U A Shimray
Imphal city is the only State’s capital situated in the vast valley [except Dispur of Assam] in the North Eastern region. The tiny Manipur state manifests unique physical features and socio-cultural entity. Topographically, it is divided into hills and valley areas, which the Hills surround the narrow Valley. Out of state’s total population, the non-tribal communities including Meitei, Pangan and migrants constitutes a largest share of population accounting 65.57 per cent. The tribal constitute only 34.43 per cent. The Scheduled Caste population is very minimal.
Hooded-face’s Day Out: Learn More…
No doubt, Imphal City is replete with myths, folklore, heritages and historical background. The largest and famous women’s bazaar or popularly known as Ima Keithel [Mother’s market] is situated in the middle of the city. Today city is filled with educated unemployed youths, AIDS is rampant, corruption is infested to all institutions and insurgency is very much mobile.
Today, what store in Manipur is – bandhs, strikes, dharna, road blockade, protest, rally, burning and destroying common properties and it’s becoming a way of life. Imphal is very absorbing city if one closely observe. The more one seek, more mysticism reveals in its own way. Indeed, frustration of the educated unemployed manifests itself in different forms. Take a simple example- a man in Ninja-like outfit Rickshawpullers covering their faces and performed their daily business. Seldom asked by the people why they are covering their faces. Even the Traffic Police dare not to ask such question. It is not just a hooded-face’s day out. The faces are hidden not because of pollution or neither because of law nor because of style, but the faces behind the scarf are the stigma of Educated Youth.
Sometimes, in Manipur democracy is intolerable. Every now and then we experience strikes, bandhs, in other words, “public curfew,” road-blockade known as “economic blockade”, and Hindi boycott [by Underground]. Undergrounds’ “diktat” [also read in different terms like extortion, levy tax, percentage-cut and donation] to government servants, contractors, businesspersons and politicians is no a new kind of business in the state. Even the media are not spare. Observing the present scenario, “diktat” tradition became too agonizing.
One interesting query here is what going on in government offices? The public is “just” watching the drama of unholy nexus of Politicians and UG, Engineers/Bureaucrats and UG, Businesspersons/Contractors and UG and even Social Organisations and UG…so on. This is open secret. Indeed, there is serious allegation of high-level politicians and bureaucrats having “link” with the underground outfits. In every Department/employees donate yearly “percentage” to the UGs [irrespective of Valley or Hills]. And every contract works are scan and undergone UG’s percentage cut. When say, there is “parallel authority” no one can say NO. So the losers are the poor common people. The long silence of the socially responsible organisations, NGOs over the issue of allegation, nexus, percentage cut…implies that something fishy is there. So there is no “question and answer” just between the licensed gun [State] and un-licensed AK 47.
Meetei Mayek, Board Affiliation…
Is Meetei Mayek movement relevance for the tribal community…? In respect of social, cultural and political situation, a movement does not hold any prospect for the tribal. Every tribal community has their own respective languages and use Roman script for writing purpose. Donald Horowitz (1985) comments that the “language is a symbol of domination.” Indeed, language is one important cultural component having immense social and political implications. And most importantly, language is cultural heritage and identity.
Unfortunately, in North Eastern region, languages used by the dominant groups often adopted as the official language. For instance, Bengali in Tripura state, Assamese in Assam state, Manipuri or Meiteilon in Manipur state and English is popular in Nagaland. In such situation, these languages became inevitable for communication as Lingua Franca. Meiteilon is commonly used as lingua franca between the various ethnic groups in Manipur. However, majority of the tribal groups cannot read or write Meiteilon because it uses Bengali script [And now MEELAL is spearheading to replace all the Bengali script by Meetei Mayek]. The linguistic problem in Manipur began during the early 1980s when the Government of Manipur attempted to introduce Meiteilon as compulsory subject in matriculation examination. But, the tribal put strong resistance and issue was settled by keeping Meiteilon as an optional for the tribal students in lieu Additional English subject is offer.
Today, Naga areas are uneasy over the issue of School affiliation to the Nagaland Board. However, the issue is not “instance coffee” solution. This affiliation required strong technical support because the issue touches inevitable state political jurisdiction and Acts. At the same time, it needed “white paper” in order to bring amendment. It is understandable for the Naga side that the issue bears strong sentimental attachment and “one-ness” Naga politics. However, one should also acknowledge that so-called “emotional politics” is not the right approach in such given present situation. Such delicate and legal involved issue needs thorough examination and proper homework before executing. Improper execution could bring unhealthy repercussions to the society.
Nonetheless, an avenue of emotion things often fails in long run. Today’s world is a world of diplomacy. Also, time to give and play mature politics so that the statesmanship is maintained. It is easy to burn down or destroy things because the given materials are vulnerable. But construction is not an easy thing. One important culture that I learn from my village elders is that Naga tradition prohibits to burn down or destroying one’s properties only nature can destroy it. Indeed, our emotional politics causes so much destruction either in the valley or hills. In 18 June uprising so much damage had been done our public properties, MEELAL activists’ burn down Manipur oldest library, and Naga civil organizations burn down many public properties. So, the question is where our rational thinking?
So much is damaged by emotional politics and it is really hitting the ethnic relationship. We all know the history of neighbour-relationship that had nurtured for so many centuries. So, let us learn from one another rather than capitalising ethnic hatred that have been embedded by the state agency. So the most important thing is to respect one another and acknowledge the important of political struggle and rights.
The writer is Assistant Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore
