The Pallel story
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 23, 2024 -

THE story of reconciliation among the people of Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities living in the small township of Pallel situated at the boundary of Kakching and Tengnoupal districts, which is one of the meeting points of the valley and the hills in the strife-torn northeastern Indian state of Manipur, sounds like the proverbial light at the far end of a dark tunnel.

How far this reconciliation could help in mending broken relationship between the warring communities is yet to be seen.

But the fact that people living in the township of mixed-population have expressed their desire to leave behind the past and go ahead with life at nobody's bidding has made this story even more endearing.

It's true that despite the fire of communal hatred spreading everywhere after the ethnic conflict between the Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities broke out on May 3 last year, people of the two warring communities living in Pallel were wiser enough to come up with a peace deal among themselves and managed to remain calm until they were unwillingly dragged into the mayhem in the morning of September 8, 2023.

While their sagacity had been seen in working out a peace deal among themselves to stay away from the senseless violence, the Pallel denizens have yet again demonstrated their maturity in understanding the futility of war and violence by resolving to pick up the broken pieces of lives and homes even as the rest of the people in the strife-torn state are still groping in the dark with their expectation from the state administration finding a solution to the crisis slowly diminishing.

Living in an interdependent society, where one community cannot survive without the help of another, reconciliation is the only path that lies ahead of the people for rebuilding relationships and restoration of normalcy in Manipur, which has seen enough hatred, bloodshed and displacement on both sides of the clash divide.

As we have stated time and again through this column, history of human civilisation is a long testimony of the futility of war and bloodshed and so, no one, including those who are fuelling the conflict, is going to gain anything from prolonging the now over one year long ethnic conflict in Manipur.

With the multi-layered conflict revealing more astounding facts than one could have ever imagined with each passing day; it is now up to the affected people to take the final call for ending the conflict instead of allowing themselves to used as pawns in this devious game of dirty politics.

Whatever be the motive of the powers that be who are pulling the strings from behind, the end result is not going to serve the interest of anyone who has either lost their loved ones or homes in this conflict.

Apart from people on both sides of the clash divide, the pervasive heat of the ethnic conflict between Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities has been felt by everyone living in this multi-ethnic society. It is going to take years to mend the broken relationships, if at all possible.

So, there is no point in allowing the bloody confrontation to go on when it could bring nothing good but miseries for all.

It would be better for the people to realise this fact, sooner than later.

It is high time for everyone to think over seriously what kind of future they would be leaving behind for their innocent children, who have been forced to take shelter in relief camps which could never be a substitute of the warm comfort they could get from staying in their own homes howsoever modest they may be.

However, it appears that the story of reconciliation among the people of Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities is turning out to be just a wishful desire, too good to be true, with leaders of the two warring communities unanimous in saying that road to complete restoration of peace and normalcy in Pallel is still a far cry from reality.