Championing the right narrative : Interests of Manipur
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 18 2023 -

The right narrative that suits the interests of Manipur.

This is what everyone should be concerned about and the script for the right narrative should come from what is happening. The reality.

Along with the right narrative it is important to go on a propaganda blitz, again a propaganda that should be based on facts.

The important question is whether the right narrative has been projected for the world and the rest of the country to see and digest or not. Face the facts.

In the beginning of the clash, all those who stand by the idea of Manipur were painted as the aggressor, with those intent on destroying the very fabric of the place playing the victim card to the hilt, so much so that it was their story which went to the European Parliament with even the three member team of the Editors’ Guild of India eating out of their hands with the Imphal based media given the title ‘Meitei media’.

It was the cooked up narrative that was fed to the world, and this is precisely the reason why The Sangai Express had from the very beginning highlighted the fact that India and the world is watching and what is told to the media outside is extremely important.

And it remains that to tell the story to the media of the world, the ground reality should have the right and desirable raw materials.

The importance of this point stands and will continue to stand and the history of the world stands testimony to the fact that it is the right narrative that decides the outcome of a war or a clash between any two contending parties.

How ready are the people of Manipur to ink the desirable script which can be told to the world and the rest of the country ?

This is a question which should concern everyone.

Everyone who believe in the continued existence of Manipur as a distinct political and social reality have been contributing their mite to present the right narrative to the outside world and this is where it becomes crucial for everyone to acknowledge this fact.

Patriotism cannot be the sole prerogative of any single entity for it is the collective responsibility or everyone.

Manipur needs allies at this point of time and it would be suicidal to rub anyone or any community the wrong way. This is extremely important.

Identify who the nemesis is, identify the people who have remained neutral and reach out to others who can be allies.

Has Manipur been able to do it ? This is a question which has been raised earlier but it merits a repeat.

And any wrong step at this juncture can prove detrimental to the interests of Manipur and her people in the long run.

Efforts should be made to reach out to Assam and Tripura and this should not come as too tall an order for Imphal.

Make friends and take along people who matter.

The question is whether Manipur has learnt any lesson in the last more than 200 days.

The answer may lie somewhere in between Yes and No, but remember it is the correct narrative coupled with a degree of right propaganda that can help Manipur and her people win friends.

This is where the contributions of those active on Twitter, now X and the other social media should be acknowledged.

This is again where the activities of business houses which provide employment and a source of income to the common people should also be acknowledged and encouraged.

This is a critical phase and Manipur needs all the resources that can be gathered. And the correct narrative to feed the defenders of Manipur should come from the ground.

Scripting the right narrative at the ground level is then the responsibility of everyone and Manipur cannot afford to antagonise anyone.

This is a point which should be clear to everyone and the critical phase that Manipur is passing through must be clear to all.

The time calls for extra efforts to rope in as many friends as possible and sincerely study whether Manipur needs a course correction at this point of time.

The very fact that this point is being raised here itself should tell so many stories.