Fourth Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Lecture 2014 Proceedings
Part 2

Dr. Homen Thangjam *

Fourth Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Lecture 2014 Proceedings on 30th December, 2014 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

Proceedings of the
Fourth Ojha Sanajaoba Memorial Lecture 2014
Rapporteur: Dr. Homen Thangjam
Asst. Prof., Maharaja Bodhcandra College, Imphal

In such a context, the very idea of self-determination needs to be relooked at, perhaps by looking at what is happening in the international context. These were the same issues raised by Sanajaoba and it is of relevance today. Many of the international community cannot be trusted, especially the United States America, especially after the 9/11 episode. For example, US has backtracked on self-determination and the same understanding implies and stands for cultural autonomy.

But it needs to be reiterated that self-determination subsumes autonomy; in the rights over the use of resources and land. These indeed are the common issues of Northeast. These needs to be challenged and ascertained.

According to Prof. Misra, many observes that geography determines economy and this to some extent is deemed to be true. For example, after India's independence, suddenly the North East region becomes land-locked, reduced to a borderland and peripheral. In such a geographical rendered context, many laws which are inapplicable to the mainland India becomes legitimate and operational in the borderland.

For instance, the imposition of AFSPA is a classical case. While the same law becomes applicable in the North East, the same is not deemed to be applicable in the Maoist hit areas simply because the region happens to be in the mainland India. The same applies in terms of capital investment for development and special law, etc. In all these instances, "security: is quoted as the common thread of justiciability simply because the North East happens to be a borderland.

In spite of the order of things, Prof. Misra is of the opinion that the people of the North East has to assert today without repeating tales of sorrow just as Ambedkar has said. The region has a whole has every right to be part of development, autonomy and others. In addition to the issues raised above, Prof. Misra added three more core issues.

First, in the name of tackling insurgency the Indian State has created political spaces. Such political spaces have excluded people from participation and created a sense of inequality. These political spaces, for example, the creation of ethnic homeland (sic. Bodoland, which is highly heterogenous) have excluded the smaller nationalities. At the same time, right from the beginning the non-state armed groups have never had clear cut vision of an idea of homeland. For instance, ULFA could not work out the issues involving small nationalities precisely because they never had a structured outlay.

Second issue pertains to the conflict between traditional structures of power and representative form of democracy; both runs in parallel in the North East region. According to Prof. Misra, democratic representation deals with individual rights. Nowadays, people talk of consensual democracy. Hwever, it needs to be under scored that there cannot be absolute consensus in democracy; there has to be elements of disagreement and dissent. What one needs to understand is that one cannot be too idealistic about the past and glorify them in such idealistic heights as it is happening today.

The times of the kings and rajas are past, precisely because modern politics in the form of representation demands individual space and rights. Take for instance, the traditional structure of power were very mean towards women. As such women did not enjoy any form of rights in the sense of freedom and liberty. Thus, what is needed today is the democratization of traditional structures.

According to Prof. Misra, in such difficult times of uncertainty, chaos and turbulence in the North East, overwhelmed by ethnic nationalism and traditional structure of power and dominance, historical figures such as Hijam Irabot needs to be remembered. He was someone who tried to relate to people of similar thought, for instance in Burma and Assam, reaching out and making friends. That is what is exactly needed in the North East today; for instance coming out of the cocoon of isolation and isolation.

Take for instance, what happened to the working class movement in North East? The same simply died out of ethnic nationalism and assertion. What we witnessed in the North East, although it had a rich history of peasant movement and trade union struggle gave in to fragmented ethnic politics. Besides, there are the common issues of big dams, environment, labour, etc. inflicting the common life world of the North East. This is the time, Prof. Misra, reiterates, that the North East as a whole have to challenge the people of mainland and let them know that India cannot be a monopoly of them. The North East has an equal share.

Prof. Misra concluded with a quotation from William Shakespeare, " The fault does not lie in our stars. It's because we're weak.". It means that the North East simply has to assert – be it for autonomy or use of its land and control over resources.

Prof. Soyam Lokendrajit, Head, Department of Philosophy, Manipur University, Canchipur gave the observatory remarks to the Memorial Lecture. In his opinion, neo-liberalism has killed the revolutionary instincts and the material conditions of revolution. He accepted the views shared by Prof. Misra's lecture and said that these are the greatest moments of uncertainty for revolutionary moments across the world.

He also expressed his concern about the regimented kind of culture prevailing in the North East in terms of debate on identity, autonomy, etc. where in both the state and non-state actors remain closed-door. In spite of the high ideals held by both on freedom, both continues to rampantly transgressing the same today. In conclusion he remarked that all communities in the North East have to work towards a common destiny guided by common aspirations.

Prof. N. Lokendra Singh, who was the Guest of Honour of the function remarked that Ojha sanajaoba as many of us know was an extremely well-read, widely-travelled and as Prof. Misra has remarked, he was a public intellectual, who had responded to the issues in Northeast India, across the globe and particularly in Manipur for the down trodden and working community.

He submitted that the middle class of the North East India has done their job after post-independence period and was responsible for the successful democratization of polity in the North East region. He feels that there is increasing momentum of democratization. The new middle class of the North East who are restless, seen the bigger world and tested all the happenings and who has strong faculty for thinking and rethinking, is the time for them not to remain silent. They have to be public intellectual like late Prof. Sanajaoba.

Prof, H. Nandakumar Sarma, the Chief Guest of the function remarked that Prof. Misra had highlighted the common aspirations of the North East and the need for a shared destiny. According to him, late Prof. Sanajaoba was an international humanitarian who wrote volumes of literatures on the violation of human rights and about the oppressed and downtrodden people of the North East by outsiders. He observed that of late as against media projections and announcements made by the administrators, human rights violations in the region have escalated.

More revelations are coming forth on fake encounters and enforced disappearances. He feels that man has been reduced to a mere number, a mere statistics without any value or quality. And human beings are killed like insects. He empathically stressed that the time has come for all to be united and tell the administrators and armed forces how to increase the value of human beings and refrain from killing them like insects.

Prof. N. Rajmuhon Singh who presided the function recalled Prof. N. Sanajaoba as a great visionary who always propagated and popularized the inevitable necessity of having common aspirations for the co-existing communities in the North East region.

The memorial lecture ended with a vote of thanks proposed by Dr. Malem Ningthouja, Senior Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla.

See a Photo Gallery on this event here

Concluded