Indo-Naga Talk Likely to end soon with amicable settlement mutatis mutandis
- Part 2 -

Waikhom Damodar Singh *

Isak Swu and Th Muivah

So far so good : said by all to the NSCN (IM) group for their coming to good senses at last, particularly to Muivah for his good initiatives taken in this regard as the General Secretary of the Organisation though a pretty long time have been very unnecessarily "wasted" during which heavy bloodshed and loss of many precious arid innocent lives bad occurred. But what is not appreciated at all is about their "stubborn and very adament stand" on building-up of a "communally coloured" domain of a greater Land only for the Nagas.

The chequered history of Manipur clearly tells that it is a hoary and very unique hilly-land inhabited by two "inseparable" indigenous groups of people, the Chingmis (the Haos), the people settled in the hills happily and the Tammis (the Meiteis and the Pangals, the Muslims) settled in the valley, both of whom actually sprang out from the same Mongoloid stock of "fore-fathers" and migrated from south-east-Asia region during the human transe-migration mediavel period. From the very early period both the communities had been living very harmoniously and peacefully with very loving relation, even with "social intercourse" taken between them, which has became now a social feature taking place "more freely" amongst them irrespective of their ethnic and religious divisions.

Because of the two communities living as the two inseparable "brethren" of the same parents and family, the Meitei folk-song describing about their "inseparableness" sings as ­ "chingda taba mahaige, tamda taba mahaige, wakon tanoi noi...." - be it the settlers in the hills, be it the settlers in the valley, both are "one" who sprang out from the same stock, and it bas been the most loving spirit of the ancestors in saying that Manipur without the chingmis is no Manipur, and therefore its ruling kings always paid careful attention of looking after them, particularly by Maharaj Rajarshi Bhagyachandra, because of it he was given the name, Chingthangkhomba, the care-taker of the people of the hills, also latestly by Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh who always thought for the welfare of the peoples of the Hills.

But such an age-old good and loving spirit of "oneness", most unfortunately and very sadly, has been very much "eroded" after the non­Kuki groups of the hill people has been "enrolled recently" under the "borrowed apellation Naga", and also after the groups of the Chingmis had been initiated into the christian faith since the 1920s and 30s and the Meiteis embraced the alien religion of Hinduism earlier in the 18th century and continued to live very proudly and egoistically as most sacred Supra people of Aryan stock under the very orthodox religion of Hinduism "enforced strictly" by the heavy "dictates" of the ruling kings.

Most unfortunately, those non-Kuki groups of people of Manipur who very strongly wish to join a greater Nagalim to be created by "carving out" all the Naga inhabited areas of the north­eastern States, seem to forget that in that process the "biggest gainer" will be the people of Nagaland in terms of expanding their present mini-territory, and who are already "very heavily burdened with their own very knotty problems" arising out of having too many of their ethnically divided groups of sub-tribes amongst them, latestly, of the less advanced and neglected groups inhabiting the far flung eastern fringe who, under a newly formed organisation, called the Eastern Naga Peoples' Organisation (ENPO), began breaking the "ice" and started demanding vey vehemently for a separate Eastern Nagaland State of their own, as such the already despirited Nagaland people are bound to treat the so called Naga-groups from Manipur and other areas as the "refugees and third class passengers" on joining them in all respect.

The biggest problem on joining such a newly christened conglomorate formed by several number of heterogenous ethnic groups of people speaking different indigenous dialects will be the "linguistic" problem i.e. regarding the language of "lingua-franca" amongst them, like or not, such a problem had not been till today amongst the chingmis of Manipur, who are constituted of various ethnic groups speaking different languages of their own (numbering more than 30) since almost all of them understand and could speak the Meitei-lon (language) as their "lingua-franca".

In fact, one cannot but speculate as to "what more gain" will the Nagas of Manipur achieve by joining with the sort of alien people, the Nagas of Nagaland, and "loss they will suffer" by remaining under the same "umbrella" living ever peacefully and happily with their ancestral brethren, the Meiteis and other tribal groups. The disintegrating spirit amongst the non-Kuki groups of people "imbued" lately is highly aggravated very much by the "grand strategy evolved by the Government of India" under the process of undergoing the "Indo-Naga-Peace-Talk" with the NSCN(IM), in particular, even with the loss of 18 innocent lives on 18 June 2001 connected with it.

Actually speaking, without any prejudice, the proposition of creating a greater Nagalim or Land as has been consistently demanding by the NSCN(IM) is not a "pragmatic scheme" as its very ideal aim of heralding a complete "peace" in the north-east region cannot yield the desired result for obvious reasons, rather it will be an act of "adding more fuel to the burning fire" or inviting more "turmoiling situation" in the region which has been packed with many more "Lebensraum" (demanding of extra territory) and ethnic "separastic" problems from the different indigenous ethnic groups of people inhabiting.

Also to "disintegrate" the age-old territorial integrity of Manipur as it existed from "time immemorial" or at least what it was though much shrunken due to appeasing policies imposed, at the end of the Anglo-Manipuri War which took place on 25 April 1891 may not be easily possible under the "Utti Possidetis Juris" (absolute possesion and control of the territory by a sovereign country at the end of its, war with another sovereign country) Rule 22 of the International Law, and therefore it is really good that the NSCN( IM)has now quite sensibly dropped their first agenda for the redrawing of the boundaries of the north-eastern States and are prepared to settle their some 60 years old "issue" within the constitution of India, mutadis mutandis, i.e. with necessary changes made by both the sides.

Over and above the extra facilities to be granted to the Nagas within the constitution of India, the Government of India may also create a "Union Naga Ministry" under the charge of an elected Naga Union Minister to be accomodated from an elected Naga Member of the Parliament, either of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha to deal with separately the welfare and other developmental activities and works of the Nagas of the north-eastern States like having a "separate department of the north-eastern Region (the DoNNer)" by inserting a provision of it in the article 371 A.B.C. of the constitution of India under which special facilities for the Nagas have already been provided or by incorporating in the Constitutional ammendments to be done. In addition, the post of the Governor of the Nagaland State may be exclusively be given to a qualified Naga citizen of India, as was done in the case of Shri Sanayangba Chubatoshi Jamir as the Governor of Goa and Maharastra same time back.

As for the great leader Muivah, the entire people of Manipur will definitely "lay the red carpet" to receive his "home home sweet home coming" if he joins the "mainstream of the unique mosaic society" of his home land of Manipur and lead the people as a whole irrespective of their indigenous ethnic divisions to establish a new "era" of really a peaceful living amongst them.

Mr. Muivah may not forget that a true and great leader of the people is "he who does not confine his leadership only far a particular group of community or section of people as he does very vehemntly only for the so called "Nagas", who of the State of Manipur, cannot be treated to be a separate entity or a alien tribal people from "being the brothers in consanguity" with the Meiteis, the Kukis and other ethnic groups of Manipur who had been originated from the same stemma of ancestors of the unique "Chungleigam Land" of the south-east-Asia.

Concluded ...