Academicians confer on restoration of normalcy
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 02 2023: An academic discussion programme on "Roadmap for Restoration of Normalcy in Manipur" was held today at Manipur University under the aegis of Research Club, MU and MUSU.

MU Vice Chancellor Prof N Lokendra, MUSU president Th Sonamani, Dean of Students' Welfare Prof M Premjit and MTA president Prof I Gambhir attended the opening session as chief guest, president and guests of honour.

Speaking at the discussion programme, VC Prof N Lokendra noted that the six months old violence has affected every section of people in the State.

However, by God's grace, Manipur University is able to conduct its examinations and carry on other academic activities, he said.

Academicians confer on restoration of normalcy

Manipur had witnessed many violent crises and ethnic conflicts including the one in 1993 which entailed the highest casualty but all of them somehow came to end with the passage of time, Prof Lokendra said.

He exuded confidence that right thinking persons of all communities would dissect humanism and the essence of peace to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur.

Although most of the National media were misrepresenting the history of Manipur and giving untrue accounts of several events during the initial days of the violent crisis, now the incident of such misrepresentation has come down considerably, the VC remarked.

Now researchers and social scientists have started investigating the facts of the crisis without any influence from any of the two parties in conflict, he said.

It is an undeniable fact that Manipur existed as a pluralistic society since many centuries back and this fact has been recorded and reflected well in many published works including books, articles and historical records, he asserted.

National and international opinion makers reviewed these facts and started correcting the false accounts during the past couple of months.

These positive developments have now brought a hope of peace and normalcy in the State, he said.

The academic discussion programme was divided into two technical sessions with the first session held on the topic "Historical background and Its Impact on Ethnic Coexistence in Manipur" .

Speaking during the first technical session, Delhi University Associate Professor Bimol Akoijam said that one particular community has been continuously provoking since many years back and waiting for retaliation by Meitei.

The recent violence can be seen as an experiment on the political maturity of the State, Bimol Akoijam said.

By making special references to four segments viz; intellectual intervention and its nature and challenges; history, colonial lens; our realities and actors & interests, Prof Bimol Akoijam made a detailed analysis of the protracted crisis.

"Had our culture had a tendency of taking serious note of the findings of intellectual discourses, 90 per cent of the problems besieging Manipur could have been solved/avoided", he said.

However, even if the intellectuals come out with volumes of observations and suggestions, it will always remain a difficult task if those with the executing authority do not have the necessary dose of political will, he continued.

Citing Antonio Gramsci's 'War of Position' and 'War of Manoeuvre', Prof Bimol said that shouting at the top of one's voice at the United Nations on the Manipur crisis would not yield any positive result.

Here the organic intellectuals must play a big role and this should come out from academic institutions like Manipur University, he said.

For quite a long time, Kuki-Zo intellectuals have been challenging the history of Manipur.

Kuki history or Kuki-Zo history is being written as a part of the Kuki-Zo nationalist movement.

For this very reason, intellectuals and historians of the land ought to contest the Kuki-Zo history, Prof Bimol said.

It appears that the majority of the people do not have conceptual clarity about the topographical division of Manipur into hills and valley.

He said that Khoupum valley, Chakpikarong and Churachandpur are all valleys just like Imphal Valley.

Manipur cannot be identified as hills or valley separately.

Instead, both hills and valley should be used as a collective term in defining Manipur, Prof Bimol said.

"Many people see Manipur as comprising two separate entities of hills and valley because we are still seeing the State through the British colonial lens", he asserted.

The present day India was formed after integrating several Manipur-like elements.

Manipur was not created by India.

When the Instrument of Accession was signed, the task of defending Manipur was given to the Government of India.

As such, defending Manipur is a legal, moral and political responsibility of the Government of India, Prof Bimol asserted.

A highly centralised ideological structure of 'One Nation, One Law' is embedded in contemporary Indian nationalism.

"Under such a situation, we must study what our position should be", he said.

Everyone needs to ponder over whether Manipur State is able to take its own decisions on matters pertaining to the State, he said.

Prof (retd) N Joykumar, Dr Homen Thangjam and Prof Ch Ibohal too spoke during the first technical session which was moderated by Prof (retd) W Nabakumar.

The second technical session held on the topic "Way Out: Strategies to Restore Normalcy in Manipur" was moderated by Prof N Joykumar.

The resource persons of the second session were retired IAS Dr RK Nimai, Lt Gen (retired) L Nishikanta, Prof (retd) Ch Priyoranjan and Prof (retd) W Nabakumar.