of women picketed the PMSD as well as other officers of the government at the Telegraph 0ffice demanding the immediate stoppage of rice-export. A confrontation between the agitating women and the sepoys of the Assam Rifles ensured resulting in the injury of 20 women, five of them seriously. On receiving telegram to rush back, Irawat arrived at Imphal on 16 December 1939 and assessed the prevailing situation, particularly the role of the NMM.

The NMM was not in a position to guide the women's agitation as it was a divided house. On 7 January 1940 when Irawat proposed a resolution for launching a massive people' movement as a sequel to the women's uprising, he was in a minority. On the same day, Irawat organized a public meeting at Imphal. In his historic speech, Irawat observed that it was not an agitation of the women but a movement of the people. He appealed to the people not to pay land revenue to the state government as long as the British ruled in Manipur, to utilize the hills and the lakes without any payment, etc.

Irawat thus showed the Manipuri people the path of non-cooperation and civil disobedience movement. The assembled people endorsed all resolutions proposed by Irawat. A political organization named Manipur Praja Sammmelani was formed to execute the resolutions. Irawat was arrested by the State Military Police from his residence in connection with the speech he delivered on 7 January 1940. The Manipur State Durbar tried him under Durbar Criminal CaseNo.4 of 1940 and sentenced him to three years' Simple Imprisonment.

While Irawat was in jail, the Nupilan went on upto January 1941. The Manipur Praja Sammelani launched the non-cooperation and civil disobedience movement. On the day the Manipur State Durbar sentenced Irawat the women vendors called a hartal in the market and strew the cloth-wares of the cloth-shops on the street. As the Political Agent and his police force could not control the situation the Maharaja himself went to the market and brought the situation under control.

After staying about a year in the Imphal Central Jail, Irawat was transferred to the Sylhet Central Jail.

II. POLITICAL MOVEMENT IN THE SURMA VALLEY

In the Sylhet jail Irawat had a new experience of the interactions of the Gandhin thought and the Marxist-Leninist thought. Congress leaders of Assam, viz., Arun Kumar Chanda, Rabindra Aditya, Dakshina Ranjan Gupta etc. and Communist leaders, viz., Achintya Bhattacharya, Radharanjan Deb., Chanchal Kumar Sharma etc, came to be lodged in the same jail. In the jail there were arguments between the Congress and the Communist prisoners regarding the character of the Second World War and about the possible victory of the Allied Powers.

Thus, Irawat could study the points of difference between the Congress and the Communist Party on the national and international questions. Irawat could study the principle of Marxism-Leninism from the literature provided by his communist co-prisoners. He freed himself of the ramifications of deep Vaishnavite and Gandhian conceptions to accept the philosophy of Marxism- Leninism. He was attracted most by the way of the problem of nationalities was solved in the Soviet Union and the CPI Programme in this regard was to his liking. Thus, Irawat made his choice and effected his philosophical and political transformation in the Sylhet Jail.

Irawat was released from the Sylhet Jail on 20 March 1943. Although released from the jail he was banned from entering Manipur in view of his being a member of the Communist Party for the duration of the Second World War.

To be continued ....