Award to Sharmila South Korean Foray

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Award to Sharmila - South Korean Foray into Manipur

Aribam Joy Sharma *

The recent honour of Irom Sharmila with the ‘Gwangju Human Rights Award’ by the South Korean-based May 18 Memorial Foundation is a remarkable event among the people of Manipur.

This is the first instance where the Koreans have taken interest in a burning issue in Manipur. As a student of Korean Studies, this event also strikes me and motivated me to come up with some observation on the issue and its implications on the Korean wave in Manipur.

Human rights activist calling on Sharmila at JN hospital to show solidarity to the crusader against AFSPA

South Korea is a far and distant land to Manipuris. There is a very limited interaction between the people of the two societies although both people belong to the Mongoloid stock and are within the fold of oriental civilization. Rather than very few Tae-kwon-do instructors and ‘Korean Christian missionaries’, normally the Korean company executives as well as tourists do not visit Manipur.

On the other hand, Japanese have concern for people of Manipur as a result of historical incidents and have visited Manipur and they even have plans to take up some projects in the State. Such initiatives are totally absent as far as Korea is concerned.

Even though, Korean cultural wave is far more popular than the Japanese culture. Koreans were very popular among the Manipuris, firstly, due to Korean traditional martial art - Tae-kwon-do in the 1980s and 90s, secondly, due to their consumer electronics and home appliances products which are widely used in the State, and thirdly, due to the popularity of its other cultural aspects such as movies, songs, serials and dramas. Moreover, the recent award bestowed on Sharmila can be considered as a significant move for the people of Manipur.

However among these factors, Korean culture plays a vital role and has a great impact on the Manipuri society. Here, I would like to throw some light on the Korean culture in this tiny State of Manipur in the following paragraphs.

Korean cultural wave reached Manipur more or less at the same time when it started spreading to other Asian countries as well. Without any initiative of the Government, Manipur experienced the Korean popular culture far earlier than any other parts of India.

Korean television channel Arirang and Manipur’s cable network plays an important role in the dissemination of Korean popular culture in Manipur. When there was a ban on Hindi channels and Hindi movies, people began to look for alternatives which they found in Korean entertainment offerings.

Another factor was the opening up of international border for tree trade between India and Myanmar towards Southeast Asian countries through Manipur whereby Korean pirated music and movie CDs easily found their way into the State.

Another key socio-cultural factor that has enhanced the popularity of Korean wave is the cultural proximity of Korean and Manipuri societies in terms of both being Mongoloid stock; both societies being based on clan communities; sharing similar traditional religious structures in Sanamahism and Shamanism; similar streams of philosophy in traditional music and dance; and similar forms of folk games.

There are also some similar ritual practices such as offering of foods to the newborn baby, ancestor worshipping ceremonies and celebration of New Year based on the lunar calendar. It can be argued here that these similarities and proximity between Korean and Manipuri cultures are mainly due to the extension of Chinese civilization to these societies which can also be considered as the basis for popularity of Korean culture in Manipur.

The image of Korean society as apparently modernized but ethically traditional is a big attraction in Manipur. The image of a modernized society filled with capitalistic commodities like modem buildings, cars, restaurants, and fancy clothes are common features in their movies and TV shows.

Not only the younger generation but also the older ones in Manipur share the same sentiments while watching Korean dramas and films. The younger generation wants to learn and adopt those aspects of Korean culture. The people are conscious that what is presented through these cultural forms differ from real life, but their views on Korean society are nevertheless heavily influenced by the images portrayed in them.

The people of Manipur admired the uniqueness of the Koreans’ ability to combine the best of the traditional values and of the contemporary practices which have made Korea powerful, both economically and culturally. But, some people hold pessimistic views on Korean Wave. They claimed that this is a kind of Korean cultural imperialism in our society.

But to my mind, it is a great opportunity to expose and promote our rich cultural heritage in a more improved way. By understanding Korean culture, we can respond positively in such a manner that our rich arts and cultural forms would attract attention from other countries.

Even if Korean culture is very popular among the Manipuris, Manipur is very much unknown to them before conferring this award to Sharmila. Although South Koreans have stake in the oil fields of western Myanmar bordering Manipur, they have very little idea about the people of Manipur.

Conferring of this award to Sharmila can be taken as a landmark for the people of Manipur. Because of this award, the popularity of Manipur would be enhanced not only among the Koreans but also throughout the world.

This can be a great opportunity to exhibit the rich culture and tourist potential as well as highlight the socio-political conditions of this landlocked State of North Eastern India.

I firmly believe that it will also be a boost in the greater extension of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ towards Far East Asia.

In sum, the ongoing discussion raises several questions which are significant - Will the conferment of the ‘Gwangju award’ to Sharmila, who is strongly agitating for more than six years against the Indian State to repeal AFSPA, affect the smooth Indo-Korean relations?

Can this be taken as a South Korean ploy to make a foothold in India’s North East in general and Manipur in particular?
Do they have any motive or intention to enhance their popularity in India by granting this award to person who is struggling against the Indian state?
How is it going to help in promoting the popularity of Korean popular culture in the Manipuri society?

For the time being, most of the answers to the above queries are in the realm of speculation. This award may not be a big deal for the Government of India, but the people of Manipur acknowledged this decision of South Korea with great regards.

It will help to generate close ties between the two societies in the long term. The solidarity shown by the South Korean people will facilitate in bringing world attention to Sharmila’s struggle which will aid in achieving her long-drawn goal.

* Aribam Joy Sharma , a student of Korean Studies, wrote this article for The Sangai Express. This article was webcasted on 26th September 2007.

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