Disintegrating Manipur: Sown seeds (2)
(Egocentric Meitei Vs Changing Polities)

Manindra Konsam *
Editor Sanathong, a monthly magazine

Looking back to our history of British Colonial period, we find many fortunate but strange social courses evolved in both the hills and the plains of this land. But behind those fortunate social courses seems lying too many whys and hows, which our modern historians hardly ever tried to give a good explanation. Is it not a handicap imposed on us from the part of our modern historians? I think it is, if we go along with Leo Tolstoy's - "Modern history should study not the manifestation of powers but the causes that produce it".

During their proud days when British ruled the waves and half the map of the world was painted red, luckily for us we did neither have any British explorer to call us 'noble savage', any settler to treat us like 'murdering wretch', nor any planter to address us as 'lazy good for nothing yellow people'.

The British came, conquered and treated our kings and nobles like dogs either to be killed or banished. However, their changed attitude towards the people of this land after they proclaimed Chura Chand Singh, a minor boy of five years only, as the Raja of Manipur (18th Sept 1891) had been quite amazingly interesting. Had our scholars, historians and leaders or so called leaders used a little of their intellectual reasoning on analyzing those British attitudes at least few decades earlier, there might never arise a question like disintegrating Manipur.

As 'savage' and 'barbarians' were epithets to the Greeks and Romans for the people living outside their own boundaries, history of British Colonial period is full of courses that dictated - "Everything English and Christian was good, everything native and pagan was bad". If the later did not immediately adapt or at least provide healthy imperial profits, they were harassed, persecuted and forcibly converted to the English man's ways or willfully exterminated. But, did the British practice any of their proven colonial character in our land?

When all the major cities and resorts of mainland India had many places with sign boards or sticking bills that displayed "no entry for Dogs and Indians", we had the British who acted submission to the Hindu orthodoxy and tantrums of the Meiteis. Instead of imposing their ways on us, the British for reason unknown to us seem fully patronized Meitei Gouriya Vaishnava orthodoxies to reach its zenith during Maharaja Chura Chand Singh (1891-1941 AD). The conquerors themselves acted submission to the whims of their conquered by freely letting an ego to fully develop among the Meitei Hindus in the sense like - "Everything Meitei is good while everything others are nothing but untouchable lot".

Nowadays, when we (both Chingmees and Tammee) converse about the alienation between Chingmees and Meitei, the Meiteis' ways of Vaishnava orthodoxy with ethos of untouchables (Maangba-Sengba) is considered as one of the main factors. Is it really so? Yes. It might have been a little contributory factor. But not exactly an important cause; because the real victims of the Meitei Vaishnava orthodoxies had been the Meiteis themselves. No Chingmee had ever been subjected like Meiteis to the cruelty of untouchability in this land. Many Meiteis who knowingly or unknowingly challenged the norms of Meitei Vaishnava orthodoxies had been forcibly chained to banish or exiled, exonerating from their own society and people. So, we should not consider Meiteis' 'Maangba-Sengba' as a factor to the alienation between Chingmee and Tammee. We should rather try to erase Meitei's egocentrism, which is totally an unwanted gift received from our own Vaishnava orthodoxies, that too built to its peak only during the British Colonial Period.

Though we take history as the history of mankind and nations, there are many parts of it, which are best forgotten, and also many parts for everlasting memory that guided us from generation to generation for a course of civilization in the true spirit of humanity. Is it not so in case of African Blacks to the Whites, Britons to Romans, Axis to Allies, Indians to the British colonialism etc.?

Since the start of human history till date, war events between major and smaller tribes have been common. Therefore a few or many tussles between the Meiteis and other tribe of this land were not exceptions. However, shall we still consider those past histories as a hurdle to our bond of ever-lasting integrity? No. We should not. Instead we (both Meiteis and Chingmees) should try analyzing many hidden puzzles, which distinctly contribute to the disintegration of our state in the ugly name of religion anchored by the British. Meitei's Vainavism orthodoxy, under the very patronage of British successfully produced egocentric Meitei as a lot.

The Nazis and the Japanese at least tried to show their false ego of supremacy over others by throwing challenges. But the Meiteis have never tried to reason their egocentric nature over others except gossiping around among themselves. It is very unfortunate indeed. Unlike the Nazis and Japanese, the Meiteis also, if they do not adapt to new changes immediately to their egocentric nature, there could be many issues that will go out of hand such as disintegration of Manipur. Meiteis by any means should not harbour and live in the false beliefs about history and Government protecting a nation or state's territorial integrity. It is only the collective wills of peoples with mutual understanding and respects with love that could only behold a nation or state's territorial integrity all throughout the past and present. Otherwise, it is of no wonder that brothers from the blood of same father and same womb even killed each other, leave alone drawing lines of division with hatred.

Have any of our historians, political scientists or leaders ever tried to analyze the social changes that might have taken place among the Chingmees after Manipur sent its First Labour Corps of 2000 Nagas and Kukis from the hills to serve British in France during the great World War I (May 1917)? Besides many more Nagas from this state were recruited into Naga Corps to be sent to France before. Imagine, more than two thousands Nagas and Kukis from Manipur had crossed seven seas and got exposed to the modern civilization of the western world at a stage when the very few Meitei gentlemen who had crossed seven hills of this land were treated as state's finest intelligentsia!

Though, most of the Meiteis have so far been able to free themselves from the clutch of Gouriya Vaisnavism's- "Maangba-Sengba" by means of either self-reformation or by change of faith, they have not so far been able to part themselves from their egocentric nature that was fully developed in the name of Vaishnava orthodoxy by then. Therefore, in the eyes of Meiteis, the Chingmees are always half naked uncivilized pagans. Hence, Meiteis could never accept the fact that Chingmees of this land had gone ahead of them on the way of modern civilization with a clear vision for themselves. So, it is no wonder that colonial Manipur experienced 'Kuki Revolt' of 1917-18 paving ways for Kuki-awakenings and Naga establishing 'Naga Club' (1918) at Kohima as a firm footing for foundation of present day Naga integration.

While talking about Naga integration and demand of Kuki homeland and, furthermore about 'Naga - Kuki' feuds in this state, we (Meiteis and Chingmees) should not overlook the way Christian Missionaries sprouted in this land. They, the men of God and who preach love among peoples, had in a way started drawing clear lines of division between Nagas and Kukis.

Going back to the history of Christian Missionaries in Manipur, we can say our Chingmee brethrens had been luckier than many other native tribes of the world who had been converted and brought to the Christian fold by the various missionaries. Our Chingmee brethrens had never been subjected to the attitude of a 'Poor Misguided Child' from the Missionaries. It is said that - "A society or a culture can disappear from the face of the earth in one of two ways: either its members are exterminated through diseases and murder- which is what happened in Tasmania; or the society and its culture disappear but its original members and their descendants survive as part of a wider, much change society as like that of the Islanders of Hawaii". (Into the Primitive Environment: Robert Brain: 1972). Had Colonial British and Christian Missionaries wished so, our Chingmee brethren might have met the plights as that of the Islanders of Hawaii. Fortunately our Chingmee brethren got dedicated Missionaries with real wills of alighting education along with Christian beliefs. However, history of Christian Missionaries in this land was not devoid of ugly faces of divisive manners.

We will not be wrong to consider the start of Naga integration movement since the day when Rev. E.W.Clark founded first Naga Christian Village at Molung among the Ao Nagas in 1876.Likewise in Manipur, since William Pettigrew started his Missionary works among the Tangkhuls in Ukhrul from 1896, Nagas of Manipur started paving their own way of integration in the name of Christianity. If it were not like that, why should another newly founded 'Thadou-Kuki Pioneer Mission' come up during January 1910, under the leadership of one Dr Fraser and his assistant Mr. Watkin Robert from 'Welsh Calvinistic Mission' at Aijawl of Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) with a sole aim to work among the Kukis of Manipur? Within few years of its existence, 'Thadou-Kuki Pioneer Mission' (later - 'North East India General Mission') under Mr Watkin Robert could successfully engineer many conflicts with Mr William Pettigrew of 'American Baptist Mission' (originally Pettigrew was with 'Arthington Aborigines Mission'), which led the authorities to demarcate boundaries for the two group of Missionaries to work on the line of Nagas and Kukis. Was that not the beginning of Naga-Kuki feud within this land? And, is this not Naga-Kuki conflict an important contributory factor in the processes of disintegrating Manipur?

History tells us about the division of Mongol Empire, the largest ever built empire in human history on the line of religion that led to the cultural distancing and political weakening among the same group of people. Is it not time that we (Chingmees and Meiteis) discard our own follies of the past for an everlasting bond of love and peace among us, regardless of our adopted faiths but in the name of our own brotherhood?