UNLF Central Committee greets people on its 47th anniversary
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, November 24 2011: Contd from previous issue... .

India's education policy which has no synergy with the tradition, heritage and life world of the affinal groups inhabiting Manipur is deliberately promoting an environment and value system averse to questioning the hegemonic policies that India practices in Manipur and adjoining areas.

Those who conform are rewarded suitably; those that resist are intimidated by use of force, including arbitrary arrests and death in 'staged encounters' .

The colonial system has alienated each of us, individually as well as collectively, from the geography and history that we have co-habited together through centuries and from each other to the extent that collectives are unable to acknowledge and accept the spirit forged through mutual association through centuries.

Manipur is now choke-full with Indian occupational forces (IOF) deployed for suppressing the armed struggle.

To house these ever increasing ranks of IOF personnel, schools are commandeered, open spaces are occupied, bushes cleared and hillocks are razed militarizing both in the hills and the valley as never before.

Developing human resources systematically would be impossible under these circumstances.

The only way out to institute autonomous governing bodies for educational institutions and let them plan and run the educational institutions funded by the government while experts get together to fashion an appropriate educational policy" .

"TOLL ON THE NATIONAL CHARACTER: .

Culture is the index of lifeworld of human societies.

By extension, the culture of a community showcases the lifeworld of that community forged through its interactions with the environment in the struggle for survival through the ages.

Herein lies the source of distinct identities.

Our customs, language, music, martial arts, and all the things we produce are elements of our culture which has evolved over generations.

Yet, the world has seen distinct cultures wilting and disappearing under silent invasion from expansionist cultures.

In our case, the onslaught of Indian culture has begun to dilute many of our cultural practices and our collective spirit.

But culture knows no boundary, neither physical nor political.

Given this, a viable defense against cultural invasion is to absorb it and transform it through a process of synthesis.

Cultures fall and are swallowed by a more aggressive culture when the synthesis mechanism does not work.

The challenge of cultural invasion is now all too real.

Experts in this field as well as patriots should join hands to inform and alert the people what can be profitably absorbed and what is best rejected.

The UNLF too would deliberate with like-minded organizations to see what can be done in this regard" .

"IMPLICATIONS OF CONTINUING POPULATION INFLUX : .

At around 10 lakhs, the indigenous Tripuris, who had formed the majority in the erstwhile princely state of Tripura, today constitute barely a third of the total population of around 35 lakhs.

Thanks to the ceaseless population influx from mainland India, the indigenous Tripuris have been reduced to the status of strangers in their own homeland.

As a result, their identity has been overturned and politically they have faced oppression" .

Continuing influx from 1949 till 2011 has sharply increased the number of Mayangs in Manipur, too.

At eight lakhs, they now constitute almost a third of the Manipur's total population of 27 lakhs.

This is a dangerous trend that portends the destabilization of the unique identity of the indigenous communities.

Post 2014, when rail connectivity reaches Imphal, it is a matter of time before this scenario materializes and Mayangs could soon capture the political and economic reins of Manipur.

This is nothing less than a silent invasion of India.

Even now, the Mayangs take away around 1500 crores of Rupees annually from Manipur.

This danger of losing our identities affects us all, irrespective of whether one lives in the hill or the valley or whether one is rich or poor or those who follow same or different religions.

Under the circumstances, it is high time that people reflect seriously on how long can indigenous communities safeguard their distinct identities and culture!" .

"THE ECONOMIC SITUATION: .

Manipur, which is a captive market of India, is neither allowed to die or to prosper.

The wheels of the economy turn on the salaries of the employees and earnings from supply and contract works.

Little wonder then that the economy goes into a wobbly spin when salaries are withheld for four or five months.

The farming sector is relatively free from such gyrations of the economy.

But even this farming sector is unable to generate any surplus as their incomes are drained in purchasing essential items produced by India.

This is thus a revolving door economy without savings.

As a result, the average Manipuri is unable to make both ends meet.

How can the people escape such a lot is a stark question.

The answer lies in augmenting production.

The recent 100-plus days economic blockade must have driven home the virtues of self-reliance in food and other essential items.

Only a successful struggle for regaining our lost independence can vouchsafe us an escape from the spectre of worsening social and economic malaise. Compatriots, globalization is an irreversible trend in contemporary times.

India's 'Look East Policy' manifests this trend in our parts, presaging both opportunities and threats for numerically smaller communities like ours.

The challenge is to prepare ourselves to exploit the opportunities that 'Look East Policy' and the irreversible process of globalization might afford us.

That would however depend on our basket of production.

We can exploit the opportunities only if we have a good production base in our land.

Countries without a production base will be no more than transit points.

It would therefore be important to identify and leverage the biological and human resources in selecting and diversifying the production baskets and augmenting production in both the hills and plains.

Additionally, enterprise in the small and medium industries would have to be precisely encouraged.

(To be continued) .

Comment