Tag: Human rights

By Anil Bhat
Shortly after media reports about China trying to unite North East terrorist groups and the entry of one in Assam to launch attacks around Republic Day, terrorists struck in Imphal.

On August 01, 2011, five persons including two girl students were killed and many were injured as a powerful bomb exploded at about 1.40 pm in front of a grocery shop and a barber`s shop, opposite Sangakpham Keithel (bazaar).

The two girls studying in Class III together at Chingmeirong Primary School  were returning home when the bomb exploded, flinging their  bodies, one of which was found inside the grocery store and the other’s in the barber shop, where the barber and his son were also killed. Another man’s body was found in front of the shop. The impact of the blast was so powerful that it ripped and charred human flesh, pulverised some vehicles and reduced the place to scattered debris.

While there are reports of this being a failed attempt by National Socialist Council of Nagaland/Nagalim-Issac – Muivah group (NSCN-IM) at targeting members of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) who are housed in a nearby guest house complex, Chief Minister Okram  Ibobi Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram are reported to have endorsed the same.

A press note from the state Home Department said, “Government of Manipur has received concrete and convincing evidence which establishes the direct involvement of NSCN-IM in the series of recent violent incidents which left several innocent civilians dead and many seriously injured in various parts.” According to the Home Department one Anthony, son of Bonkulung of Sadu Koireng killed in this blast was an active NSCN-IM cadre.

Apparently, the explosion occurred moments after some vehicles of ADC members went past the blast site. The government stated that these acts of terror are quite clearly designed to thwart the democratic process taken up be the government of Manipur to introduce democratic decentralization by successfully conducting elections to the six district councils which had remained dormant for over two decades.

It may be recalled that last year the, it was on the this issue that All Manipur Naga Students Union had caused a blockade of National Highway 39, Manipur’s main artery, which had extended to three months by Thuingaleng Muivah timing his visit his home town in Manipur after almost forty years.

Almost all the schools located in the valley districts of Manipur staged protest demonstrations and rallies decrying the Sangakpham bomb attack. On Tidim Road, thousands of school students took out a joint protest rally.

One group which has been most vocal is the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO), which, while listing a number of violent incidents allegedly involving the NSCN -IM, including the recent bomb blast, accused both the Central and State Governments of being soft towards this rebel group. Contending that inaction against the NSCN (IM), inspite of its involvement in various incidents of violence clearly suggests indirect support of both the Governments to the NSCN-IM, AMUCO president KT Rahman demanded that effective measures be initiated to curb activities of the outfit in Manipur. Speaking to media he is reported to have stated that as the ongoing ceasefire between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM does not cover Manipur, not only should the illegal activities of the NSCN (IM) need to be dealt with according to law but also all that its camps in the State should be shut-down.

He further  stated that the ongoing peace parleys between the NSCN (IM) and Govt of India have been reduced to a mockery as the NSCN-IM is still involved in acts of terrorism, highway extortion, destruction of public properties and intimidation. Mentioning the Sangakpham blast, killing of a couple in Lungphu village of Phungyar sub-division (Ukhrul) and slaying of security personnel of Phungyar AC MLA’s escort party as recent cases involving the terrorist group, he blamed the Govt of Manipur by recounting a particular incident when weapons seized by State security forces near Pallel were returned to the outfit along with its apprehended cadres.

Rahman, while asserting that terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Manipur should be measured by the same yardstick and  grimly noting failure of the Home Minister to visit Manipur and assess the overall situation following the Sangakpham blast, commented  that that such an attitude demonstrated the Govt of India’s step-motherly treatment to the people of Manipur.

Chronicling a number of attacks by NSCN-IM since at least April this year, the Home Department said that the state government is seriously considering taking up the matter with the Central government to revoke the ceasefire with NSCN-IM due to these continuous and open acts of terrorism being committed by it.

While violence by the number of Meitei terrorist groups in Manipur has been reported much since the arrest of United National Liberation Front’s boss-man, RK Meghen, many of its cadres earlier in Bangladesh and now in Burma/Myanmar are being rallied together by Chinese intelligence, there is no saying how and when they will strike again.

In Assam, as the pro talk faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)’s seven-member team of seasoned hit-men led by its ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa submitted the charter of demands prepared by the Sanmilito Jatiya Abhivartan (SJA) under the leadership of noted intellectual Dr Hiren Gohain, to Ministry of Home Affairs, their anti-talks colleague Paresh Baruah is all set to keep Assam on the boil yet again.

ULFA’s bid to strike came to light when the Assam Rifles apprehended hardcore ULFA leader Rwittick Hazarika in Sonitpur district bordering Arunachal Pradesh recently. He confessed before police that a group of harcore ULFA cadres have come down to Assam to strike at the instance of Paresh Baruah. Hazarika ‘second lieutenant’ in the ULFA’s 27 battalion, was arrest was a day after the Union Home Ministry’s advisory to Assam to step up security in view of the ULFA’s martyrs’ day on July 27.

The seven-member ULFA team met Home Minister P Chidambaram in the presence of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, Home Secretary R K Singh and other senior officials and the as reported in media quoting a source, “The meetings will give fresh impetus to the peace process in Assam as the charter of demands will be the basis of dialogue with the ULFA.”.

Although the contents of the charter have not been disclosed, as earlier reported, the SJA charter demands Constitutional amendments to give Assam, and thereby its people greater control over their own future by strengthening the State`s power to control the revenues generated, the natural resources, and the planning process and ensure a secure demographic situation as well as accelerated and balanced development. Gohain had earlier said, “If the government of India and the ULFA honour the Charter in letter and spirit and do not undersell it, we may look forward to untroubled peace, true development, and vigorous growth of democracy in the region.” SJA noted that the present calm does not at all mean the return of peace.

One aspect of the charter about ensuring a secure demographic situation, ironically stands greatly compromised, thanks to the ULFA, who during the stay of its top honchos in Bangladesh for almost two decades had actually aided and speeded up the illegal migration from Bangladesh, contradicting the very basis of its rise following the bloody Assam agitation of 1983.

This writer’s book Assam Terrorism and the Demographic Challenge (Knowledge World and Centre for Land Warfare Studies) elaborates on how ULFA became an effective tool of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence organisation’s set-up (based in Bangladesh during Kheleda Zia’s tenure), pursuing its aim of inducting and settling illegal Bangladeshi migrants in various parts of Assam; of raising new madrassas and controlling old ones; trying to convert ethnic Assamese Muslims to fundamentalism; creating communal tension; circulating fake Indian currency; trafficking arms and narcotics; sabotaging installations and generally spreading terror.

Talks with terrorists are fine but must meaningfully lead to permanent eradication of violence by the group and must be undertaken after securing all its weapons and ammunition.  In both the cases of NSCN-IM and ULFA that has not been done. Besides, both these groups have factions / leaders / members already guilty of anti-Indian activities and more expected, that too now with China’s support in addition to Pakistan military’s. Both these groups are also involved in supplying arms to Naxal-Maoists. In the case of talks with ULFA, if Anup Chetia is going to be handed over by Bangladesh as part of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government’s goodwill, then the Centre may consider waiting till Paresh Baruah is caught-he must be caught, interrogated and disarmed- and then hold talks purposefully.

Last but certainly not least, what about ULFA leaders/cadres guilty of heinous crimes against innocent people? If merely their ‘apologies’ are to be accepted and they overnight turn in good ‘mainstream’ citizens, then we might as well free all murderers in death-rows.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/what-do-talks-with-terrorists-mean-with-violence-on-and-arms-still-held/

By: Seram Neken
“In fact, the authority concerned is more active about implementing traffic rules and regulations only during the road safety week observances. There is neither durability nor sustainability of the maintenance of traffic regulations in Imphal. Sometimes the police perform their duties hearth and soul, sometimes they are negligent enough to cause accidents and undue jams. For obvious reasons, the state police sometimes conduct hectic drives for helmet use by two-wheeler riders in the city. However, such drives are not durable in practice. During the VVIPs or VIPs passage, the traffic police personnel including high profile police officers remain concerned and vigilant about smooth traffic control to show off their dutiful appearance. As soon as the VIPs leave, the public vehicles are left uncared for on the congested streets.”

To walk on foot or to ride a bicycle is more convenient and serves our urgency of purpose, if we are to set out for an emergency work in Imphal city particularly in the Khwairamband Bazar. The inadequacy of parking space for motor vehicles and traffic jam often jeopardize our urgency.  Congestion of vehicles is really a problem in the streets of Imphal city.
Very recently, the police damaged windshields and side glasses of many vehicles for violating traffic rules and regulations and also pushed down all two wheelers parked in no parking zone of Paona Bazar area in Imphal city. The actions of the controlling personnel were widely condemned by the public for their high handedness and out of law activities. However, the problem arises only due to inadequate parking space. The commuters face a lot of inconveniences while shopping in the market because of unavailability of parking space. On the other hand, the police (traffic) personnel frequently hear scolds from both the public and the authority for their inability to control the huge numbers of two-wheelers and four-wheelers congested in the market. Who is to blame ? Is it the traffic police or the commuters who have created problems of traffic jams in Imphal city ? Thanks to a friend Rinku Khumukcham, an electronic media journalist working in ISTV News for creating a discussion platform on the issue in the social networking site ‘Facebook’.

According to Rinku Khumukcham, ‘traffic congestion caused by lack of proper traffic policy, lack of coordination among the traffic police and lack of awareness among the people is a major problem in Imphal city’. He says that market usually wakes up at around 3 am whereas traffic police comes out for duty as late as 7 am. Hundreds of street vendor women who rush to the city in very early hour are often at high risk of falling prey to aggressive vehicles both heavy and light.

In fact, the authority concerned is more active about implementing traffic rules and regulations only during the road safety week observances. There is neither durability nor sustainability of the maintenance of traffic regulations in Imphal. Sometimes the police perform their duties hearth and soul, sometimes they are negligent enough to cause accidents and undue jams. For obvious reasons, the state police sometimes conduct hectic drives for helmet use by two-wheeler riders in the city. However, such drives are not durable in practice. During the VVIPs or VIPs passage, the traffic police personnel including high profile police officers remain concerned and vigilant about smooth traffic control to show off their dutiful appearance. As soon as the VIPs leave, the public vehicles are left uncared for on the congested streets.

Shyamsundar Haobam, a journalist expresses his opinion that the public is to be blamed for not following traffic rules and the police for not implementing awareness campaigns on traffic rules. He says even if strict traffic rules are imposed, there would be chaos if people do not follow it. Entry of heavy vehicles should not be allowed within the city during hectic day time (say between 7 am and 7pm daily) and restriction of parking in market areas should also be made applicable to vehicles of security personnel (not on duty) and VIPs.

Niran Thongbam, another journalist opined that traffic congestion in Imphal city is mainly due to junkyard of pre-owned vehicles, burgeoning number of diesel auto-rickshaws, road dug-outs for incomplete sewerage project, cosmetic beautification of Imphal with unfinished road expansions, unmindful vehicles of VIPs, VVIPs, central and state security forces etc. He expresses that the law enforcers should remain a role model for the public to follow. He blames the transport authority for issuing illegal licenses (although they are correcting it now with computerization). Road/town planning system is completely in jeopardy with no effective footpath, no subway and no well defined track.

Rajesh Hijam dwells on the disobedience of traffic rules and regulations by the law enforcers. He says that all rules presuppose obedience. When some high-handed security people or VIPs frequently break the rules, the public can not be forced to obey the rules.

In fact, the problem of traffic jams and congestion arises due to inadequate roads, foot-paths and parking space. During the town planning session, parking shall be on top priority, whereas it seems that parking space is not considered as important aspect of all planning in Manipur. The huge number of vehicles (2-wheelers and 4-wheelers including heavy vehicles) on the roads need to be parked some or the other space. If there is no proper parking at all, the roads will consequently be congested. The foot-paths are often utilized by the shops nearby as their display spaces, or street vendors usually occupy the foot-paths. The commuters face inconveniences to walk on foot-paths. The security forces or traffic police often break the one-way rule, as if they are all excluded from the traffic rules and regulations. The educational institutions located inside the Khwairamband market such as Nirmalabas school, Johnstone school and others also create congestion with a number of school vans remaining parked on the roadside for long hours. The government offices like the Family Welfare department in the market area, the state Assembly Hall, even the Raj Bhavan etc. occupy a vast area, which otherwise may be utilized for parking and vendors shed for the convenience of traders and commuters.

The following measures may be suggested for solution to the traffic woes in Imphal city:

1) If possible, the Raj Bhavan (Governor’s residence) may be shifted to a suitable location so as to have space for a huge parking in public interest. Those who need to frequent the governor can very well visit him with costly vehicles and tight security within minutes, whereas the poor traders and public need such a space inside the market.

2) Plying of city buses to disallow all types of motor vehicles inside the market area is highly required. The city bus shall ply around the city in a frequency of 5 minutes during daytime.

3) Huge Parking places around 2 kilometres range from the main market may be established. The city buses shall carry people from parking area to the market on payment of a minimal fare.

4) All vehicles except for those maintaining law and order and traffic in city shall be banned to enter the Khwairamband Market. Vehicles of security people which are not on duty and those of VIPs shall also be disallowed to park inside the market.

5) Loading and unloading of goods by heavy vehicles including water tankers may be permitted only during the night.

6) Cleaning or cleansing of the city may be done during night time only.

7) The traffic police shall be equipped with hi-tech equipment and vehicles for effective performance of their duties.

Heavy fines and penalties shall be levied from disobedient public.

9) Bicycle riding may be encouraged among the public. It saves road and parking spaces, besides minimizing pollution, improving health and economy of the users.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/traffic-woes-in-imphal-city/

By N. Arunkumar
“A cat may go to a monastery, but she still remains a cat.”
Once again the National Highway is under siege. The hapless people of Manipur are strategically at a disadvantage undeniably, due to the geographic terrain loaded heavily in favour of a few bandits on the route of the sustenance of Manipur, the NH – 39. Time and time again, this piece of real estate has been abused by all and sundry, on matters sillier than sound, and put the people of Manipur under all kinds of unspeakable despairs. The costs of basic necessities are steadily rising today due to this latest siege on this highway. And, once again, the solutions to this problem are a vexed issue, and not something that can be resolved hastily. The demands in this case, are of a constitutional nature, which cannot be worked out in just one sitting of the Assembly or approved by the Central leadership instantly either. Carving out a different district is as much a question of an all encompassing consensus between various administrative arms of the system, and not a one off government decree.

It requires ratification from various government institutions, including the defence and revenue collection nodal agencies of the country. Whatever grievances the people of the region may have in terms of administrative lacunae in the present circumstances, leading to this throttling of the people of Manipur, needs to be thought out sensibly so as to get the sympathies of the people here too. But, making the people suffer to this extent only distances the people of Manipur from the issues of the agitations, and creates disdain within them.

For this reason, no compassion will be forthcoming from the people of this region for the people of that region, believe me. After all, we are all living in a world where we respect the laws of survival, and the more the people of Manipur are subjected to this torture, the more durable will become their resolve to rise up and resist giving in easily to the threats being posed by such strong arm tactics. We don’t want a war between us, do we? We are peace loving people, remember?

The central leadership is scarcely bothered to ensure that the vital conduits of the NHs are maintained safely and without thuggery of this kind. We are undoubtedly completely upset with the attitude of the central leadership in their lack of resolve to protect this lifeline of Manipur and, continue to meekly watch as mute spectators while citizens of the land continue to degenerate and face countless hardships due to irritants of such nature. Where are the security forces now, when the time for real security has arisen? Are they under any standing instructions not to interfere in the matter and let the situation go its own way to teach the people of Manipur a lesson in docile submission?

Honestly, it seems evident that they are under some such covert instructions under ‘top verbal secret’. Why are they not going after the perpetrators of this crime against the people of Manipur, and ensuring that the National property like the NH – 39 is kept free from thugs who are having a free run on it? Is it not the duty of the security force to provide real security in real time in such situations? Or is the proxy war a genuine ideal of the army, paramilitary and the police agencies of the region?

So many questions and no answers! The puzzle becomes a riddle and the riddle rids our mind of sanity at the moment. We are angry. We are despondent. Are we to suffer this shame silently and still wear plastic smiles on our faces as patriotic citizens of this country? Why are we being treated like dirt? Are we second class citizens? Hey, these are more questions without answers. And, now the cost of living in Manipur is among the highest anywhere today, and for being so, we are to be a rich land. Yes, we are rich in many ways, but at the moment we are rich with dilemmas, inconveniences, and misfortunes. The Chief Minister seems silent on the issue, and strangely all the other leaders are silently watching the drama of miseries unfold without condemning or taking steps to ensure that we are sheltered from these misfortunes.

No one seems to be taking this issue seriously, or working towards a solution to the problems being heaped on the people. We are damned, and let us stay damned seems to be the attitude of the government too. To whom do we turn now for an end to this crisis? Are there no leaders worth some dignified thought in that area either, to talk to the perpetrators sensibly and appeal to them to desist from such cardinal sins? Or, do they also support this pogrom like instrument in treating the people of Manipur so shabbily?

This is a crime against humanity, and needs to be loathed not only by the people of Manipur who are the noticeable sufferers, but also by the national and international communities too. How can a handful of people be allowed hold an entire state to ransom to find redress to their issues? This is a belligerent situation indeed. It is a grave crime against the people of Manipur. In fact, the leaders of this agitation should be tried for crimes against humanity, in the normal course of distinguished human values.

However, nothing of the sort will happen. Everyone concerned will let the callous people who orchestrated this indignity go scot free and a solution will be cobbled together for some sort of temporary reprieve. The moot problem of letting the National Highway remain a lethal armoury to be used against the people of Manipur will remain status quo after all. A permanent solution to this has to be found out as quickly as possible, so as to prevent these series of total chaos in the Manipuri society. We are indeed in the doldrums otherwise and will remain ever vulnerable to the threat of humiliations being heaped on us, time and time again. In fact, the Home Ministry has to answer for these lapses in governance in the final analysis. But, the question remains as to `who will bell the cat`?

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/who-will-bell-the-cat/

By: Seram Neken
“If Irom Chanu Sharmila fasted for corruption and if Septuagenarian Anna Hazare protested against AFSPA, the matters would have been different. If Sharmila hails from mainland India and if Hazare is a native of Manipur, the vice versa of what is being strongly addressed by the government might have happened. This time, Sharmila expressed her whole-hearted moral support to Anna Hazare’s protest following the latter’s invitation. Had the invitation for joining the protest come from Sharmila to Anna Hazare, would the latter have responded readily ? ”

Great personalities are created where there is respect for human values. The dignity the British attached to Gandhiji as a freedom fighter helped him gain the fame worldwide and glorify his non-violence. Had MK Gandhi been born in a place like Manipur or had he undergone his protests against a government such as that of today’s Manipur, Gandhijis non-violence would not have gained its fame and he would not have been recognized as the father of the nation. Indifference of the rulers might have jeopardized his cause half-way or he might have ended his life in the bullets of mindless security people of this land. 

The strikers whom politicians, media persons and the intellectuals are attentive to or glorify most, are considered as strong revolutionaries fighting for the people’s cause. If Irom Chanu Sharmila fasted for corruption and if Septuagenarian Anna Hazare protested against AFSPA, the matters would have been different. If Sharmila hails from mainland India and if Hazare is a native of Manipur, the vice versa of what is being addressed by the government might have happened. Let us examine the importance of the two causes between corruption and human rights, and let us compare the personalities of Sharmila and Hazare. Personality cult seems to out-do the issues. Sharmila has readily extended her support to the cause of Hazare’s protest following the latter’s invitation to join him. However, the nation has not responded to the call of Irom Chanu Sharmila for over ten years.

Sharmila has now become a symbol of peace, in the true sense of the term. She has earned the reputation of having the strongest will and heart for protection of human rights around the globe. She is not a mere striker, but a model of truth and justice. Gandhijis non-violence has been glorified by her personality in the twenty first century. It is not politically motivated and her demands represent the general will of the hapless people residing amidst the draconian laws of democratic India. In spite of neglects and indifference of the rulers for more than a decade, she never goes back. It is natural that Anna Hazare invited Sharmila to join his crusade against corruption. It is more natural that the Iron Lady expressed her moral support to the cause, but declined to join the fast in New Delhi for the Hazare cause. She rather blamed the nation for its indifference to the cause of human right violations.

The national media is highly discriminatory as did the government and political parties at the national level in regard to the dual cases of Sharmila and Hazare. Both strikers have been fighting for the social good, both have been following the non-violent means of fasting. However, Sharmila has almost crossed a decade of fasting, while Hazare’s appearance on the scene is quite recent as compared to the former. However, the national media have been disproportionately viewing the two protests. Intensity of the protests and the causes themselves have to be considered in balance while reporting to the people and drawing government’s attention.

Meanwhile, Dr. Manmohan Singh has written a nice letter to the septuagenarian protester with the highest concern for the latter’s health. In the letter, the Prime Minister says : “Over the last few days, I have watched with increasing concern of your health. Despite the differences between the government and your team, I don’t think that anybody is or should be in any doubt about the deep and abiding concern  which I and our government share about your health, arising from your continuing fast. I have no hesitation in saying that we need your views and actions in the service of the nation, from a robust physical condition and not in the context of frail and failing health……..” The emotional care of the leader of the nation towards a Gandhian as shown in the letter is indeed envious and courteous, and highly expected of a leadership where the father of the nation was born. It is really lamentable that during the last more than a decade of Sharmila’s fasting, not a single courtesy of such kind has been exhibited towards her from the end of a nation’s leadership. Barring independent writers, political motivators and select media personalities, the nation has been keeping mum on her cause and protest. Now that Anna Hazare and his cause have gained widespread media coverage and government attention in a comparatively short duration, has reflected some kind of nostalgia in the hearts of the so called Indian citizens residing in the far border hilly state of Manipur. Let us uphold human rights while fighting against corruption at all levels.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/had-gandhiji-been-born-in-the-land-of-sharmila/

By Chitra Ahanthem
Missing out two Sun day pages of the IFP is no fun at all for when one gets to writing, there is a sudden backlog of thought strands trampling on one another to be written down. Two weeks is a long time and more so the past 14 days, which has seen
the Anna spectacle in New Delhi and the muted after effects of the economic blockade of the highways on life in the state. The two weeks took me to two places: one was a 4 day stay in an NGO site at Mohuda village, Berhampore in Ganjam district of Orissa. The second trip was for an exercise on capacity building process at Bangalore. The two experiences were profound and this column today will try and shift through the multi layers of thought processes that they triggered off.

But first, a brief about the NGO at Mohuda village: started about 30 years ago GRAM VIKAS is everything that NGOs in Manipur are not. They actually work WITH the government in the sense that the NGO has been working to strengthen the implementation of Central and State welfare schemes. Take for instance the scheme under which people are given financial aid to build toilets and latrines. In the meantime, let us not bother with the names of the schemes: they are such boring names anyway! To come back to the said scheme, I am yet to see any decent toilets and latrines that has been constructed and used through it in Manipur. All I have seen are foundations being constructed and then topped up by ramshackle extensions. All I have heard are complaints of how government officials and local body leaders divide the money given under the scheme among themselves and filter down an abysmally small amount to the person it is meant for resulting in the said scenario. It does not help too that people seeking the support of the scheme will only take the money but not construct toilets or latrines citing the fact of the “money trickling down to little more than nothing” on one hand and the high construction costs on the other. But in the villages covered by GRAM VIKAS, there was an interesting synergy at work that ensured their construction. A twin toilet and latrine enclosure for each house would be built in the village in batches at the same time. This way, the families would pool together and then draw the materials needed for the construction, thereby saving time and money. The labour needed for the construction was drawn up from the village itself as a form of collective social work, saving construction costs in the process. The running water needed for the toilets and latrines were supplied round the clock on a non-stop basis with the aid of another central scheme that undertakes to provide rural villages with clean drinking water. Contrast this with urban Imphal where taps are dry in most pockets and people have to buy water brought home in tankers from God knows where!

What strikes one about the work that GRAM VIKAS and other NGOS are doing in many parts of the country and the way it works out in Manipur is the way things get done. Here, it is mainly about venting angst against the government and not about partnering with state mechanisms, which in the long term only erodes the dysfunctional government agencies. In the process, a lot of stereotypes gets enhanced: number one being that Government agencies and officials are corrupt and that it is either the NGO or the other “concerned higher authority” that the deprived must go to seek justice and redressal of their grievances. But let us first tackle the corruption factor since there is no denying it. The way to fight corruption is NOT to support Team Anna at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi or to click on a “like” button on social networking sites with the “fight against corruption” and then hitch the vehicle in a “no parking” area and then argue over paying fines or even park in a parking area and then arguing to be let off without a fee.

One effective way is to file an RTI application when it comes to departmental corrption. Another simple way is to put the spotlight on the demand for the extra bit for “chaaga kwaga” (chai and paan) so the other gets shamed (remember the   Gandhigiri scenes from Lage raho Munnabhai?).

This reminds me about an anecdote that needs to be shared. An MLA inaugurated a tailoring center for women living with HIV/AIDS in one district. And since he was there, everyone was there as well: department officers and district heads and his party workers. Some widows were getting a one time Rs. 10, 000/- under some scheme (am very bad with scheme names) and the said sum was being given in brown envelopes with much flourish and being captured by the print and local visual media. But an alarm bell of doubt went off in my grey cells, which turned to be right when the women agreed to open their envelopes before me: they contained 1000/- less! Well, so the cat was out of the bag and the women did not want to make “a big issue out of it” since they had at least got 9000/-each. You could have really heard the pin drop when during a tea break for the media, the MLA and his troupe; I said “Sir, it seems whoever was counting the money before it was put in the envelopes did not know how to count beyond Rs 9000/- .” T
here were lots of angry glances exchanged among the gang around the MLA, who wriggled out of the spot by pulling out his wallet and then giving the missing sum of Rs. 1000/- to each of the women.

End-point:
To come back now to the NGOs functioning in Manipur. How is it that all one gets to hear from them is about how Government systems are not functioning and then total silence with no effort to make those very systems work? How is it that the same cries are being voiced every year nonstop with no attempt to engage in addressing the said gap? Would that be because if people learnt to stand on their own two feet, the NGOs would not have their “targets” to work for? (hence, no more funds). The Government and its agencies are there to ensure the welfare of the people and when it fails, it is indeed the NGOs that can and should step in to flag off the failings of the system. But there is one critical fact: NGOs cannot and will never be the government itself in terms of mandate, resources and its life-span. NGO support to causes and people depends on project funding and donor demands and when they end up looking at people as “program targets/beneficiaries/clients” there is a grave fundamental mistake somewhere.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/the-government-and-the-ngos/

By Amar Yumnam
There is an interesting Latin phrase as “absentee la edit cum ebrio quilitigat”. When translated into English, it runs as: “to quarrel with a drunk is to wrong a man who isn`t even there”. Everything happening in relation to Manipur seems to exactly fit into this phrase. Look at the governance, and it is so difficult to find any agency administering governance in Manipur. Look at the behaviour of any population group, one cannot help feeling that it is no different from the drunk man in the Latin phrase. Indeed, it is as if Manipur is just not there. There simply does not seem to have any meaning in endeavouring to reason with the administration. In name, there is a government, but the social and functional reality of its existence is doubtful except in areas of systemic corruption or, in terms of the Latin phrase, it seems to be drunk all the time with cheap liquor. As the government has been drunk all the time, all these years and in all functionality, the people too have been made drunkards lock, stock and barrel.

Democracy Recalled: Since we presumably follow the country-wide pattern of democracy, it would be in place to recall the functions which the elections serve in a democracy. First, it is a selection process for political actors who are supposed to enact policies and programmes keeping the interests of the constituents in mind. Second, elections are a mechanism for establishing accountability and punish corrupt politicians. Well these are functions which are best practised in circumstances where both the elected political actors and the electorate are conscientious as well as conscious. The misfortune of Manipur has been the absence of and also the non-attempt to generate these circumstances. Even worse is that the political class has become fully conversant with the mechanism for personal aggrandisement by exploiting the system while simultaneously making the people drunk with political liquor. In the process, the very incentive for enacting good policies for social upliftment has disappeared, and this has been accompanied by the murder of the mechanism of accountability. Since the public too are drunk, the system for establishing accountability as a constraint on political misbehaviour has collapsed.

In fact, something has gone terribly wrong in the process of indigenising the democratic process in Manipur and the establishment of modern administrative system. There is every reason to believe that most of the contemporary political economic problems are to be traced to this failure. So also the large scale emergence of opportunistic “social workers” should be traced to this lapse in the absorption of a new political system to the home soil. The relentless pursuit of non-endogenous policies with no attempt to contextualise and contextu-ally evolve programs has played havoc with the society and polity of Manipur.
1960s Recalled: Here we need to remember one wonderful social capital which once characterised our land. In the 1960s and very early 1970s, we had our own fully home grown concept and practice of social service. It was pure, fully grounded on
the home soil and ensured absolute mass participation of all. Social services in the schools (we invariably went to the local schools) were full of fun, satisfying and ego-boosting as collective as well as individual promoters of cleanliness and hygiene. Besides these had the positive components of encouraging collaborative work, fostering team spirit and generating a joint responsibility in sustaining our own physical environment. The same was true for every local environment as well. For any locality requiring a new approach road, we had the collective social service which gave pride individually as well as collectively. For any locality requiring a new school building, we had our social service to do that. One could name any socially productive requirement, and we had our social service to rise to the occasion. But today, all these have died to such an extent that even funerals demand huge volume of Sekmai for smooth conduct of business.

We should however immediately emphasise here that this social capital did not have a natural death, but it was murdered with strangulation. The 1960s and the 1970s experienced the inroads of state in the economic and social functioning of the people and society. These happened without prior or simultaneous information to the general population. Policies and schemes evolved non-locally started floating into the administration, and only those close to it were aware of these. Among these there were many which were meant to finance schemes which the local population were naturally performing through the social services. The people who were close to the administration stealthily pocketed these funds while the general public were happily engaging in their usual social services. These happened for some years. After some time, the general public became aware of what had been happening over quite a few previous years.

This realisation had two very deleterious effects. One, the very indigenous social service was murdered at one go. Second, the anger and consequent helplessness taught the people that the best practice, pragmatic one at that, is one where everyone should attempt to strike closeness with the administration and thus suck public money in the name of social service.

It must be because of the second impact that there now prevails an absolute disconnect between social issues and the electoral outcomes. It has gone to the heart and mind of the people that, as it had happened in the case of social services in the 1960s, any involvement in community service has to be pretentious and the innate desire should be to extract maximum personal benefits at any cost. It is this disconnect between genuine concern for the people and the manifest services in the name of the people which has led to the recent large-scale birth of “social workers” in the social scene of Manipur. It is as if anybody can getaway with anything. This is the most dangerous social trend and the biggest challenge to the future sustenance of Manipur as a society.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/demise-of-productive-institutions-and-rise-of-social-workers-manipur-tragedy/

By Anindya Kanti Biswas & Uddalok Pal
Birla Academy of Arts and culture recently held an unique exhibition of paintings from 2nd to 7th of August 2011. The artists formed together a group named “Neo-gene: contemporary Artists Manipur” and they have displayed 45 works of theirs in the show. The exhibition has focus on the current trends of visual arts movements of the contemporary times. The techniques, styles and concepts of the North East, particularly the artists of Manipur have exposed their talents to the National Mainstream through this exposition. On the right hand side of the entrance nine works of Ch. Lalil Singh has been displayed. Amongst them the works entitled ‘Two Dancers’, ‘ Doll Seller’, ‘under one umbrella’, ‘Gopis’, and ‘Waiting’ are remarkable. The work titled as ‘Gopis’ has been divided in two halves; in the technical terminology this is known as ‘Dyptich’ Amongst the for divisions of Manipuri dancing Lalit has depicted the ‘Raas Lila’ format in this presentation. Lalit’s brush moves like a whirlwind on the canvas. Having worked over a decade with this technique now comes to him spontaneously in a effort less manner; such is his mastering of the style. He shows a new approach to the medium by using opaque and transparent colours. Lalit observes minute details of human life especially the dances and other activities (like the daily market scenario) and others.

On the left hand side G. Gandumpu has displayed his eight paintings. The only artist belonging to the Kabui Naga community gives ample proof of his traditional lineage in the presentation of his works. A perfectionist regarding technique (which can said to be bordering almost near obsession) his portrayal of the traditional dance movement of the men and woman of his community is unique and eye-catching. He is more attuned towards ‘capturing the motion’ rather than the figurative definitiveness-infact he has sacrificed the latter aspect in order to do full justice to the former. One is bound to be surprised at the prolific case with which he plays with statuesque dynamicity of this brilliant dance form. Of course, being a member of the community, he understands the psyche of it in a perfect manner. However, a small point keeps on nagging; had the artist utilized and explored the medium of ‘oil’ on canvas in these portrayals he perhaps would’ve been able to bring out more out of such vivacious effervescence typical to the dance form. If it has been possible to bring out the beauty of the young female faces-why not same could’ve been done to the male and female forms in total? We are all aware of the physical allure of the dancers (both male and female) in such communities. Gandumpu’s hometown in Manipur are full of different dance styles belonging to the communities of Kabui, Kuki and so on. His works reflects his affection for them. Most probably memories and experiences shared with this dance activities have gradually become the core and content of his work.

The third artists in this group is Robin Wahengbam who has participated his four of his works. Three of them have been done in graphics medium (Etching, Lithograph and Wood cut process) titled as ‘Untitled’. The fourth work which is done in acrylic medium on the surface of canvas is depict a traditional ‘Thang-Ta’ movement where ‘Ta’ movement. The usage of contrasting vermilion and chrome yellow creates a magnificent sharpness. To a certain degree, despite its heroic Tandava stance it creates a soothing effect for the eye. It should be mentioned in this review that Robin is a former student of Graphics department of Kala-bhavan of Santiniketan, his handling of the different techniques of this medium speaks of ease borne out of meticulous and dedicated hard work.

The fourth participants of this show is Ksh. Sarat Singh out of his nine recent works-five have been done with acrylic on canvas. Initially Sarat’s works were realistic but soon he started experimenting with form and sensitive brush strokes. Water colour was his preferred medium during his Santiniketan days but now he handles acrylics with the same case. Individualistic portraits has been mainly featured by him. His technical brilliance regarding his drawings is apparent. Had it been not so, his works (in wood cut graphics) would not have been belied such wonderful interplay of light & shadow which is called in art–terms as ‘Chiaroscuro’.

Leishangthem Ishwor is the fifth participants who has exhibited only two of his recent works. His portrayal of Irom Chanu Sharmila’s long struggle regarding her “fast unto  death” against the “Armed Forces Special Power Act” and other activities of India Government touches a raw point. The viewer is left speechless. The use of light yellow, vermilion and black creates an illusionist. The whole presentation gives the spectator a mystic feeling. The addition of the symbolic elements in his compositions has given the whole presentation a different kind of dimension. His composition entitled as “Hungry for peace I” has been depicted in a ‘diptych’ pattern.  

The sixth participants of this show is M. Thomas Singh. He has exhibited nine of his recent works which includes graphics and paintings. He has used pastel and acrylic for his composition on canvas titled in ‘Nightmare of Nature I, III, & V’ viewers get to the cityscapes where a brilliant simultaneous intermingling of the ‘birds-eye-view’ and the ‘general aerial view’ perspectives has been done. Chiaroscuro effects are the great features of Thomas’s art work. Depth as well as drama has been skillfully projected. His brush strokes are significantly shaped and create magical fantasy. Simply he can create magical fusion with his rendering of brush strokes. His works look to the extremes the lyrical immersion  of nature. Immediacy of the vision is one of Thomas’s culminating point of his creations which leads to a kind of ‘mysticism of light’. He has already explored the enigmatic magic of colour with his fluid, shadowy brush strokes. His use of colour effectively conveys the environment of the alien world.

Our fellow artists from the North-Eastern region have started very recently to come out and present themselves the contemporary mainstream. We would love to have their works exhibited more. It is a pity that we know very less about them and their brilliant presentation.

In conclusion it can be definitely be stated that this exhibition titled “Four Moods” has touched  the visual arts enthusiasts of Kolkata. It has definitely made a point. All the members of this exhibition has viewed and experienced a lot. Some of them are in their early forties – others moving of their fifties-they have been much since their younger days. Their reflective moods and inner turmoil’s leaves us yearning for more.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/a-different-attitudanal-journey/

By Bobo Khuraijam
Recently some old friends insisted us to take a ride to the eastern most frontier of the state. We demanded that we be left alone in our own languor.  They were adamant enough to displace us from our comfort coterie.  In no time we reach the most popular town. The place needs no introduction. A hotspot for shopping for things made in foreign at a reasonable price. A favorite site for venturing out with a seemingly ideal purpose – they called it study tour. You must have caught a glace of them on their return journey. Their vehicles would be overloaded with their study materials. From multi colored blankets to monochromatic hawai chappals, from glitzy electric appliances to squashy plastic toys, there are endless list to shop for. Located some three hours’ drive from the state capital, the small town is always teeming with life. With an altitude lower than the Imphal valley the place welcomes you with impartial heat. We did not try to find out who guards the street lamps. We find most of the lamps glowing with liveliness like the ones in the Kangla pat area, which are always under the watchful eyes of the security forces. The solar lamps take the bright responsibility whenever there is a power cut. A resident told us that there is regular power supply in the town. But nobody can forecast its arrival once it left for its mapam.

MEETING IN THE GATHERING: As we were told there was an important gathering in the town at the trade Centre. Friends from the other side of the border coming to take part were the main attraction. It was nearly eleven o clock; only four or five people were around the venue. Ten in the morning was the scheduled time written on the card. We heard that our friends had already come but they left as there was none to receive them. Meanwhile we refresh ourselves starring at the fake flowers decorating the wall of the hall. A guy with a room freshener sprays it with joy once in a while. The previous day’s general strike constrained the traders and officials from Imphal to arrive in advance. A point hard to be understood by the foreign dignitaries, but rain was the excuse given by official from our side of the border. The explanation was silly as it could be. It confused us wondering whether there was no rainfall at the other side of the border which is at a stone’s throw. We do not know what better explanation would the official give for the wrong spelling printed loud and clear on the backdrop. Can we suggest one? Say it: the printing machine was not oiled well, following the shortage after the economic blockade. The foreign dignitaries did turn up again. But much to their surprise they were not received well. Our side of the official was busy attending a phone call. He walked out of the room brushing aside the delegates as if they were his subordinate staffs. No one is to be blamed, except for the good network of the cellular phones, we thought. A man who seemed to be tipsy introduced himself as a relative of the minister of the department concern. What a way of loi thaaba at the border town. Halfway into the session we realize half of the people attending the session had come just like that. For the record, there were also traders who were serious to learn more about international trade. The intricacies of Trans border trade, the technicalities involved in financial transaction, the role of the banks, and the logistics of moving the consignments. There was in-debt discussion. In tandem with our tradition there were plenty of mathels for the lunch break. Fish of both atoiba and ataoba, chicken, eromba, vegetables, only a buffet of that kind would allow us of not even sparing the vegetarians’ table without any mercy. Without doubt, the main VIP from Imphal was the last man to arrive. His articulation and his sense of duty was a saving grace. The following day, as usual, the foreign friends arrived earlier than the rest of the crowd. Our wannabe international traders from Imphal have gone shopping at the other side of the international fence. The session did come to an end with the international friends sharing their optimism of a booming international trade at the border town. Should we also mention that our omnipresent social worker/ activist/ trader/, All-in-one, to be precise were also present in the gathering? With aplomb some of them jump into a photo session with the international friends. How thoughtful? The photos would be their priced credential to prove their involvement in the helms of affairs. We are convinced that their far sightedness would put them to the leadership of steering the nation to a place called nowhere. And for the time being, we hope, their leikai habbits would not dampened the spirit of international trade in the border town.

BEYOND THE BORDER: the Indo-Myanmar friendship road was sparkling not like any other road in the state. The road is perhaps much superior in quality than the one we find in the metropolis. We are not wise enough to throw light on India’s sudden sense of friendship with the neighboring country. But we can well sense the duplicity of the mandarins in Delhi. The country gives shelter to pro- democracy refugees. At another instance they would share grand lunch with the top military leadership. Not only that they would also sign MoU and agreements on trade. Come morning, there will be swarm of small traders riding on their Japanese made bikes crossing the international border. They are allowed to sell their product without any restrictions. A kind of infrastructural opium and false comfort of a friendship with designs is bestowed by the great Indian nation. The high growth rate (which has little to do state or the border town) inspires the big traders sitting in the mainland to expand their business beyond the border. And therefore the hype of flourishing border trade is played by the political honchos to please the multi-millionaire traders. At this backdrop, we do not know where the small time traders of both side of the border stand in the future. The small Chak hotels, the small vehicles that ferry people from the valley to the town, the small traders that share a symbiotic relation with small towns like Kakching, Pallel, and more precisely Imphal, would not become a history when the border trade is formalize, with the trans-Asian highway and mega traders passing across the state at the speed of light. When night falls, the vaisnavite ema endols practice Sankirtan for the upcoming Krishna Jarma unlike the localities in Imphal, late into the night they sang. Would the speeding vehicles and trains on the futuristic Highway subdue their devotional hymns in the future? Can we be still left alone in our own languor?

FOOTNOTE: to all those who do so many things while talking on the phone, like driving, crossing the road, and what not? Leipung Ningthou requests them to try another feature of “chaak chana chana khong haambasu yabara yengbiyu”.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/bothering-the-borderless/

By Amar Yumnam
Why is India so bad? Despite the recent growth spurt, why it now faces such a big political-economic challenge to moving further upward? Well, we need not mince words here. India is so bad because there is hardly anything which one cannot get done with money, irrespective of the nature of the work. This happens in all organisations relating to the offices of the state or offices of the people. There is now ample experience to imagine that it could be true even with quite a few of the “revolutionary” organisations.

But Why: At this point. We may justifiably ask as to why such a situation now characterises the country. The shortest answer to this would follow the Anna line. Money has now emerged as the most important weapon in this country because politics and corruption have become synonymous due to the repeated practices symbolising the merger of the two. Politics is the most important component in the conduct of human life within a structured society. This is because politics as practised by the politicians decide the character of the state. In fact, the state is to a large extent the aggregate of the functioning of the politicians in power in a democracy. To this extent politics is an inevitable part of democratic polity. Here lies the significance of politics.

The Divisions: Significant, powerful and impactful as it is, it is absolutely important that the practitioners of politics take utmost care such that the sanctity and sustenance of the state is not put at risk. In other words, they need to be very clear of the zone of operation of their politics and the limits to that. If they start assuming that there is no limit to their areas of operation and behave accordingly, chaos would sooner than later rule rather than order. This is exactly what is happening in India today.

Given this we may now borrow an analysis in Economics where the Entrepreneurs – the agents of growth in a society – are divided into productive, unproductive and destructive and evasive ones. The productive entrepreneur brings to operation a more efficient way of functioning which was otherwise lying un-adopted in the society. Further, he/she causes an innovation in the society and thereby taking the society to an altogether a new plane of well-being. Unproductive and destructive entrepreneurs, on the other hand, devote their ability to innovate in devising ways for committing higher crimes, rent-seeking and the destruction of existing resources of the society. They do innovate, but their activities do not contribute at all in taking the society to a higher level of well-being. Rather, their activities kill the spirit of competition in the society, which otherwise should serve as the basis for advancement. The best example in this genre is corruption.

The other group of entrepreneurs are what is called evasive. This group invests resources in avoiding the legal system or to escape from the ill-effects of other unproductive entrepreneurs. Tax evasion and gangs scheming to better other unfriendly gangs are all examples of this.

With this understanding of entrepreneur classes, we may now venture into classifying the political class in this country. Politics the politicians play can be productive, unproductive, destructive or plain evasive. Productive politics would be one which facilitates the existence, exchange and interactions of all individuals in the society in such a way that the scope for productive activities gets expanded. Unproductive and destructive politics would be one where the practitioners indulge in exploiting their hold on decision making in matters of the state and polity. Here the practitioners leave no holds barred in interfering in every sphere of state action and influencing the decision indirections that serve their vested interests. For them every decision is apolitical decision. The existence of this group ensures the emergence and presence of another group practicing evasive politics.

India’s Predicament:  The problem of India, history has proved repeatedly, is not with the entrepreneurial class as such. Right from the pre-Independence times till today, we have had many entrepreneurs of the productive kind. In fact, they are the ones who have made recent economic rise of India possible. Here too the role of circumstantially enforced behaviour of productive politics has served as the greatest facilitator for the manifestation of entrepreneurial talent of the country. But very unfortunately, sooner than later the unproductive and destructive politics has gained supremacy over the productive one. This recent disease seems to have taken very deep roots in a very short span of time so much so that the offices of state and the offices of people are themselves suspects now in the eyes of the people. This is a condition India, with all her heterogeneity in geography, people and issues, can ill-afford to have.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/politics-productive-unproductive-destructive-and-evasive/

By T. Vunglallian
Introduction
A 2003 Report on our National Highways reads:
‘Recently, the Manipur Road Infrastructure Development Technical Assistance Project was  launched as part of a major plan prepared by the Government of India in collaboration with the  World Bank, for upgrading the states’ roads, and their maintenance and rehabilitation.

The study, Infrastructure Development in Manipur unfortunately, gives undue weightage to  the congestion criterion, which immediately gives it an urban bias with a focus on heavily  populated elite areas having a high concentration of  vehicles. The bias is also reflected in  concentration of resources on the already  developed areas.’ (Bold, mine)

The Connections: Districts and Highways
Part-B of my long long essay on Manipur’s Roads – ready for e-mailing to TSE and IFP on 8th  August – deals specifically with the Imphal-Jiribam road, and had a 300-worded END NOTE on  Jiribam and its district issue. My un-planned delay in e-mailing has given me time for a re-look.

Now 300 words have grown to 4000 words! All because the timing, or co-incidence, reference ‘district demands’ made my thinking-out-of-the-box antenna pick up some disturbing static.

Hence, I bring forward the last part of my essay right up here, because it happened to be so topical, but more so because of TSE’s 13 August, 2011 report: ‘Jiri dist demand: CM opens dialogue door’.

Today’s literally burning issue makes me dwell on a thought that disturbs viz.: Was and is this clamouring, pushing and shoving for an improved NH-37 more of a ‘kill two birds with one stone’ tactic? Meaning, on the surface, is it shouting for a better highway, while the quieter deeper aim is for a Jiribam District?   Hence my Aside below:-
ASIDE:
The NH-37 connects Imphal to Jiribam where the River Barak – before entering Assam – has to be crossed at Jirighat. Peculiarly, through some very convoluted reasoning, Jiribam, has been a Sub-Division of Imphal East District, a good 220 km away and is, in reality, over-the-hills-and-far-away. Not only that, the said sub-division hops over the whole of Tamenglong, steps over Imphal West (West!) and jumps into Imphal East. And Jiribam is, like, extreme western Manipur!
Convoluted, certainly. Communal, well camouflaged!

If not the above, one cannot help wondering why on earth, right from the beginning, Jiribam wasn’t simply just a part of either of the surrounding contiguous districts of Tamenglong or Churachandpur, like the very small plains of Moreh. Had it been so then it would have been Tamenglong’s or Churachandpur’ 2nd town (that  would have had the potential of being bigger and more important than the District HQ, something like Kohima the capital and Dimapur the commercial centre! That is what it ought to have been).

Today, the demand has suddenly turned aggressive – like, if our demands are not met by 13th August, 2011, then a total blockade of NH-37 shall commence from 6 pm of 14 August! Next, of course, a tactful consideration of hardships faced due to the SHDDC blockade, and deferment of total blockade of NH-37 till August 29. In a way, it is much like copying the moves of the SHDDC, but for this deferment. However, there is a lurking suspicion that, regarding GOM’s future action, there shall be a gulf of difference between the dealings towards the SHDDC and JDDC. Only time will tell.

Manipur must now come to its sense, and do something definite, like, leave Jiribam as it is, a sub-divisional HQ of Imphal East. Or, merge it to either one of its natural ‘older, senior brothers’, Tamenglong or Churachandpur, that peer down from all sides into Jiribam’s small 284 sq. km and 50,000 population. Or, bifurcate it, with one part in Tamenglong and the other in Churachandpur, obviously using the highway as the boundary. That impersonal dividing road would have nothing communal in it. Whereas, declaring it a full-fledged district could be seen, among others, as communal. And certainly most unfair! Such an act would then, once again, deny the hills their demands that are more genuine than tiny Jiribam’s. (My hills’ demands shall be clearer a paragraph further down).

It is high time that GOM treads cautiously and wisely, for a Pandora’s box seems to be opening, especially with the ongoing demand for a Sadar Hills District and news of Tengnoupal too wanting to become a full-fledged district. Given the present imbroglio and the loud demands, i am driven to look closely at the larger picture and come up with ways to address the really genuine need for real development in the hills of Manipur. i have nothing to do with politics, vote banks and communal overtones … mine is purely ‘development’ with a capital D! i want to see all hill folks enjoy the good life with dignity, integrity and a large heart …

A Real Way Forward, Without Hurting Anyone
In search of ways forward – read that as for all-round development of the hills – i will go many steps further and demand that the hills of Manipur be made into 25 smaller and more manageable hill districts! Yes, twenty-five hill districts – 25HDs – to bring in a controlled rush of modern, sustainable and environment-friendly development!

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/driving-out-of-manipur-jiri-part-of-partb-and-thoughts-thereof/

By Yambem Laba
On 15 June 2011,  I accompanied a 30-member team of the Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association (MMTA) Dzuko Valley expedition to Dzuko Valley. We started from Mao on the Manipur-Nagaland border, 96 km from Imphal . Our  first destination was a water point some eight km away which was to serve as our base camp. We spent the first  night there. The next morning, we headed for Mt. Isso (2996 metres), Manipur’s highest  peak and climbed down to the Dzuko Valley (2500 metres).

The 6-km trek uphill to Mt. Isso in the monsoon is perhaps the toughest for any climber. This was my second visit in  25 years. Being the former president of the MMTA and a member of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, I was chosen the expedition leader almost by default. The climbing leader was Puyamcha Mohon,  one of India’s upcoming mountaineers with many a Himalayan peak to his credit.The rest of the members comprised scientists, foresters, college lecturers, students and small-time businessmen fired by the spirit of adventure and desire to see Dzuko Valley.

Unlike other popular trekking sites  elsewhere in the country there was no track at all. Even if there was one it was covered with thick foliage and plants. After about three hours’ climb, we faced the first formidable obstacle to our destination ~ a 100-feet-high rock face.  We had to use ropes. It took us about five hours to cross this hurdle and by that time the entire  topography of the area changed. There were no large trees nor springs but only dwarf bamboo around. We hung on to the bamboo clumps which were no higher than two feet as natural hand holds as we pulled ourselves up the steep face with incessant rain making the track muddier.

We had started at around 8 in the morning, crossed the rock face at 12:30 p.m. and finally made it to Mr. Isso at 4.00 pm. We later became a group of five ~ one  comprising myself, instructor Gynaeshwor, Joykumar, Inaocha and Edison. We first attempted to get into the valley westward but Gynaeshwor cautioned saying: “Sir, Dzuko should be approached from the  north.” We then doubled back to the peak and then forayed northwards and then soon darkness descended. At an age when my peers are busy cuddling their grandchildren in the comforts of their homes, there was me with four young men trying to make shelter for the night on the ridge of Mt. Isso. We made a makeshift camp for the night, using plastic sheets for our roof and the five of us huddled close to spend the night amidst the pouring rain and the howling wind  even as water trickled inside our sleeping bags. We had not had any food for the entire day.

The next morning, it stopped raining and around 9 a.m, we could see the sprawling valley below us in all its emerald finery. The word Dzuko is derived from the language of the Mao tribe who inhabit the Mao area of Manipur’s Senapati district. Dzu means water and Ko  frozen, to denote the frozen water of the valley during winter. One or two inches of ice cover  the streams of Dzuko during the winter and it snows in the top region. Dzuko covers an  area of approximately 3.1 sq-km. Three streams originating from the  south Isso range traverse through the valley and fall into the Barak in Assam.

The Dzuko could be described as the valley of flowers of the east as the  purple Dzuko Lily (Lilium chitraganda-Bikramjit) and other summer flowers bloom in full glory in thousands and on the fringes are numerous caves where one can take shelter for the night. While the Mao and Paomei tribes of Manipur settled in the adjoining areas of Dzuko, they hold the valley dear to their belief, customs and traditions and have claimed the entire area to be their own tribal land, the Angamis of Nagaland have challenged this and have staked their claim on it. At the  moment, the Dzuko river seems to serve as the line of  actual control between Manipur and Nagaland. While the latter appears to have taken a pro-active role in its claim to Dzuko Valley by constructing two roads from Zakhama and Viswema  ~ 7 and 13 km-long respectively ~ and a functional guest house and plans are afoot to construct a water supply scheme for Kohima, the Manipur government appears to have abandoned Dzuko Valley to its fate.This was evident from non-maintenance of the road leading to the base camp. It was  constructed when Mr M Thorii, local MLA, was a minister in the Manipur government. After he  ceased to be a minister, no one has bothered about maintenance. The Manipur government  talks of attracting tourists and pledges to protect the state’s territorial integrity but does not seem to have any knowledge about the needs of the region.

To start with, the road should be properly maintained. There has to be a rest house at the base camp. Also, a proper trekking route. While one can reach Dzuko via Nagaland in a day’s time, it takes two days of strenuous climbing and trekking from the Manipur side. While the dispute over the ownership of the valley may rage between the two governments of Manipur and Nagaland, it would do the states well to come together and pool their resources to petition the Unesco for declaring the valley a World Heritage Site ~ a tag enjoyed by Manas National Park that straddles Assam and Bhutan.
First published in The Statesman, Kolkata. The writer is a veteran Imphal-based journalist

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/valley-of-neglect/

By Priyadarshni M. Gangte,
“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding”
                – Albert Einstein.
The word “Peace” means freedom from cessation of war, i.e. peace with honour, peace at any price (J.B. Sykes (ed) : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (7th Edition), Oxford University Press, 1987, p.753). Leiren (Dr. L. Leiren’s Article, “Peace Education in the 21st Century.” Imphal Free Press, 1st Sept., 2006) has elegantly contended that “peace” as a comprehensive enterprise that requires a transformation in our thinking sense of valued wills, resources and solidarity of all. Thus, it is a way of life in which one experiences inner tranquility, harmonious relationships and an interconnectedness with the world. Moreover, the term connotes in the real sense a state of Being (Net). It is about honouring and nurturing our spiritual side.

As our topic concentrates solely around “Peace”, it is pertinent to have some more definition of the same (Net):

“Peace is associated with clarity, and with an inner stillness that often gives rise to playfulness and inspired activity. So, while peace does come from non-resistance and acceptance of what is, it is not necessarily a state of passivity; rather it gives rise to choices that are free from automatic resistance …”

“… peace means being at peace with whatever is going on, so that any individual is aware of her or his inner reactions and can respond from a place of compassion and understanding …”

“… an inner state in which we are calmly impervious to whatever comes into our awareness of a distressing or inharmonious nature …”

“… peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all these things and still be calm in our heart. That is the real meaning of peace”, and,

* Presented in the 2-Day State Level Seminar on Kabow Valley and How To Bring Peace In Manipur, organised by Dr. Suresh; Centre for Foreign Studies And Placement in association with Cultural and Historical Research Trust, Manipur at the Central Library Hall, Imphal on 30-31st July, 2011.

“Peace means a quite stillness within oneself …, a completeness and a knowingness that everything is as it should be. A stillness so deep, that we know that each moment, each hour, each tomorrow is in this stillness waiting to blossom. Within this stillness there is no judgement, hatred, anger only a perfect stillness … a swelling of love …”

Before the advent of British rule in India, it was, of course, of varieties of small and big kingdoms, since the inception of sixteen Mahajanapadas with which led to the emergence of Maurya Empire in BC’s and still carrying her legacy upto the Mughal Empire. Such phenomenon have had not been witnessed or noticed by the North-eastern India, however in different ways of uniqueness these regions have their respective own histories. It will not wrong to say that independent India abruptly adopted democracy, without any having any taste and feel of the same. Further, after six decades and more being a democratic country masses in general and elite and other sections/groups in particular do not understand the actual meaning of democracy yet.

It is pathetic that the Indian State has not toed the democratic norms. Rather, on security point of view, the Indian state either simply copied the draconian laws of the colonial as referred by Baxi (Upendra Baxi : The Crises of the Indian Legal System, Delhi Law Review, 1982; p.43) and even made new extraordinary and harsher laws in maintaining law and order and tackling insurgency movements in the country. Some of these laws that have been quite abusively used – Punjab Security of State Act, 1953, The Assam Maintenance of Public Order (Autonomous Districts) Act, 1958, The Terrorist And Disruptive (Prevention) Act, 1987, The Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO), 2001, repealed etc, etc. It has been experienced oft and again that these extraordinary laws do not solve the problems of people’s dissent and insurgency movements. Instead the common people have been the victims of the atrocious laws. While the Terrorist and Disruptive (Prevention) Act, 1987 has lapsed after wide protests, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is still being promulgated in various states, particularly, the North East India. Sharmila has been undergoing fast unto death for complete removal of the Act. Scores of concerned civil society organisations including Sharmila Kanba Lup and the intelligentsia among others have been launching movements against any further promulgation of such Act, the authority has ever been arrogant. In fact the Act does not tune with the social reality (B.B. Pandey, Right To Life On Death ? : For Bharat Both Cannot Be ‘Right’, Supreme Court Cases, Delhi Law Review, 1994, 4(SS(J); p.24). Thus, we experienced gross violation of human rights of the common peoples (Prakash Louis and R. Vashum : Extraordinary Laws In India, Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, 2004, p.9). Sanajaoba (Keynote address by Prof. N. Sanajaoba “Human Rights Standard- Setting, Constitutionalism And Repressive Laws in Armed Conflict Situation” in the Seminar-cum-Workshop on Human Rights And Repressive Laws at L. M. S. Law College, Imphal, Manipur with the Initiative from the Centre for Humanitarian Law Studies and Research, Law Faculty, Guwahati University, organized by the college on 28-29 October, 2004) observed “subjugation has become the political culture”.

As far as to bring peace in Manipur is concerned, we need to trace back the past historical event, that is, of course, the causes and consequences of what we are facing to-day. Moreover, deprivation of justices, particularly political, economic, social, etc. were on the high. It is an empirical fact, that Manipuris have been protesting against even the British regime, can be clearly known from events, the First and Second Nupilals, Anglo-Manipuri War, Anglo-Kuki War, Irawat’s and Zeliangrong movements. Despite this situation, Merger of Manipur to the Indian Dominion and placed as part C state also had added fuel to the fire. As a setback there came up the secessionist movements. Manipur being very aloof from others was also a economic backward state (Ksh. Bimola; while delivering speech on the subject “Political Movements in Manipur” in the Refresher course Programme of History Department, Manipur University conducted by the Department of History with sponsorship of U.G.C. on 7/3/2005).

What intelligentsia and policy of our areas especially Manipur, popularly believe the future prospects of development and political stability of our regions lie in the Look East Policy, is, however, Roy (The Future of North-East –Need to Look East or Look All Around, an article by Prof. J.J.Roy Burman published in the Sangai Express, Nov. 19, 2010) has flatly refuted that it cannot be a panacea to the lingering problem of North-East, apart from the pangs of formation of an arbitrarily created nation – State with artificial borders, lies in the imposition of a system of parliamentary democracy based on the colonial legacy of constituency formation that hinges on the population logic.

Moreover, absence of a smooth transition and the non-existence of a just outcome at the end of the tunnel have made our youths absolutely restless and prone to addiction to drugs (Amar Yumnam’s view in the Imphal Free Press titled Youths, Drugs and Justice : Absence of Smooth Transition, Sunday April 24, 2011) concentrating only on bringing to book the addicted youths through the strong hand of the law enforcing agencies would amount to addressing the substantive grievances without ever bothering at the root cause of the issues involved (Ibid). And obvious response of the UG ‘taxation’ to the present strategy of the Manipur Police would for it to go further underground (Culture of corruption and extortion – Hindrance to Social Progress – Paper presented by Pradip Phanjoubam in the Seminar-cum-Workshop on Human Rights and Repressive Laws, Initiated by CHLS&R Law Faculty, Gauhati University, organised by the college on 28-29 October, 2004).

Likewise, women related institutions starting from prostitution, extortions, trafficking of women to other states, involving in transporting arms and ammunition are the social menace of today’s society. It is pertinent to look into the cause of such activities and try to solve by the authority instead blaming or otherwise such as “selfish claiming”.

Human Right awareness is of course the need of the hour, every individual should be given the education of Human Right. State forces as well as the state actors are the one in their attitude towards masses. Thus Human Right should be incorporated in the text, curriculum, syllabus starting right from the grass-root level so that any discrepancy would not take place, any more by forces of different “departments” of “groups” (groups).

Apart from the death, the most hated Human Rights abuses committed by the security forces are the so-called “Punishment attacks” when people suspected of “antisocial behaviour” (usually young male) are shot or beaten, usually in or on the hand, kneecaps or ankles, ‘Third-degree torture’ methods are subjected to.

In relation to a number of high profile deaths, the government has reached very slowly to calls for public inquiries to determine whether there is any collusion. Thus, State forces should have a Serious Crime Review Team looking at unsolved killing and occasionally of course, the “Police Ombudsman”, may (better than the CBI) can help if new evidence to such deaths comes to light.

The Manipur Human Right Commission is urged to do the utmost to persuade and the state actors, the political parties and the community and voluntary sectors to its proposal for a Bill of Rights for Manipuris. Meanwhile, the commission should endeavour to urge still improvements in a variety of more specific content such as mental care and human rights education (edited by R.Kumar, A. Puri, S. Naithani : What Makes A Peace Process Irreversible – A Delhi Policy Group Publication – Delhi, 3, 2005, p.63).

Peace will prevail in Manipur when, inter alia, females are also honoured as ‘Devis’ (Goddesses) as apostles of peace and any attempt to touch them with carnal, pernicious, lusty, adulterous desire to enjoy with her body and spoil her sanctity and image, including dowry deaths and torture, domestic violence, mental harassment and all sorts of discrimination specially the abduction and kidnapping of women – extreme violation of human rights considered as the greatest sin (The International Journal of Peace Studies – edited by Paitoon Patyaiying, Charernpradit, Muang, Pattani 94000, Thailand, Vol.2, No.2, Dec. 1999; p.22).

Manipur is passing through one of the most critical periods in its long history, and as is usual with all transitional phases, is full of stress and uncertainty. what she needs today as never before in its history is intellectual, moral and spiritual guidance if it is to survive its own destruction. “Ethnic brotherhood concept” should be applied to all fields of human activity – politics, economics, sociology, science, education, etc, and then peace and prosperity will ultimately prevail. Every individual is a unity in the make up of family, societies, communities and nations, having being inspired and implemented their ideal into practical lives – resorted to a profound effect on the society, community and nation. Thus peace cannot be brought at all without individual peace.

Basic needs are the basic things required to living human beings, in particular of course, animals, plants and trees and environmental consequences and biodiversity in general. Let us observe what have eminent scholars opined : According to Baxi (Upendra Baxi’s article “Social Change, Criminality And Social Control in India, in the Essays on Crime And Development, ed by Ugljesa Zvekic, United Nation Interregional Crime Justice Research Institute, Rome, 1990, p.44) “basic needs” are the human rights, if not deemed by the State, then brings “consequent anarchy”, so the first and foremost duty of the authority is to consider “human rights” (K. Ponnuswami (ed) : Right To Basic Necessities Of Life, Delhi Law Review, Vol.10-11, 1981-82, Delhi University Press, Delhi – 7, 1983; p.3). Ibohal (Human Rights And Repressive Laws presented in the Seminar-cum-Workshop at L. M. S. Law College, Imphal organised by the College with the initiation from the centre for Humanitarian Law Studies and Research, Law Faculty, Gauhati
University on 28-29th October, 2004) also contended

“If a government violates and suppresses basic human rights and fundamental freedom people have a legitimate right to rebellion against such a government”.

Pande (B.B. Pandey, Professor of Law, Delhi University, while delivering his speech on Basic Needs on 8/4/1995, at Law Faculty Conference Hall, Campus Centre, Delhi University) has maintained that an individual’s basic need is his or her scheme of life. Basic needs must be treated as fundamental right. Whereas Karl Marx contended that the primary basic need is to have companion to perform productive work. And some of the recent writings, have focused on social needs in equality basis with full access to justice. Also, Amartya Sen, prefers and stresses to add another tier which describes as a meta right making possible to achieve the right. (Dworkien’s Theory of Background Rights and Institutional Rights – Website).

Moreover, in prioritizing human needs, the united nations has identified the following list of basic needs :- (i) Nutrition (ii) Shelter, (iii)health, (iv) education, (v) Leisure, (vi) Security (Physical safety and economic security and (vii) environment. And, of course, right to self-determination for “right” and basic needs are complimentary or obligatory to each other subject to unfulfilments of all the need, necessities of life by the authority. However, Conrad; while in his discourses clearly asserted that fulfillment. (K. Ponnuswami : (ibid)) by other social welfare countries like (Germany) / unfulfilment (India) of basic needs as guaranteed by the State is not in itself sufficient or likely to produce lasting social peace. It may be mentioned here, India having not ratified the entire covenant as yet has to explain its position on the matter to the effect that the reference to right of self-determination in Article of the International Covenant on, Economic, Social And Cultural Rights applied only to people under foreign domination, not to independent sovereign states or part of a people or nation. Moreover, in its report of 1991, India was to explain violation of Human Right due to enforcement of AFSPA in North-East of India particularly in Manipur though at present partly removed and Nagaland indicates that India has violated Article 1 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and so also the provisions of optional protocol. India needs to sign and ratify the protocol Additional I and II to Geneva Conventions, 1949, and 1988 Rome Treaty maintained by Pramod in his paper presented in the One-Day Workshop on International Humanitarian Law, Organised by the Royal Academy of Law, Oinam, Manipur with initiated by the Centre for Humanitarian Law Studies and Research Law Faculty, Gauhati University on 12th June, 2005. In the like manner, some groups of our “freedom fighter”, insurgents, etc, etc. Have also violates human rights. Apart from these, we being the citizen should also know our fundamental duties.

As far as justice is concerned, we have noticed and have a smell of it in different ways as propounded by authorities in eminence.

Stone (Julius Stone’s article “Justice and Not Equality” in Hastings Law Journal, 1978, Vol. 29.5; p.995) in his introduction, has maintained that one related tendency of social, political and jurisprudential theorists in the present century has been to seek criteria of justice of vastly simplified indeterminacy or ambiguity, such as ‘fairness’ and ‘equality’ in the hope of escaping the admitted perplexities involved in grappling directly with question of justice and peace.

Whereas, Rawls (John Rawls : A Theory of Justice, Oxford University Press; London, 1972; p.3) opined “Justice” as the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory however, elegant and economical must be rejected or revised if it is untrue; likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust. Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override.

Indian legal system is based on colonial idea is, of course, an offshoot of the British India Legal System, how laws being received and the very reception of the same is termed as Top Down Models of the British Indian Legal System by Baxi (Upendra Baxi: (Ibid)). Thus reception of law and endeavouring to modernize the same will not go with the every aspects of day to day life in this present society particularly that of Manipur. Even the 14th Report of the Law Commission of India way back was in 1958, emphatically stated and urged the authority to reform the existing law that should not lie in the abandonment and replacing it by another. The real need of the hour is the inculcation of a higher sense of duty, a greater regard for public convenience, greater efficiency in all those concerned in the administration of justice. Yet, in this 2011’s, we still need the updation of law, i.e. an alternative law (laws) to go with the social reality in India in general however very specifically in states like Manipur.

Law and order operations considered essential for development and nation building also shelter a whole variety of legal and extra legal police and para-military violence (Ugljesa Zvekic (ed): (Ibid pp. 228-229). Progressive criminality of this nature is to be sure, a notoriously global phenomenon, and the use of fatal force by security forces in India, especially through “encounters” in term of art describing civilian casualties in dealing with dacoits, extremists, militants and now terrorists is alarming on the rise. Standard-less use of force by the very custodians of peoples security and well being seems in India justified as an aspect of development, here conceived in terms of reasons of state as reinforcing national unity and integration (Ibid : p.229).

In Europe, more autonomy is given to publics patients have the right to die, the system goes with globalisation, whereas, in India we have only the right to life (only in name sake). There is no crime in suiciding, in Switzerland, people who have been suffering from a boring prefer to die, state authorizes to end their lives, (B.B. Pande : Ibid.). In fact, there is no fantasy it is reality, for the right to die is a basic need for them.

The role of privileged class is very important though the nature and dimension of them is for deviance. How, identifying the “Privileged Class” as the elite class (on the basis of super qualities) or the ruling class (on the basis of ownership of means of production by the traditional and non traditional thinkers (K.S. Shukla (ed) : Other side of Development: Social-Psychological Implications, Sage Publications, N. Delhi, 1987; p.138). In general the term relates to the section or strata of the society who enjoy some kind of position of power or advantage over the rest of population. This group advocates even the laws are selfishly codified without slightest concern of the masses particularly the poorest of the poor and weaker sections of society including women – Super-discrimination. Hence, the law is repressive and negative aspect of the entire positive, civilizing activity undertaken by the State (Antonio Gramsci: State and Civil Society – Website). Also while dealing with cases, the courts maintain the domination of the ruling class by the law strictly. It is particularly high in the exceptional state because of the role of social forces which the supporting classes often play in particular the petty bourgeoisie (Nicos Paulantzas : The Exceptional State – Website).

Dr. Irengbam Mohendra Singh (calling Time on the most unsafe state in India – Manipur on a Swiss Model and article by Dr. I. M. Singh published in the Sangai Express on 24/4/2011) has suggested very apparently the political legitimacy is indeed central to the sustenance of Manipur identity. The existence of secessionist movements reflects a lack of legitimacy. The lack of state legitimacy relates to the rise of ethnic conflict and competing ethno-nationalism. Repressive policies to deal with ethnic dissent are counter-productive.

Like Switzerland, Manipur needs to transform itself into a multi-ethnic state with a sense of collective national identity, each community taking part in common institutions and practices, separated from a ‘culturalist’ and ethnic perspective (Ibid). Such a circle should devise how to build a composite Manipuri identity based on equality or autonomy within the framework of the existing state of Manipur Politicians with such broader aims in their manifestoes should be chosen to form a ‘unitary’ democratic government in Imphal subject to change the capital in the hill areas from time to time so that balancing the whole state regularly takes place in the widest social inclusiveness i.e. “equality indication”. Manipuri’s need a think tank or a policy institute i.e. a non-profit organisation that conducts research and engage in advocacy in areas such as economy, social policy or political strategy that will be fair to all ethnic groups, big or small. There must be ‘give and take’ approach rather than ‘take and give’ policy (Ibid).

Bringing peace in Manipur deals with the following perspectives :
1) Student power -Proper education – education does not mean degrees only – it means a transformation of mind in understanding issues at hand – the comely is facing. Education stabilizes roots of planning and achieving a sense of progress and development.
2) The idea of corruption – must cease, the Government must adopt ‘Zero Tolerance’ of corruption committed by officers, ministers and other sections in the socio-economic and political sectors. Rampant corruption must go.
3) Judicial system must be revamped.
4) Money meant for social development must be utilized for the same.
5) Opening up of economic sector.
6) Trade & commerce – employment generation and the urge of the youth to each a livelihood of dignity must be encouraged.
7) Manipur suffers from ‘indignity’ and callous approach of the authorities that be. It is a beautiful region with lots of potentialities these must be proved, planned and encouraged especially in the sector of tourism.
8) Ethnic clashes should give way to ethnic cooperation and a progress based upon mutual trust and dignified living.
9) The need for the armed forces will go once the various communities start living together without being afraid of each other.
10) Intermarriages should be encouraged.

Conclusion : Peace is not cessation of war; it is a noble way of understanding the impact of wars and the way of avoiding it. Peace is a perception of avoidance of conflict. It is a way of live – Living with inconsistencies and yet not opting for violent means which normally should be the last option.

If Egypt can change and bring about a political peace why can’t Manipur let the youth will it and peace shall prevail.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/peace-in-manipur-its-different-dimensions-a-discourse/

By R.T. Johnson Rain
Come August 15th 2011, and India will be celebrating her freedom and liberty. Kites with the tri-colour will be flying all across the cities of India, parents will be buying new dresses for their children and the sweet shops will be making hay as the sun of freedom season shines in the cities. As this season draws nigh a pertinent question keeps coming to the fore, ‘What is the true freedom that really matters?’ It was Jawaharlal Nehru who in his famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech remarked, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance…” Yes, India has achieved her long cherished goal of attaining freedom from the imperialistic rule of the British Empire. Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ which ends with this sentence, ‘…into that heaven of freedom, my father let my country awake’ has inspired thousands of Indians as they travelled the road to political freedom. Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s famous statement, Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it had been a magic sentence that inspired countless freedom fighters. Mention may be made that Subhas Chandra Bose gave a superb speech regarding freedom while addressing a Students Conference at Lahore in 1929. He said, “It is time for all lovers of Freedom to bind themselves into one happy fraternity and form the Army of Freedom. Let this army send out not only soldiers to fight the battle of freedom but also missionaries to propagate the new Cult of Freedom… This freedom implies not only emancipation from political bondage, but also equal distribution of wealth, abolition of caste barriers and social inequities, and destruction of communalism and religious intolerance.”

But today, after 64 years of Independence and freedom, what does this freedom or freedom celebration mean to the various groups of people in India? What is this freedom celebration for the inmates of Tihar and Shajibwa jail? What does freedom celebration mean to the thousands of genuine beggars in the cities of India? What does freedom celebration mean to the people affected and infected with HIV and AIDS? What does this freedom celebration mean to the drug addicts who live a life of a shadow of the former self? What does this term mean to the derelict and children from broken homes? What does freedom celebration mean to the orphans who cannot afford two square meals a day? What does freedom celebration mean to the oppressed and the violated women? What does freedom celebration mean to this country which invests so much in developing nuclear war heads and other military equipments out of insecurity and threat? Isn’t it ironical to be celebrating and unfurling the national flag with pride and at the same time
with much fear and insecurity in this region called the North East India? Isn’t it equally ironical to be celebrating the day of freedom with bandh and fear? The former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1941, said to the congress that he envisioned four basic freedoms for all after the war was over. They were: 1) Freedom of Speech 2) Freedom of Worship 3) Freedom from Want and 4) Freedom from Fear. But what has happened to America after the 9/11 episode? Have the people been living without fear now? Has the presence of the Statue of Liberty brought fear down in Los Angeles? I doubt it has.

If we look at the world we live in, we will find that in countries declared free there will be stories of genocide, mass killing and violation of human rights. There will be absence of freedom of speech and journalism, absence of freedom of religion, absence of women rights, absence of economic rights for the marginalised and many others. The concept we have mentioned above is the external form of freedom which has relative implication.

Relative freedom is the freedom which to one group may be freedom but not to the other group. But we would like to focus for the rest of the article on a higher kind of freedom, a freedom that really matters, a freedom which is spiritual, objective and universal. This freedom is beyond time and space, and we shall call it the freedom that really matters. The Biblical concept of freedom is spiritual in its essence and universal in its influence. People with freedom mat really matters are those who have with them some spiritual realities. In this article the author would like to confine on just three of them. They are mutually inclusive, for one without the other is not complete.

1.  People who are no longer Slaves to Satan and Sin or People whose Sin are Forgiven
The Bible tells us that long ago in a garden called Eden, human beings were unwittingly enslaved by Satan/Lucifer who had declared war against God in the heavens and whom God had banished forever along with his fallen angels. Since Satan could not get back to God, he devised a plan to tear the heart of God by taking away from him what is most precious in his sight. The same plot of course is evident in the movies we see where the villain kidnaps or takes to ransom the near and dear ones of the Police officer they cannot defeat. It was John Milton, who in his epic poem ‘Paradise Lost’ dramatized how Satan devised this plan to get even with God. He began his poem by saying how human being lost Eden and with it ushered in death and woe in our universe until Jesus Christ brought salvation thus,

“Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit
Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat…”

Satan’s purpose did not consist merely in rejecting God; he was designing a huge cosmos world system in which he proposed to employ and misappropriate the elements which belong to God’s creation, which, in themselves, are good. Satan creates nothing. No step in the satanic cosmos project was more crucial than that he should secure the allegiance of humanity. The issues at stake in the Garden of Eden were, in respect to Satan’s career, such as would determine his realization of his whole undertaking. He must gain supremacy over man or fail completely. Little did Adam and Eve realize that, so far from attaining freedom, they were becoming bond slaves to sin and Satan. Pauline theology of the ‘Original Sin’ which is consistent with the theology of various protestant groups and also the Roman Catholic Church is relevant here to understand. Original Sin, according to the Biblical theology is, creation’s state of sin and depravity resulting from the Fall of Man in Genesis 3 and which automatically leads humankind to death/separation, now and always. Original Sin is regarded as the general condition of sinfulness that is (the absence of holiness and perfect charity) into which humans are born, distinct from the actual sins that a person commits (‘symptomic sin’). Everybody has sinned in Adam. Let me illustrate this truth through an analogy. If for example the President of India who is the head of the state declares war against another country, we, as citizens of the country are into active war with or without our consent. Firstly, because she is our representative and secondly, because we are the citizens of India, the country which has declared war against another. As a matter of fact, the representative principle runs through the entire range of human life. Representative action is a sociological fact everywhere and is recognized in all orderly legal systems. An old man living in a remote corner of Manipur cannot say that since he does not have the facility of the Newspaper, Radio, Television, Internet, Mobile Phones,
Facebook and other modern gadgets, he is ignorant of what is happening in the world and thus he is not going to be in the war declared by the President of India.

No one can say, ‘I was unborn and thus non-existent when the war was declared and therefore I am not going to be in this war’. He may not be present when the action was taken. A person may be only listening over the radio. Nevertheless, our representative acted for us and as representing us, therefore it was our action, and we are implicated and involved in all the consequences of that action. Whether we are aware of it or not, whether we are born into it or not, whether we agree with the ideology of the war or not, whether we are involved in active fighting or not, the fact is that we are all into war as citizens of India, the moment the President declared war. In fact the future generations who will be born during the war will be in the war until it ends. J. Oliver Buswell puts it well, “Just so, I became a wicked, guilty sinner in the Garden of Eden. I turned my back upon fellowship with my holy God. I deliberately corrupted the character of Godly holiness which God imparted to His creation. I willfully began to spread corruption through the creation over which God had intended me to rule. I was not there. No, but my representative was there, and he acted as such in my place and I was driven out from the garden and excluded from the tree of life.” We are sinners by ‘Being’ and not by ‘Doing’. We are sinners and therefore we sin, and not we sin therefore we become sinners. Our actions are irrelevant, because long before we knew how to sin we were declared sinners with or without our consent.

Being a slave to smoking, drinking, corrupt and licentious living, and others are terrible but they are not the main issue for God. They are just symptoms of a higher principle at work, which is the Original Sin. God wants human being to be justified as holy through the finished work of Jesus Christ and be saved from the impending danger of eternal separation (penalty of sin) that will be for everyone whoever does not accept this escape route God has provided. The state of the sinful mind is corrupt and degenerated, far from the standard of God. This mind rejects God as God. This mind rejects Jesus Christ as the way for salvation and redemption. It is this mind that rejects the finished work of God at Calvary and the work of the Holy Spirit. We live on earth as enemies of God. In other words unless human beings decide to accept their sinful state and acknowledge their wickedness as a sinner by ‘being’ and not ‘doing’, ‘Original Sin’ would continue to hang like a sword upon our necks and cut us off completely from God after our death. What a tragedy to be living as enemy of God here on earth and also by being forever cut off from the land of the living and God for eternity after our death. This is the Sin that God is more concerned of than our drinking, corrupt living, murder, smoking, etc. In fact all these sinful actions are the by product of being a sinner by birth.

The Bible says no matter how ethical our conduct may be, not acknowledging Jesus Christ as the saviour of our soul will lead us into eternal separation. We are called to ask not for the forgiveness of sin we personally do in the first place but for being a sinner born into a sinful state. So the concept of how righteous we live, how unblemished our conducts are, how religious our prayers may be and how humanistic our world views are do not arise at all. We cannot by our good works make peace with God for our good deeds are like filthy rags before him. Accepting the finished work of God through Christ is the only way to be reconciled into heaven for the Bible says, ‘So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’ (John 8: 36). Therefore being free from the clutch of Sin and death is the real freedom. The Bible tells us that a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him whether to sin which leads to death or to obedience which leads to righteousness (II Peter 2: 19; Romans 6: 6-7). We have to be also aware that slaves lose everything in their chains, even the aspiration of escaping from them. People who have been conditioned in an environment for so long lose the vision or the need to be different. This is exactly why Jean Jacques Rousseau mentioned, “Sinners do not find any need as to why they should escape.” Are you freed or are you one of them?

2.   People who Forgive the Unforgivable
There are many people in the world who do not deserve to be forgiven from the human point of view. And at the same time many people around the world live with an unforgiving spirit. A child who has seen his father beating and abusing his mother waits to be older so that one day he may beat up his father. A girl hates his mother/father for leaving her while she was just a kid in need of both the parents. A country which refuses to forgive and forget the ill treatment meted to them by the other country. A South Korean Pastor even requested the Japanese people to, “Forgive us for not forgiving you.” A community may be up against another for their condescending attitude or even for marginalising them and systematically exploiting them. We live today in the real world of hurt, hatred, revenge and killing. Sometimes a person may even find it hard to even forgive oneself for the tragedy he has brought to himself or his loved and near ones into, like: the tragedy of being infected with a deadly disease due to his own careless living; the tragedy caused due to careless driving which has snuffed out precious lives; the tragedy of being rude and unkind to one’s parents while they were alive and then regret after their death and the tragedy of neglecting one’s children when they were young as they have become so distant from them when they become old. But if God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than God said C.S. Lewis. But we need to forgive ourselves and others because God has taught us to (Matt 5: 23- 24; 6: 11,14-15; Luke 11:4).

Forgiveness is doing good to yourself. Living with an unforgiving spirit is one of the heaviest burdens in a person’s life. Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian woman who survived a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust, said, “Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you.” Nelson Mandela when asked why he was not resentful for his imprisonment said that resentment is like a glass of poison that a man drinks; then he sits down and waits for his enemy to die. In fact when Nelson Mandela walked out to freedom after 28 years of imprisonment which was telecast on TV, Bill Clinton remarked that his initial face of anger and vengeance disappeared and turned sober. So when Clinton asked him why, this was how Mandela answered. He said that he heard a voice telling him that for 28 years he had been a physical prisoner but never a slave to their ideology. Now that he has become free he should not become a slave by harbouring anger and spirit of vengeance and unforgiving spirit. What a sublime piece of thought. You may ignore a sickness or a disease but ignoring does not expel the disease. Covering up a wound infested body with good designer wear and branded clothes does not heal or make the problem disappear. Confronting it with the right medical care, however inconvenient it may be is the only way it can ever be healed or treated.

Forgiveness is a higher law of love. The Old Testament concept of ‘life for life’, ‘eye for an eye’, ‘tooth for a tooth’, ‘hand for hand’ and ‘foot for foot’ (Exodus 21: 24; Leviticus 24: 20; Deuteronomy 19: 21) was introduced by Moses to promote love and social harmony in the community and not to spread hatred and discord. This concept of ‘as you sow so shall you reap’ was introduced so that each may respect each other, that the neighbour may be protected, that the weaker section may be safeguarded and that love may prevail in the family and the community. But Jesus took this concept to a higher level by introducing the concept of forgiveness to promote love and safeguard communal harmony (Matthew 5: 17). For Jesus, forgiveness is a higher and a tougher principle which the strong and the tough can only use. Think about this: Which is easier, to slap back at somebody who has just slapped you or to look back at the person who slapped you and say, ‘I forgive you’? Is it easier to throw a stone at somebody’s car because he broke yours or to smile back at the person and forgive him? According to Mahatma Gandhi forgiveness is the weapon of the brave. A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

It must have been a harrowing experience for Jesus Christ to have been beaten like an animal, to have been insulted by his creature, to have been tortured like a criminal and to have been hated like a traitor. The Bible records the humanity of Jesus by saying that he had been hungry, tired, thirsty, angry, weeping and even agonized. He prayed to his father “My Father if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will but as you will (Matthew 26: 39).” He sweated blood (Luke 22: 44). Science confirms that in case of extreme agony a person sweats blood. The condition is called Hermatidrosis in medical term (as researched by Dr. Frederick Thomas Zugibe one of the United States’ most prominent forensics experts). So having the human nature Jesus won’t have said to the Roman soldiers, ‘Good job, keep beating me’ or ‘Wow, it’s so nice to be suffering for the sins of the world’, ‘Hey don’t stop I like the insults and the spitting.’ No, Biblical theology will tell us that Jesus was tired and could not carry his cross alone so the Roman Soldiers caught Simon the Cyrene to help him (Luke 23: 26). He experienced human suffering to the maximum on the road to Calvary. He must have wrestled with the thought of forgiveness and love as taught to his disciples, as he faced the cruelty of life that day. Jesus demonstrated and epitomized his teaching by bis action that forgiveness is a matter of the will and not that of emotion. It was very difficult but not impossible. Jesus decided to let good conquer over evil (Romans 12: 17, 21) and said the famous statement, “Father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke Luke 23: 34). Deacon Stephen followed the example of Jesus Christ when he was stoned to death (Acts 7: 59-60). Observing the examples set before him, William Blake said, “The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.”

C.S Lewis said, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” He goes on to say that even if a person is absolutely fully to blame we still have to forgive him; and even if ninety-nine percent of his apparent guilt can be explained away by really good excuses, the problem of forgiveness begins with the one percent guilt which is left over. To excuse what can really produce good excuses is not Christian character; it is only fairness. “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” This is hard, he says, “It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single great injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life—to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son—how can we do it?” “Only, I think”, he says, “by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night ‘forgive our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us.’ We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.” He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every human being has need to be forgiven. Agnes Mary White Sanford (Regarded as the principal founder of the Inner Healing Movement) said that as we practice the work of forgiveness we discover more and more that forgiveness and healing are one. Forgiveness is human being’s deepest need and highest achievement. Are you truly free? Life lived without forgiveness and love becomes a prison.

3.  People who live a Transparent Life without Guilt and Fear
A life tortured by guilt and accused by one’s conscience is a hell. Many people are afraid to face their past, their present and their future. It is so because a guilty conscience is a hidden enemy and needs no accuser. Seneca (Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman and Dramatist) once said that every guilty person is his own hangman. In fact, from the body of one guilty deed a thousand ghostly fears and haunting thoughts advance. The Bible teaches that if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God (I John 3:21). People who live in fear and guilt live in the cover of darkness and are afraid to come out to light. Some fear for the wrong they have committed while some not necessarily out of their own choice and fault. Jesus was talking about this when he said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God (John 3: 19-21). Jesus encouraged people to live a life of transparency and walk in the light as he is in the light (I John 1: 7).

An experience was narrated by a man that his wife had a symptom of some cancer in the womb. Because the doctor was out of station they could not investigate the matter quickly and so they had no clue whether it was a serious problem or a preventable case. The unconfirmed sickness and fear began to eat them up steadily. The wife began to say farewell words to the family and had stopped eating food and taking proper sleep. The BP shot up and had to be admitted to the hospital immediately. But after the investigation was done and the report taken, the result was that it was not a cancer. Not getting the medical opinion quickly and living in darkness brought a lot of confusion and fear. But living in the light and transparency drove away the fear. I wonder what would have happened if the woman had refused to take the test?

There is also a story of a young man who wrote in the article, ‘Secret Guilt’ that after living a reckless and licentious life, he feared of being HIV positive for over a decade until he got himself checked and ruled out the fear. He wrote, “I feared every skin infection to be the indication of the beginning of my endless nightmare.” His guilt for ten or more years took away all the joy and smile in his life. His guilt was cancerous because it had penetrated into other aspects of life; identity, studies, relationship with the family and friends, and others. A life of hiding is truly a life lived in bondage. A thief is always on the run and hiding, and the life of an underground or terrorist are never at rest. They are always on the move and hiding. It is a life fearing to be exposed. William Shakespeare supports this view by saying that suspicion always haunts the guilty mind and the thief doth fear each bush an officer.

There is a story told of a brother and his elder sister who went to Grandpa’s house for vacation in the hills. On the day of their arrival the boy accidentally killed one of grandpa’s chickens. Fearing the chiding, the brother quickly hid and buried the chicken. Unfortunately, for him instead of comfort and good advice from his sister, who was a witness to the incident, she blackmailed the brother into getting up early every morning to make fire (with wood) for breakfast or else she might report the incident to their grandfather. The grandfather’s frantic search for the missing chicken everyday did not encourage the boy to confess his crime either. And so he had to get up early everyday to make fire while his sister enjoyed some extra minutes of rest. When the brother refused to get up some days she would say, ‘if you don’t get up I will report what you did to grandpa.’ Almost without thinking and sometimes even before she could complete her sentence he would jump up from his bed and go to the kitchen. As hisholiday had been filled with blackmailing and guilt, he thought it would be better to tell his grandpa what he really did and seek forgiveness. Mustering courage he approached his grandfather and confessed all what he did and the consequent actions of his sister every morning. His grandfather smiled back and said unto him, “Grandson, I saw what you did that evening because I was at the terrace. I had forgiven you before you came to seek my forgiveness but you never came to me to confess and therefore you never made the forgiveness your own. You chose to live with your guilty conscience without any need. I wanted to teach you that there is no benefit in living a life of hiding for it is only self-destructive.” The grandson was so stunned and was filled with tears. He was at once so happy for his new found freedom but also so angry with himself for the delay in receiving that forgiveness which was already there. The next time the sister blackmailed him you know how he must have responded. Satan blackmails us with the sin that we have committed. Satan makes us afraid to live and face tomorrow because of the mistakes we have done yesterday. Satan tells us that our sins cannot be forgiven. Satan tells us that we have reached a point of no return, no hope! He tells us that we are too wicked before a holy God who demands perfection. Many people become a victim to this lie and choose to live in darkness all their life. We don’t need to let this Liar who is the ‘Father Below’ (C.S. Lewis gave Satan this name) win. We know that Jesus Christ forgave the thief who was on his right side and took him to Paradise with him because that thief was willing to face his mistakes and sin head on and open his heart for the light of God to penetrate and cleanse him.

Malcolm Muggeridge (English Journalist and Author) once said, “Psychiatrists require many sessions to relieve a patient of guilt feelings which have made him sick in body and mind; Jesus’ power of spiritual and moral persuasion was so overwhelming that he could produce the same effect just by saying: Thy sins be forgiven thee.” I believe that the purpose of being guilty is to draw us to God. Once we reach there, its purpose is completed. If we continue to accuse ourselves than that is sin in itself. Do you have anything to settle with man or God? Better face the truth and live freely than tell a lie and live as a slave to your own lie. Living a transparent and a forgiven life is the best life on earth. No wealth, money power, bank balance, house and fame can buy this state of mind.

In the final analysis, it is not the external and physical aspect of freedom that matters but the internal and the spiritual which people may not see or know. A prisoner in the jail after reconciling with God may be living a life of freedom because he has forgiven himself as God had forgiven him his crimes. A person who has been infected or affected by HIV/AIDS either by his licentious living, infected blood transfusion or through his parents may have forgiven himself or them for the present predicament and have accepted the situation by finding peace in God. The social stigma may not bother them anymore. But some because of prejudice and holier than thou attitude may be living in the cave dug up by themselves. Many people who live outside the four walls of the prison may still be living in the prison rooms designed by themselves because of hatred and unforgiving nature. This exactly was what German poet Bertolt Brecht said, “A person can be free even within prison walls. Freedom is something spiritual. Whoever has once had it, can never lose it. There are some people who are never free outside a prison. The body can be bound with chains, the spirit never. One’s thoughts are free.” Another aspect to this concept is that people who are quick to condemn others of their sin but who do not themselves receive forgiveness of sin themselves may be living with spiritual cancer in their lives. As we draw closer to the Independence Day celebration it may be fitting for our minds to ponder upon this spiritual aspect of freedom. Let me end with what Oswald Chambers (Prominent early twentieth century Scottish Protestant Christian Minister and Teacher) once said, “We are only free when the Son sets us free; but we are free to choose whether or not we will be made free.” Do you have with you this freedom that matters?
(The writer may contacted atjohnsonraih@gmail.com)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/freedom-that-matters-a-biblical-paradigm/

By Dr. Chakshu
Few instances in the last week forced me to think of few facts. Like, I have seen people spending lavishly on their dresses, shoes and jewelries. People don’t bother about the cost of home appliances and also large amounts are spent  heartedly on ceremonies but when it comes to their health, any medication , suddenly they become very conscious of the cost. With the change in our life style these days, we are now more vulnerable to so many silent killers (diseases) of which either we are ignorant or don’t want to know. People just think like a pigeon who closes his eyes in front of a cat assuming that it will not hurt him. But this doesn’t happen in reality. Everybody knows what happens. I mean to say that we have changed our life style but we haven’t changed our eating habits. In olden days, people used to work very hard and so was their eating habits. But now most of the hard work is done by machines. We have many helping appliances at home and at work. So most of the people have sedentary lifestyle, which leads to a lot of health problems. People think that only cancer and AIDS are deadly and nothing else is more dangerous. But let me tell you diabetes and hypertension are more dangerous if left uncontrolled. These and many other disorders do not affect our body suddenly. They damage our body organs slowly and silently. A diabetic person for many years may be without any complaint. Same is with hypertension, heart disease, liver disease. For example; liver disease usually manifests after 50 – 80% has been destroyed. Person comes to know about his raised BP, may be after one intracranial hemorrhage or CVA (stroke).

Majority of diseases, take time from starting in the body to expression as symptoms. This period is called latent period. Latent period depends on nature of disease & body response towards that disease. Heart disease, High blood pressure, Degenerative, Cancer diseases have more latent period before being symptomatic . Once it crosses  certain threshold or body resistance then the disease expresses its presence by symptoms.

It is the duty of medical practitioners to make people aware of these diseases and try to control them before complications occur. Best way is to undergo regular complete health check up at least once in a year. This helps in two ways. One is, if you have dysfunction in any of the body organs, it can be controlled and treated and the other benefit is, if your all body organs are healthy and all the blood parameters are normal, than it may be considered as a positive biofeedback that your lifestyle is good and you can lead a quality life with your parents, children and friends. Early detection avoids irreversible damage by early treatment and cost of treatment is less because disease is detected in reversible phase or before complications. If the disease is detected late or after irreversible phase, the disease will control the patient as well as doctor in addition to being expensive. In such case treatment may be needed to avoid further damage, but is not reversible. That is the great benefit of early diagnosis of disease during this latent period.

Specially complete health check is need of the hour for those people who are chronic alcoholic, smoker, intravenous drug abusers. They are at high risk of HBV, HCV, HIV infections. These persons require timely detection and appropriate treatment.

With hectic life style and a stressful life, health checkups have become kind of mandatory in today’s life. With the concept of preventive health care picking up fast, hospitals in big metropolitan cities are now providing health checkup packages at reasonable prices.

It would be worth mentioning here that such type of complete health check facility is now available in Manipur. Shija Hospitals, Langol which is an ISO 9001:2008 certified hospital has been offering “Shija Health Check”, a comprehensive health check programme. The various packages available under this programme  are Shija Special Health Check, Shija Executive Health Check, Shija Basic Health Check, Shija Well Women Health Check, Shija Stroke Check and Shija Child Health Check. Each package has been carefully customized to meet the different healthcare requirements of different individuals and age groups. It offers you a comprehensive basket of customized tests, as well as consultation and advice. It would also serve as a personal medical record for future reference. Once the check is completed, if treatment is required it can begin without any delay.

So, people should now start realizing the benefits of regular complete health checks and also make other people aware of it. This can prevent so many CVAs, heart attacks and many deaths. Let me quote the old adage which says “Prevention is better than cure.” So wake up and start taking care of your health. Remember God has given us this life to live for only once. 
(Author is MD (Medicine), Consultant Physician, Shija Hospitals and Research Institute Pvt. Ltd., Langol. Imphal).

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/importance-of-complete-health-check/

By H. Bhuban Singh
Introduction
In his book “Durable Disorder: Understanding The Politics Of North East India” by ShriSanjibBaruah, published by Oxford University Press: Rs. 495/=, he wrote about “The Naga nation in-building-phase”, as follows:-

‘On the question of expanding the identity of the Nagas which has embraced communities with close linguistic and anthropological ties with other ethnic groups their sympathy in matters of identity, the only thing that should matter is how the group wishes to be known. The problem arises when this expanding identity is tied to territory. The newly born state’s consciousness can come into direct collision with existing historical states ………..” The goal of creating a single political / administrative unit out of all Naga inhabited areas, puts the Naga project of nationhood in collision course with a parallel Manipur project, which was historically, linguistically, ethnically and culturally consolidated by successive Maharajas of Manipur. For some reasons, in dealing with this issue, the Nagas of Nagaland are rather silent about the Kukis, who share virtually the same homeland (hill areas) with the Nagas. This seems a big lacuna, considering notion of exclusive homeland. This was the primary cause of the bloody ‘
Kuki-Naga conflict’ of mid 1990s wherein about 2000 Kukis were killed by NSCN insurgents in Manipur.’

Myth about Naga Nation
In the book titled “History of the Frontier Areas Bordering on Assam (1883-1941) by Sir Robert Reid, Governor of Assam, 1937-1942, page 99, it says

Naga Hills
1881-1890 – The history of the Naga Hills since 1882, where Mackenzie leaves off, is the same in kind as that of the yearspreceeding. The process of penetrating into the Hills, the early stage of which are described in Mackenzie’s book has been a gradual one, dictated originally and mainly, by the necessity of protecting our settled districts, Nowgong and Sibsagar, from raiding Nagas, ……………… Visits to troublesome villages led inevitably to establishment of posts to control their doings. For our first permanent footing, Samoogodting [Chimakudi] was chosen in 1866-67. This village commands the Diphu gorge, the natural path to the plains from which Nowgong could be protected against Western Angami raids expecially from the powerful villages of Mozema, Khonoma and Jotsome, than the old outpost of Asalu to the South-West. Thence we proceed in 1878 to move to Kohima and the Manipur frontier, and simultaneously to Wokha in order to dominate the Lotha country to the east of Dikhu and to protect it from raids from the north and east. The final decision to make the Naga Hills a British district (obviously of Assam) was taken in 1881 …………… problems to be solved.

Nomenclature in the Naga Hills history presents great difficulties ………. throughout the older writings. To start with, of course, the general name of “Naga” is merely an Assamese appellation, meaning “naked”, and, like the stereotyped tribal names now in common use ………………. Thus, Lieutenant GFF Vincent, “Acting Junior Assisstant Commissioner on Special Duty, Angamee Naga Hills”, writing to his Principal Assistant Commissioner at Nowgong, Captain John Butler, on the 10th September 1850, describes how he was surprised to find “the people called by us ‘AngameeNagas’ were totally ignorant of the signification of the term and how he learnt that this was a term given by the Cacharees to all independent Nagas signifying in their language, ‘unconquered’. This is repeated in 1873 by that great authority Captain Butler, in the long extract regarding the Naga tribes …………

Hence, there is no Naga nation. Naga is a generic term for all tribal peoples living in the erstwhile Naga Hills District of Assam, because of the scanty clothes they used to put on then, but not now. The Nagas are better dressed that the majority of the Indians, at present.

British Conquest of Naga Hills
In October 1879, Major General Sir James Johnstone KCSI, the British Political Agent of Manipur received an SOS message from Mr. Cowley, the Assistant Political Agent of Naga Hills, conveying the news that Mr. Damant, the British Political Agent at Kohima was murdered and the British camp sheltering some British officers, women and children were encircled and that immediately help was required.

On the request of Johnstone the British Political Agent in the Durbar of Manipur, the Maharaja immediately sent 2000 soldiers under the command of Surachandra Singh (his eldest son), Tikendrajit Singh (the third son) and Major General Thangal. This force was accompanied by Major General Sir James Johnstone and his security guard of about 80 men of Bengal Infantry and Cachar Police. Kohima was relieved and rebellion suppressed and the Anglo-Manipur Army conquered all the Naga areas uptoDhansiri River. Sir James Johnstone praised Maharaja Chandra Kirti Singh who was knighted by conferment of KCSI (Knight Commander and Star of India) in 1880 by Her Majesty Queen Victoria of England. Naga Hills area was merged into Assam as one of its district in 1881.

Since most fo the Babus (clerks) in the office of Deputy Commissioner at Kohima were Assamese or Hindustanis, and further since the newly created Naga Hills District was inhabited by dialectically different tribes like Ao, Lotha, Sema, Angami, Phom, Konyak, Rio, Rengma, Chakesang, Gwizantsu (tribe of famous Naga leader A Z Phizo) etc., a mix of Hindustani and Assamese got developed, known as Nagamese which became the common language in the then Naga Hills District and the present State of Nagaland. In fact, this language binds the Nagas Hills District together.

The clever British established Kohima Club in 1881 itself, in order to exchange dialogue with the rebellious Nagas and pacify them and convert into Christianity, in both of which the British succeeded.

British Indian Empire & Simon Commission
About eight decades ago in 1929, British Indian Empire consisted of present day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar (old Burma), Sri Lanka (old Ceylon) and the seaport of Aden, now in Republic of Yemen in the Arabian Sea. Sikkim and Bhutan were Protectorate Kingdoms of the British Crown.

During those days of bad physical communication through bridle paths known as roads, and the non-existence of rail / telegraph / postal services etc., the Governor General and Viceroy requested the Home Government in London to cut down the then spread of the British Indian Empire. Upon this, the Home Government in London agreed to the suggestion and Simon Commission was set up in 1929 to examine the details on the ground.

At that point of time, Mr. James Hutton was Deputy Commissioner of Naga Hills District of Assam. On Hutton’s request, the Governor General and Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin agreed to send Simon Commission to Kohima soon after arrival.

Simon Commission came to Kohima and met with about dozen members of Kohima Club, who were clerks and petty official, who grew up in half century (1929 to 1881 = 48 yrs) of British rule. Through James Hutton, the Kohima Club extracted from the Simon Commission, a tag known as “Excluded Area” for Naga Hills District, whereby all mainland Indians were required to obtain “Inner Line Permit” to enter Naga Hills District. Since Manipur was land-locked, Manipuris were allowed to pass through Naga Hills District without ILP.

Intended but failed visit of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to Manipur
Sometime in 1941, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then yet-to-be-crowned Prime Minister of India, visited Assam for the first time. There, he learnt about the existence of a Hindu Kingdom known as Manipur ruled by a Maharaja. He expressed his desire to have a ‘dekho’ of Manipur. So, he came to Dimapur-Manipur-Road-Junction, which was in Bokajan District of Assam. He wanted to reach Manipur by car. Pandit Nehru was told at Nijagarot to obtain an Inner Line Permit. He got so angry that he left Dimapur in a huff, on the ground that as in Indian, he should be permitted to visit any part of India. I remember this incident very well, since I was a student of class VII in Johnstone School and by that time, the wind of freedom movement had swept Manipur and photographs of Mahatma Gandhiji, Nehruji used to decorate our sitting rooms in the verandah.

In fact, when we heard that Panditji would be housed in the British-built, ImphalDak Bungalow (now office of the Imphal Municipality Council), we, youngsters went to sweep the rooms and also clean the surroundings. Ultimately, when we heard that Panditji went back from Dimapur, we felt very sad. ILP was removed for Indians entering Manipur by air or by road via Jiribam during Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh’s reign in 1949, consequent to public agitation led by Praja Socialist Party leader MadhuLimaye, who stayed in SingjameiThokchomLeikai, Imphal.

NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose & INA
With NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose’s INA (Indian National Army) fighting for Indian independence and the hoisting of the tri-colour Indian National Flag by Col. Ahmed B Mallick of INA at Moirang, the clever Brits decided to grant independence to India, but after partitioning into India and Pakistan. Incidentally, Pakistan means, Pak (sacred) and stan (homeland). Indeed, the trials of INA officers like Maj. Gen. Bhonsale, Capt. LaxmiSehgal etc. at Red Fort, Delhi ended in a happy note of release. This was a far-sighted policy of the Brits.

Dawn of Indian Independence
The Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed by the British Parliament on 18 July 1947. I quote, the first paragraph (after the preamble, which is unparagraphed) as under:-

The New Dominions
(i) As from the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty seven, two independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively as India and Pakistan.
(ii) The said Dominions are hereafter in this Act referred to as ‘the new Dominions’ and the said fifteenth day of August is hereafter in this Act referred to as ‘the appointed day’.
About a month before passing Indian Independence Act, 1947, one Professor Campbell belonging to the University of Cambridge came up with a wild idea that India should be tri-furcated into three Dominions namely India, Pakistan and a Christiandom (or any name to be selected by the UK government), which should consist of Christian majority areas of the eastern part of Manipur where Christianity had spread, Lushai Hills (now Mizoram, Khasi and Jaintia Hills (now Meghalaya) and other pockets of Assam where Christianity predominated. But, the idea was turned down by the then UK government because of lack of geographical link and most importantly, road and rail disconnect.

Phizo& Naga Independence
Notwithstanding the rejection at the instigation of Charles Pawsay, the famous Naga leader Mr. A Z Phizo declared “independence of Nagas” on 14th August 1947, one day prior to Indian Independence and invited a war between India and Nagas. Therefore, it will be apt to say that it was ONLY through the ingenuity of the British to transform a CLUB (Kohima Club) into a NATION”. The clever British right from James Hutton (1929, Simon Commission days) upto Sir C Pawsay (August 1947) pricked India. Now, I do allege that it was the dexterous British who planted the seeds of Naga war for independence, now taken up by NSCN(IM) and its splitted outfit, NSCN(K). Incidentally, (IM) stands for Isaac Muivah and (K) stands for Khaplang. In Naga Hills District of Assam, the Naga rebels and the Naga public, except a few nationalists who were normally eliminated by killing, had been and is till now, the obverse and reverse faces of the same coin. Even, ShriThangmeilenMuivah, Gen. Secretary of NSCN(IM) managed to escape death by the skin of his teeth, when he was ambushed.

Formation of State Of Nagaland
Many of us are aware of the fact that Major Ralengnao (Bob) Khathing, MC, MBE, recipient of Padma Shri, from Ukhrul District of Manipur hoisted India’s tri-colour flag at Tawang in the afternoon of 14 February 1951 amidst the singing of the National song “Jana GanaMana” by security guard of one company of 5 Assam Rifles then located at Lokra (Assam) on the foothills of the Great Himalayan Ranges.

At that time, Naga insurgency movement under the Late A Z Phizo, the supreme leader got spilled over to neighbouringTuensang Frontier Tract of the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). So, Indian Army moved into Kohima to quell the movement. Since Major Khathing had become Second Advisor to His Excellency to the Governor of Assam, his office moved into Kohima for liaison with Army where HQ 8 Mountain Division was located. Hence, administratively Naga Hills District and Tuensang Frontier Tract became one administrative unit. Thus, a new nomenclature known as Naga Hills and Tuensang came into use. So, when Naga Hills District became a full fledged State of India on 1st December 1963, Tuensang became a part of new state of Nagaland.

Birth of insurgency in Manipur
When Manipuri youths learnt the news of grant of statehood to Nagaland and ignoring Manipur and realized that obstinacy, insurgency and secessionism pays dividends, they started Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA), United National Liberation Front (UNLF) etc. in early 1960s. These outfits and many others like KYKL (KangleipakYawolKanbaLup), KCP (KangleiCanba Party), KNA (Kuki National Army) etc. numbering now nearing two dozens came into existence. The births of Meitei insurgents are Government of India’s gift to Manipur, for the brazen mistake of gratifying the naughty and ignoring the faithful Manipuris. As you will find as you read on, GOI is continuing with this programme of appeasement of Nagas of Nagaland.

21.  On the advice of American Baptist Church, the leaders of Naga Hills District demanded a railhead for the yet-to-be formed State of Nagaland. So, the plains area of Bokajan District of Assam was ceded to the State of Nagaland in order to include Dimapur Manipur Road junction. In the bargain, an aerodrome for air traffic known as Kohima aerodrome got established, not at Kohima, but at Dimapur plains area.

Statehood for Manipur
22. Over here, it may be pertinent to mention that Manipur managed to become a full-fledged State of India on 21 January 1972, almost nine years after Nagaland, consequent to mob violence in a public meeting addressed by the Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at the Imphal Polo Ground. Incidentally, the first Chief Minister of the full-fledged State of Manipur was Md. Alimuddin. The line-up of the then Manipur State Cabinet of 20-3-72 was:-
· Md. Alimuddin, Chief Minister
· YangmasoShaiza, Finance Minister
· Shri Y Yaima Singh, Education Minister
· Ngurdinglen, Development Minister
· Kh. Chaoba Singh, PWD Minister

23.  A Muslim Chief Minister of Manipur, when there was only one Muslim for every four hundred Manipuris or 0.25% of population displayed the broad-mindedness of Meitei Hindus. Amazingly Meitei’s shared two Minister’s berth equal to tribal population of Manipur.

Naga Peace Talks
24. Now, going back to Nagaland’s history after Statehood, the Church instigated for more ‘lebensraun’. They wanted the land areas of Manipur, where ‘the so-called Manipuri Nagas are residing. So, using the camouflaged words “Peace Talks”, they trapped GOI to initiate peace. At that point of time in April 1965, I was a Major in Zakhama commanding 19 Field Company, then an independent and self-accounting field unit of Bombay Engineering Group before Engineer Regiments were formed. So, I could see the happenings from the grandstand of the gallery.

25.  The Peace Mission, which soon ended as Quarrel Mission, consisted of SarvaNeta Jai Prakash Narayan, ShriBimol Chandra Chaliha, former Chief Minister of Assam and Rev. Peter Scott, representing Nagaland. While the Talks did not progress as desired, on account of unacceptable demands put forth by Rev. Peter Scott, it was found out that he was spying also. Hence, Rev. Peter Scott as expelled from India as ‘persona non grata’ (unwanted person). Indeed, Government of India should have refused to accept Rev. Peter Scott, a man from Church (religion) as representative of the State of Nagaland.

Three mighty events
26. Recently three mighty events happened in Manipur because of Nagaland Government and politicians and Naga civic bodies on one hand and GOM on the other hand. The first one was the front page headline news of Imphal Free Press dated Saturday, May 14 2011 which said “Tripartite talks on UNC (United Naga Council) demands.” The details of the news said that UNC is the Naga Apex body and the talks would be held on May 30 at Senapati. The Govt. of Manipur Team consisting of H’ble Ministers N Biren, D DThaisii, T N Haokip and Chief Secretary D S Poonia went to meet the powerful UNC. Nothing significant came out of the Talks, except for waste of time, on blah, blah by leaders of UNC.

27.  My question over this issue is “Is the United Naga Council (UNC) so powerful that the Council could summon H’ble Chief Minister of Manipur or GOM’s ministerial Team backed up by Chief Secretary etc. at their chosen place, chosen time and chosen date? Why is GOM surrendering to UNC? From my point of view UNC should descend from their lofty heights and come down to Imphal and seek for an appointment from our Chief Minister and hold dialogue. Yesterday (30 June 2011), I was watching and listening to DDK Imphal 7:00 pm evening news, there I saw Shri D S Poonia, completely bored but listening to the blah-blah of UNC representatives.

28.  The second mighty event was the proposed visit of Nagaland Chief Minister, ShriNeiphiu Rio despite GOM’s firm decision to prevent forcible entry into Senapati District of Manipur. GOM had dispatched IRB, MR, and Civil Police to prevent Shri Rio. However, I do believe that a telephone call from Shri P Chidambaram must had compelled the Manipur Chief Minister to cool down his heels and suffer in silence. The triumphant Rio opened a branch office of his regional party DAN (Democratic Association of Nagas) at Senapati, implying that Senapati District is now part of Nagaland.

29.  The third mighty event was tea-shop public response in depressed mood, which was made loud and clear by ShriRadhabinodKoijam, ex-Chief Minister of Manipur, that we,Manipuris would never tolerate territorial expansion of Nagaland into Manipur.

30.  Yesterday, 30 June 2011, I was watching and listening to DDK Imphal news bulletin at 7:00 pm and I saw the failed Tripartite Talks between UNC (United Naga Council) on the one hand and GOM (Government of Manipur) representatives on the other hand, and GOI representatives on third hand again at Senapati.

31.  The line-up of both the teams of GOI and GOM indicated the seriousness of the Talks. The team of GOI was led by Shri U K Bansal, Secretary (Internal Security) MHA; Shri A K Mishra, Jt. Director (Intelligence Bureau); ShriSambhu Singh, Jt. Secretary, North East and Colonel S K Narayan, Director-II, Ministry of Defence.

32.  GOM was represented by Chief Secretary Shri D S Poonia; Principal Secretary Shri L P Gonmei; Shri B K Kishpota, Commisssioner (Home); ShriSajjadHussain, Commissioner, Planning; ShriSumant Singh, Secy. to CM; ShriDeveshDeval, Jt. Secy. (Home); ShriPradeep Kumar Jha; DC SenapatiandShriNishit Kr. Ujwal, SP Senapati.

33.  UNC was represented its Chairman Shri Sword Vasum, Member Secretary of UNCShri L Adani, Mani Charanamei {ex-MP who was NSCM(IM)’s candidate and won election by guns of IM}, Shri K S Paul and others. The Talks failed, perhaps on the demand for splitting the geographical integrity of Manipur.

34.  NSCN(IM)’s dream project is to carve out Nagalim (lim means land), reminiscent of ‘lebensraun’ or living space of Adolf Hitler’s Germany, which ended in disaster for the German nation. The logo of Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim is ‘Nagaland for Christ’ shown at the side. NSCN(IM)’s ultimate aim is to do an East Timor to India. In any case, since a Government of People’s Republic of Nagaland (GPRN) within the Republic of India, cannot exist side by side, the sanctuary provided to NSCN(IM) at Hebron Camp must be wound up immediately. NSCN(IM) are quislings and must be expelled from India. Is GOI listening please

35.  If the dictum that where the Nagas dominate, that area should be merged into Nagalim/Nagaland, is internationally accepted as holy truism, then for example, if the County of Plymouth is Indian dominated by settlement of Indians like Lord Paul of Marylebone, presently Deputy Speaker of House of Lords and Lord Meghnad Desai contesting for post of Speaker (refer the Hindu, June 15 2011) or Mr. (probably Lord) V S Naipaul (author or ‘An area of Darkness’) and other Indians then, can India claim the County of Plymouth as the new twenty ninth State of India? Absolutely weird.

36.  About three years ago, an able and brave and well educated Doctor of books, Dr. ThingamKishan, SDO, Ukhrul, was killed in presence of DC Ukhrul, who has now joined his parent cadre in Bihar. The ex-DC of Ukhrul perhaps knew about the proposed killing but is now avoiding investigation by the Sessions Court of Manipur. For the dreaded NSCN(IM) “laws are for law books only; in the jungles and in the hills, the law is what the cadres of NSCN(IM) dictate and do”. The Government of Manipur and the Ministry of Home of GOI must ban NSCN(IM) and root them out.

37.  H’ble Home Minister P Chidambram an intellectual giant may condescend to read Military History, which was and still is, a subject taught in IMA, Dehradun, and OTS, Chennai. Also, I humbly advise him to read counter-insurgency campaigns like the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in the then French Indo-China fought in 1954, the suppression of Malaya Peninsula insurgents in 1946-47 by Major General Templar, later on CIGS (Chief of Imperial General Staff), UK, the revolt of Mau Mau terrorists in Kenya, about the same year, and the defeat of the mighty American Army supported by aircrafts of the USA’s 7th Fleet of the Pacific Ocean, mid-1990s. The American Army was led by General Westmoreland and he used napalm bombs, which spread burning jelly sticking to the skin. The whole world saw the unique photograph of a young girl absolutely naked, crying and running to cool her skin. After years of search, she was located at the USA. General Westmoreland ultimately became Chief of the American Army, since there was no strategic blunder and tactical mistakes and deficiency of bravery by American forces.

38.  At this juncture, please permit me to offer some accounts of factual things which were linguistically happening in the entire Himalayan ranges starting from Ladakh to Arunachal, upto the ancient Kingdom of Manipur. For example, Tenga Valley in Kameng District of Arunachal State has a valley of the River Tenga. And Tenga was derived from ‘Thi’ meaning ‘plenty’ and ‘nga’ meaning ‘fish’. So, Thi-Nga became ‘Tenga’. In Manipuri language, ‘nga’ means ‘fish’. There is linguistic similarity. Bomdila is derived from ‘bom’ meaning ‘bamboo’, ‘thi’ meaning ‘plenty’ and ‘la’ meaning ‘pass’. So, ‘Bom-thi-la’ became Bomdila which means a mountain pass, growing plenty of bamboo.

39.  In 1962, I was a Major in Research and Development Establishment, Pune and went to Leh/Ladakh area for testing prototype equipment. There, I stayed in the Officers Mess of Brigadier T N Raina (later Chief Of Army Staff, Indian Army) atDarbuk. I went uptoChushul Lake, whose waters are shared half-half with India and China. Over there, I picked up some Ladakhi language, which I found was very similar to Manipuri language.

40.  It is a fact that the ancient Kingdom of Manipur had a written history, known as ChietharolKumbaba (Royal Chronicles) right from 33 AD and Puyas or Puranaswhich were animistic religious books, written in Manipuri script.We believed in worshipping sylvan deity. Having a script and also having a written history do signify the extent of Meitei civilization.

41.  I must frankly and also proudly admit and proclaim that Meitei Kshetriyas (including Rajkumars) were all tribals before the advent of Hinduism. Meitei Kings, then known as Meidingus, used to inter-marry with tribal ladies and vice versa. Please permit me to tell you something about the history of Manipur.

42.  Meidingu (meaning King) Charairongba ruled Manipur from 1697 to 1708 for eleven years only. It is probable that Charairongba was dethroned in a Palace intrigue. The Queen of Charairongba was Ningthilchaibi from a village near Maram. The Queen had a son, whose name was Pamheiba. On account of fear of killing the infant Pamheiba, Queen Ningthilchaibi arranged to bring up the infant Prince at her ancestral Maram village till time was ripe to crown her son.

43.  The Queen conspired with a Kom tribal named AkomKom who was a powerful courtier in the Palace, on two conditions that if the conspiracy succeeded, firstly,AkomKom’s daughter must marry the new Meidingu or son of Ningthelchaibi and secondly, he must be made a minister. The conspiracy succeeded and Pamheiba became Meidingu in 1708.

44.  Around 1715 or near about, Shanti Das Gosain a Hindu Bengali Brahmin from Sylhet, then a part of Bengal Subah (province) of Moghul Empire came to Manipur and converted MeidinguPamheiba into Hinduism and crowned him as Maharaja GaribNiwaj Singh and burnt the Puyas (animistic religious books) of Meiteis which the Maharaja and Shanti Das Gosain could collect.

45.  Over here, I wanted to tell that Maharaja GaribNiwaj Singh conquered Burma upto Mandalay and over there he put a cut-mark by his sword on the door of the main Pagoda at Mandalay. The cut mark existed till late nineteen hundreds, but it does not exist now, since the Pagoda had been destroyed due to construction of four lane highway in Mandalay.

46.  There is now a wind of revival of the old animistic religion, which is followed by about 5% of Meiteis. Also, Christianity has spread into Manipuri society perhaps to about 0.5% of Meitei population. Since India is an independent and free country, no one has any objection to the spread of Christianity or Buddhism etc. or revival of Meitei animistic religion.

47.  During the Meidingu and Maharaja periods, all tribal Chiefs were to come to Kangla Fort, Imphal, on the full moon night of the month of Kartik (month of Mera by Meitei calendar) and present a gift maybe a Tankhul spear or a Kabui sword or anything like a big pumpkin or a big potato etc. according to the Chief’s resources. This tradition continued during the British period also when Manipur was ruled by Maharaja Churachand Singh, KCSI, CBE.

48.  Now, because of the fear of hurting the sentiments of tribal being called as Hao (hill tribes), considered derogatory, “MeraHaoChongba” has now been dubbed as “MeraHouChongba” since tribal Chiefs and Manipuri Kings danced and shouted “Hou! Hou! Hou! …… “ etc. What stupid timidity on telling a historical truth! I have no shame in admitting that my ancestors were Haos (tribal as my surname Hoabamindicates).Haobams are descendents of AkomKom.

49.  During those of Meidingu period, the Kings of Manipur and perhaps the Meiteis also used to eat beef. So, at Kangla Fort, there is still a big, flat stone known as “Shan (cow), Hatpham (slaughter)”.

50.  During Lai-Haraoba functions, (the worship of sylvan deity) the presence of a real Tangkhul and a real Kabui was the normal practice, even during the reign of the last King of Manipur, Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh. Of course, after Manipur got merged into India on 15th October 1949, this practice stopped.

51.  Here, I wish to mention that, I was and am still an experimenter of curious things. So, using an alarm clock, I got up at around 2:00 am on the Purnima (full moon) night of Mera (Kartik), some years ago (2005). To my utter surprise, the bright full moon shone so nicely without any speck of cloud in the sky that on this particular night as legend says that ‘one can thread a needle’ was found to be almost true. Anyone check it.

52.  It is believed that Tangkhuls and Meiteis were brothers staying in the hills, when Imphal valley was a big lake. Loktaklake, one of the big lakes in India emptied itself when Imphal river screwed an outlet through nine rows of hills into Ningthee (Chindwin) turrel (river). During the reign of Maharaja Gambhir Singh Ningthiturrel was the boundary between Burma and Manipur.

53.  Kabaw valley, an area of about 8000 sq. kms. up toNingtheeturrelto Meitei’s and Chindwin river to Burmese belonged to Manipur by right of conquest by Maharaja Gambhir Singh followed by the settlement of Manipuries but itwas gifted away to Burma in 1953, when India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Nehru and Burmese Prime Minister U Nu visited Imphal. At that time, the Chief Commissioner of Manipur was ShriRameshwar Prasad Bhargava, ICS and I wonder if Pandit Nehru consulted the CC of Manipur. Anyway, for the public of Manipur, it was a shocking news.

54.  Now, I may please be allowed to inform leaders of India and leaders of NSCN(IM) particularly Mr. ThingmeilenMuivah who is a Tangkhul and other NSCN leaders that ethnically, linguistically, culturally, Tangkhuls and Meiteis are brothers with the Tangkhul being senior. To prove this, let me give you some examples of linguistic similarity:-

(a) Counting of Numbers:-
Tangkhul Manipuri English 
Akha  Ama  One 
Khani  Ani  Two 
Khatum  Ahum  Three 
Mati  Mari  Four 
Phanga  Manga  Five 
Thruk  Taruk  Six
 
(b) Languages
Tangkhul  Manipuri  English 
NawiEemingKipa Ho? Nangi Ming Kari Kouyee? What Is Your Name? 
Nao   Inao   Baby Brother 
Na Cha Haila?  Nang ChakCharabra? Have You Taken Food? 
NariLeishiye  Nang Nungshiye  I Love You 
Lai   Lan   Battlefield 
and so on.

55.  Culturally again, Leirum, the traditional Tangkhul blanket always forms one of the should-be and must-be items of wedding gift for any Manipuri bride, including Meitei Brahmins, whose original ancestors were mainlander Brahmins from Bengal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh etc. Now, they are all Manipuri Hindu Brahmins in all respects of our Meitei society.

56.  It is worthwhile to inform you that the Chief of all Tangkhul clans is always the Chief of Hundung in Ukhrul Dist. I had gone to Hundung to meet the Chief around 1990. Though he was only about fifty years of age at that time and I was older to him by a decade or so, he desired that I should address him as ‘Ipa’ meaning ‘father’. I obliged him. In the courtyard of his residence, I saw stone-blocks with engravings indicating the date of visit by Maharaja Sir Churachand Singh KCSI, CBE, Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh, and MaharajaOkendra Singh. Whenever, the Tangkhul Chief of Hundung came to Imphal, I heard that he always stayed at the Palace with our Titular Maharaja LeisembaSanajaoba. Mr. Muivah and other Tangkhuls must know, the blood, linguistic and cultural relations, we (Meiteis) have with Tangkhuls.

57.  Meitei Hindus also observe ‘MeraThaomeiThanbi’ (lighting a lantern) in which we erect a pole near the TulasiAngan in the courtyard and pull up a lantern singing “TulasiDarayo, DamuDarayo”, giving a light signal to our elder Tangkhul brothers that we are well and healthy. Tangkhul brothers will reply by burning hill sides. In this kind of cultural and linguistic relationship, it well be a very difficult task for NSCN(IM) and Mr. Neiphu Rio to break up Manipur State, despite opening of his regional party, DAN (Democratic Association of Nagas) at Senapati in June 2011 (this year), as if Senapati District is now a part of Nagaland.

58.  The naming of township and District of Senapati also had historical connection with the Kingdom of Manipur. During the period when Maharaja Sir Chandrakirti Singh was the monarch of Manipur, Major Gen. Sir James Johnstone, the British Political Agent in the Maharaja’s Court requested our Maharaja that since he was the representative of Her Majesty Queen Victoria of England, on whose Empire the sun never sets, he might please be received by a Prince of Manipur at some place at the tip of start of Imphal Valley and the Prince and Sir Johnstone would ride horses with armed guards and band party. The willy Maharaja agreed and sent Prince Tikendrajit, who used to camp at Karong area. The tribal peoples called the camp area as Senapati since Tikendrajit was Senapati. Hence, the names of township of Senapati and of district of Senapati had historical connection. The tribal people of Karong could not have named their area as Senapati which is a Sanskrit word.

59.  I now appeal to our Tangkhul, Kabui, Mao, Maram etc. Nagas of Manipur to remain united as we are bound linguistically through Meiteilon (Manipuri language), which we all know.

60.  Now, let me reproduce in toto, a biggish pamphlet issued by Shri S C Jamir, former Cong(I) Chief Minister of Nagaland and Governor of Goa, in toto as under:-

Bedrock Of Naga Society
State exists not only for mere life but also for the sake of good life. – Aristotle

The 16-Point Agreement of 1960 came about when the Nagas were going through the worst of times. But it was also one of the best things to have happened to the Naga people because it led to the birth of Statehood – on whose firm foundation our society is built. In a larger form of things, due to the Agreement, for the first time, the world recognised the territory of the Nagas as Nagaland.

But of late, there has been an increasing tendency to criticise the 16-point Agreement signed between the Naga People’s Convention (NPC) and the Government of India that led to the creation of Nagaland State on December 1st 1963. The criticism implies that the 16-point agreement was a mistake, as the demand of the people was for complete independence from India. When carefully analysed, much of this criticism is bereft of historical facts and emanates from a section of frustrated politicians solely for the sake of narrow political and personal gains. Such groundless criticism can be safely ignored. However, what is of greater concern is that similar comments are also being made by impartial persons who have no political axe to grind and who genuinely have the interests of Nagas at heart. They too seem to believe that the 16-point agreement compromised the demand for a sovereign Naga nation. The voice of such persons deserves attention. It is therefore, necessary that the truth should be stated and the record
set straight. Let us talk on facts, not emotions. Emotions have a way of hiding the truth.

Sovereignty Myth And Reality
The fundamental assumption underlying the notion that Statehood compromised the sovereignty of Nagas, is that the Nagas were a separate independent entity from time immemorial till the British rulers conquered them, therefore, when the British left India in 1947, the Nagas should have reverted to their independent status. Prima facie, this sounds an attractive proposition, but is it really true? Let us not he misled by words like ‘time immemorial’. Did we have an independent political existence at all immediately before the British rule or even during the British days? Were we really an independent nation? A political entity or a nation has to be based on historical facts. It pre-supposes the existence of a definite political structure that governs a clearly demarcated area of land which is inhabited by a people who accept this arrangement and have close contacts with each other. It also demands that the political structure would be either a monarchy, a democracy, an autocracy, an oligarchy, a dictatorship, or any structure that is universally accepted by political scientists as an ‘independent, self-governing and well defined political entity’ or a ‘nation’. Other areas in the North-East like Assam, Manipur, Tripura and the Kacharis had their territories and their kingdoms. Did we? The stark and inescapable truth is that neither did we have a definite and unified political structure and nor did we exist as a nation. We were actually a group of heterogeneous, primitive and diverse tribes living in far-flung villages that had very little in common and negligible contact with each other. Education did not exist and awareness about the world outside was totally absent. Each village was practically an entity in itself. A village does not make a nation. The main ‘contact’ between villages was through the savage practice of headhunting. Mutual suspicion and distrust was rife. People led an insular and isolated life. Internecine warfare was the order of the day. There was no trust or interaction between different tribe.
In these circumstances„ the question of a unified ‘Naga nation’ did not arise. No one can dispute these historical truths. There is enough documentation recorded by the British administrators, some as late as the end of the 19th century, which gives the correct picture as it existed. We cannot ignore such historical evidence and rely on emotional outbursts alone.

We continue to claim we were an independent nation till the British conquered us. Did we have a boundary for our nation? As late as the 1940’s when British rule was almost over, large parts of today’s Nagaland did not even exist on their maps. Instead of showing villages the maps showed large blank white spaces with the words “Unadministered and Unsurveyed”. Did we have a ruler or a Government? The writ of a village chief did not extend beyond his village. Did we have a capital city where the Government sat? The British Deputy Commissioner sat in Kohima out of convenience. Was this the capital of the independent Naga nation that we claim existed before the British? Did we have a currency or a coinage like other kingdoms or nations? We lived on barter till the British introduced the rupee. Did we have armed forces to defend our nation? Did we have common laws, rules and regulations for our nation as a whole? Did we have an administrative apparatus that looked after the welfare of the people? Did we have roads that linked the nation? The answer to all these are obviously in the negative. These questions cannot be ignored, especially by those who are educated and claim to be the intelligentsia of our society. Let us face the reality that existed. Let us not distort history and let us not fool ourselves any more. The plain fact is that we never existed as an independent, unified nation at any time in our history. Yes, each village existed independently, but is that the equivalent of a Naga Nation? Even the names Naga or Angami or Ao or Sema or Chang were unknown to us. We called people of different tribes by other names. We led a primitive and brutish life in our villages, uncivilized and unlettered. The word of Christ was unknown and unheard of. Life beyond the village boundaries was unknown. Justice was rough and summary. Diseases went unchecked. Slavery was common. People lived and died without ever leaving their villages. We had no idea of the concept of a nation or independence or nationhood Is it right to make these tall claims that we were an independent nation before the British conquered us? At least, let us be honest about our ancestry and our history. We Nagas always prefer honesty to falsehood, however painful the truth may be.

The then Naga way of life is best summed up by R B McCabe who, writing about the Nagas in the 19th century, says “Grouped in small communities of from 100 to 3,000 persons, the Nagas have remained isolated on their hill tops, only deigning to visit their immediate neighbours when a longing for the possession of their heads become too strong to be resisted.

Beginning from the early 1950s, the Naga “nationalism” gained momentum and was accelerated with the election of A Z Phizo as president of the NNC on Dec 11, 1950. Under Phizo’s leadership, the Nagas conducted the Plebiscite of May 16,1951 in which it is claimed 99.9% of the Nagas voted for independence. This Plebiscite emotionally integrated the various Naga tribes, and boosted the morale of the movement. Most scholars agree that the whole Naga problem was ineptly handled by the then police and administration. The banning of the NNC in 1952 was a blunder which compelled the leaders to turn underground once and for all. The movement was given its first martyr when an officer of the Assam Police shot dead ZasibitoAngami of Jotsoma village on October 18, 1952 during a public demonstration. The ban was a blunder because Delhi did not realise the popular support the NNC had at that point of time.

An opportunity to settle the problem once and for all came when the prime ministers of India and Burma visited Kohima on March 30, 1953. But the then deputy commissioner of Kohima, for reasons best known to him, did not allow the Nagas to submit a memorandum to the visiting prime ministers. The several thousand Nagas gathered at the venue to receive the VIPs, turned and left the ground enmasse when they learned they were not to make themselves heard before the prime ministers. This was, indeed, a turning, point in the history of the Nagas.

It is agreed that political will was lacking somewhere down the line. But more important, awareness of each other’s way of life and reasoning was deplorably inadequate and thus, the impasse.

Division Of The Movement
The abduction, torture and killing of T Sakhrie by his own people saw the splitting of the movement into two with the majority of the Nagas finding themselves literally between the devil and the deep blue sea – on the one hand, the Indian troops harassed, tortured, raped and herded villagers into concentration camps and burned their granaries, and on , the other hand, for the first and severest time in the history of Naga movement for self determination, Nagas began to hunt, torture and kill fellow Nagas which, understandably, divided the sympathy of the Naga people. The movement too, was divided and it fell into disarray. Several thousands of Nagas were killed; thousands more were tortured in the most inhuman manner; and the rest – the innocent public – suffered in the agony of having their loved ones killed and tortured – theirs was but to live in perpetual fear. They feared the Indian army, and they also feared their own people in the jungles. They neither liked the hammer nor the anvil.

And the sorry part of the whole saga of suffering was that there was nothing the world could do. Human rights awareness in these parts of the world in 1950s was almost absent and the innocents cried in silence and shed unseen tears.

The insensibility of the whole thing became simply mind boggling – but a clear conclusion dawned on the people. If the insanity was allowed to continue any longer, the very survival of the Nagas as a people would be put on the very brink of annihilation. The people could not work their fields. They could not live their normal lives. And since agriculture was, as is, the mainstay of the Nagas, the spectre of a widespread famine loomed large on the horizons.

Hell On Earth
It became obvious that we had overestimated our strength and that the Government of India underestimated our capabilities to fight a long-drawn battle. At the same time, it also became painfully obvious that the public have suffered enough – too much blood had been shed and too many precious lives have been lost. Wives became widows and children became orphans; there was not a single family in all the Naga villages which had not lost a near and dear one to the atrocities of either Indian Army or the Naga undergrounds. The movement had become a nightmare for the Nagas.

The then prevailing situation in these hills was worse than the Hobbesian State of Nature where the worst in man was let loose upon their fellow beings. It was worse because fear, hatred and worst of all, suspicion was sown in the minds of the villagers for the first time. Villagers became suspicious of each other as a new group of people popularly known as intiligin (people who were under the employ of the Military Intelligence) were recruited to spy and report on the activities of the underground as well as the villagers.

The Government of India was clear that sovereignty was not possible under any circumstances. And also sensing the mood of despondency among the people, it made clear that status quo should continue and the Naga Hills’ would remain as a district of Assam. It seemed as if the Naga people had no future. It seemed as if the Nagas were destined to be lost in the multitude of people with alien culture, different thinking and aspirations.

It also appeared that the Naga movement initiated by Phizo had reached a dead end. And it was at this time that a few educated and patriotic persons who felt that the Naga people took stock of the then prevailing situation, and resolved that even if Independence was not possible, the land, identity and individuality of the Naga people should never be compromised with by remaining as a district of Assam. The choice was between survival and annihilation – the choice was between being submerged forever in Assam, or being recognised as a distinct entity having the freedom to exercise our traditional rights and respected as a people, or being trampled under the weight of dictatorship.

The generations of today cannot imagine the distress that the leaders of those days went through to take these choices. Many of these leaders were killed just because they voiced their feelings and convictions. But it is to their eternal credit that they did not take any decisions hastily or without consultations. They were, true to the spirit of the Naga ancestors, genuine democrats. They consulted and discussed all these issues in minute details with all the different tribes and even with those living outside Nagaland. Their sole intention was to ameliorate and alleviate the sufferings of the people and their efforts would be better appreciated when considered along with the fact that transport and communication as well as security in those days was nothing to write home about. However, the conviction that each and every group of Nagas should be thoroughly consulted before taking such a momentous decision as drawing up any agreement with the Government of India, overcame all hesitations and difficulties. Moreover, the leaders of that period took utmost care to ensure the voice and opinions of the villagers were heard, and a consensus was reached. After due deliberations and ensuring that all the tribes made their feelings known, the Naga People’s Convention was formed and a series of meetings were held at Kohima in 1957, at Ungma in 1958 and at Mokokchung in 1959 to seek the opinion of the people before responding to the invitation of the Government of India. It was understood from the very beginning that decisions would only be taken with the approval of the majority, and though not easy by any means to bring about a consensus opinion among the various, hitherto not too familiar tribes, a unanimous decision was worked out at long last. And after protracted negotiations with the Government of India, the 16-Point Agreement was signed in 1960 and the State of Nagaland born in 1963.

Covenant To End A War
This Agreement is a remarkable document and it was the first of its kind signed by the Government with any section of its people. Nagaland is the only State born out of an agreement. This is indeed remarkable in the days when Delhi followed an iron-hand policy as far as integration of the country was concerned. Statehood of Nagaland was the amalgamation of the aspirations of the people especially their aspirations to live – in peace, normalcy and prosperity. It was a covenant without a battle to end a senseless war, and credit must go to the Naga leaders who had the rational desire and human instinct to escape from the senseless conditions of war that prevailed at that point of time. And it gave the Nagas worth and significance in the eyes of the world.

Statehood – Bedrock of Naga Society
Statehood also gave the Nagas a sense of unity, identity and political entity for the very first time. Tuensang and Mon areas were merged with the new State and the representatives of these areas were represented for the first time in policy-making for the development of the people. It established parliamentary democracy in our society and ensured that the destiny of the Nagas would be decided and charted by the Nagas themselves and not by someone alien to their ways of life. At the same time, recognising the need to preserve our culture, traditions and customary laws, a special provision was added re the Constitution of India. Article 371 A of the Constitution gaurantees that, unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland so decides, no Act of the Indian Parliament would apply to the State of Nagaland in respect of
i) Religious and social practices of the Nagas
ii) Naga customary laws and procedures
iii) Administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary laws and
iv) Ownership and transfer of land and its resources.

In all respects, this is no mean achievement. But it is easy to belittle these achievements today and cast unwanted and unfair aspersions on the leaders who made it possible. It is also easy to sit in the comforts of one’s home, enjoy the fruits of Statehood and make unfair comments, forgetting all the trials and tribulations that went into giving the Nagas an honourable place in the Indian Union.

37 Years Of Statehood
It has indeed, been a long and winding road for the Nagas in the last 37 years of Statehood. But nevertheless, we have come far and we have reasons to boast of our achievements.

In 1963, the population of the State stood at 3.69 lakh out of whom barely 18% or sixty-six thousand people were literate. There was not a single college in the whole State and there were only two Government High Schools, 11 middle schools and 180 primary schools. There were only two civil hospitals and a handful of smaller hospitals and dispensaries in some few places. Basic amenities such as water and electric supply were non-existent. Black-topped roads stretched for hardly 168 kilometres and the remaining roads barely reached a few administrative headquarters. The total fund allocation for the entire Naga Hills Tuensang Area in 1963 amounted to a paltry Rs 3.88 crore with a few hundred Government servants running the affairs of the State Government.

The State Legislative Assembly has voted a budget of Rs 1,725 crore for the year 2000-2001. And this directly reflects on the amount of investment and the degree of development the people of Nagaland has made in the last three-plus decades. Houses even in the remotest areas have CGI roofings with roads leading to them. Schools, play grounds, electricity and health care facilities have been provided to one and all. Our literacy rate stands at 83%, ranking among the highest in the whole country. Above all, we have our own elected legislators and about a lakh of government servants to run the government thereby enabling us to determine our own destiny.

CriminalisationOf The Cause
What has happened to the movement for independence is clearly visible today. All idealism seems to have been lost and the goals for which thousands suffered and sacrificed their lives appear to have been completely forgotten. The movement has now degenerated into sheer terrorism with killing of innocents, extortion, looting, intimidation and threats becoming the order of the day. Gun culture is all-pervading and the price for dissent is death. People are afraid to express their opinions, and the straight forwardness that characterised Naga society appears to have vanished. Leaders who head the movement now do not seem to have the vision, the wisdom, the democratic credentials and the compassion that are required to lead a people and ‘run a nation’. They impose their decisions through threat. They do not command respect – they demand it from the people at gun point.

What was once a movement of the people by the people for the people, is now reduced to meaningless terrorism with the so-called national workers embarking on a spree of extortion and self-agrandisement A movement which once had volunteers sacrificing their everything is now reduced to goondaism. This is amply shown by the fact that cadres of the different factions of the underground go around villages demanding that they should be fed and supplied with rations and money, as if the villagers owe them.

In other words, the movement initiated and nurtured by the people has gone against the same people, and those criminalising the once noble movement force themselves to believe, or suffer from delusions, that they have the sympathy of the public. The recent resolution of the village representatives from the 1068 villages at the VDB Conference speaks volumes about the attitude of the people towards violence.

Modern Concept of Sovereignty
Apart from this, we also must be practical enough to realise that independence is not some magic wand that would solve all our problems at one stroke. The world has changed, and national boundaries and territorial sovereignty have little meaning today. Small, under developed and economically poor nations have no future in a world that is increasingly driven by market economy. Inter-dependence has replaced independence as the means to prosperity and economics is the real politics of today. The modern concept of sovereignty is based on economic sovereignty, and not political sovereignty as in the past. The European Union is a prime example. A number of countries have formed the Union to have a common currency and maximise their economic interests. They have abolished all trade, citizenship and commercial barriers among their respective nations. The main reason why nations should merge is that people want prosperity, a better life; and rapid economic progress. They do not want to isolate themselves, nor do they want to strive in vain or live in poverty.

These are the trends that are dominating the global scenario today and it would be naive and self-defeating to ignore these developments sweeping across nations the world over.

Naga Independence: A Hypothesis
In this background, let us seriously introspect on whether Nagaland can survive as an independent nation. There are people who argue even without a historical legacy, the Nagas must struggle for independence. Under the label of ‘scholars’ and ‘thinkers’ there are some busy-bodies who strongly advocate that Nagas are not Indians and that Nagaland is not part of India. For the sake of academic discussion, let us for a moment agree that Nagas must struggle for sovereignty or independence. Now the question arises – how to establish and independent Nagaland and run this nation? First and foremost, as an independent country we should be able to stand on our own legs. Are we in a position to do so? Where do we find the resources to manage the manifold and complex activities that are essential for even the smallest nation? Let us take just a few examples of what an independent country requires:

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/expanding-the-indendent-naga-nation-and-the-threat-to-integrity-of-neighbouring-indian-states/

By: Sanasam Uniananda
August records yet another important chapter in the annals of Manipur on a sultry afternoon of 1st August, 2011 at about 2.00 P.M. at Saugakpham Bazar at the periphery of North ImphaL This, is in addition to the previous two epoch-makers which have tinges of patriotism and self-sacrifice. The 13rh August and the 27th August verily occupy important places in the long history of Manipur.

Although a little different from the above two in terms of martyrdom and sacrifice, the Sangakpham incident also cannot be viewed as a mere massacre of innocent lives by an act of terrorism. It may ultimately be more than that and the bloods that are shed may be a cementing force for a stable Manipur.

From the statement of the State Government it was an act of violence by an outfit which swears by annihilation of the A.D.C. members who defied the call of non-participation in the A.IXC election held last year. Instances of attempts towards this objective by the said outfit are galore according to the statement. The latest and the most gruesome, according to the State Government is the one near the guest-house complex of District Councils because of the proximity of the blast-site with that of the place where the District Council Members reside, it is also further added that the powerful explosion occurred lust after the Members of the District Council crossed the blast site. We may believe it or not. But any action motivated by a political conviction cannot be objectively judged and cdm83.en.ted upon. Only subjective judgments will do the rounds which persons of wisdom generally avoid to indulge in. But heartless acts are not admired by anybody, anywhere and in any period of human history.

Well, the morning or tfte ili-ratea aay i.e. 1st August did not give the slightest indication of an impending catastrophe that awaits Manipur in the middle of the day. It was like any other day. Only thing  was that to the Manipuris, August normally evokes an emotional feeling. One, for its serenity as a harbinger of a tidy new season, bidding good-bye to the rainy season. Two, for the observance of two great episodes of Manipur history that cast a cathartic experience to the Manipuris— the 13th August and the 27th August.

That day the Sangakpham Bazar, as was its wont, was humming with life with commuters doing their jobs, shoppers purchasing their wares and School boys and girls coming from the school after a day’s hard study in the classrooms.

The longer hand of the clock was still 10 minutes more to reach 2.00 P.M. mark when the loudest bang of the year ripped through the crowded bazaar. It was a powerful I1D explosion which took a toll of 5 lives and injured about 12 with pieces of human flesh and mutilated limbs strewn all around. It was an unbelievable nightmare.

But the most heart-breaking and moving sight was the lifeless limbs of two school-children and a father-son duo who came to Manipur for a living and also another unrecognizable one. The large number of wounded persons and mutilated limbs spoke volumes about the intensity of the explosion.

Be that as it may, but the two friends—both girls of the same age reading in the Chingmeirong Primary School in Class-III, one a Tangkhul girl and the other a Meitei girl should not be made to die in vain. From the family records it is revealed that they were bosom friends with medical professions as their aims of life. Sounds sweet to hear. But it may be more. Who knows their last dialogue might have been— “Philaso, i love you so much. The Tangkhuls are so honest and so good. How I wish to visit your home village “Marou” at Phungyar and enjoy association with your near and dear ones there”.

“Dear Neha! I also love you so much. The Meiteis are so kind caring and affectionate to us. Let us live together forever and forever. Let no one can separate us”.

We are told that they clasped their hands tightly on their return journey homeward from the school on that fateful day. But it was their last journey homewards that they never reached. It may, however be a blessed journey towards Heaven where they should live together without separation.

Martyrs are the unifiers and consolidators of a people. They leave behind sweet memories for the posterity.

Now, the multi-million dollar question before us is: “Which words should we use to mourn their death”?

Condolences are aplenty from every nook and corner of Manipur.

But instead of condolences our best pledge is:

We should make a unified Manipur so that their souls may rest in peace.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/the-sangakpham-unison/

by: Mohd. Nasir Ahmed
Ramadan (Sawm) is one of the five pillars of Islam and the ninth month ofthe Muslim calendar. The meaning of Sawm is to ‘abstain’. In this month,Allah SubhanaWaTaala (SWT) has made it compulsory that the fastingbe observed by day, and he has made the ‘Taraweeh’ (Ramadan nightlyprayer) a ‘Sunnah’. Fasting is to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, saying, looking, listening bad things andconjugal relations from dawn till sunset. The goal of fasting is to develop self-restrain (Taqwa).

Ramadan is an annual training programme to refresh us for carrying outour duties towards Allah (SWT). Fasting develops self-control and helps usto overcome selfishness, greed, laziness and other faults. This month ofpatience gives us an opportunity to experience for ourselves what it is liketo have an empty stomach. This develops our feeling for the poor andhungry people. Fasting teaches us to control the love of comfort.

If difficulty is experienced in fasting, one should bear it cheerfully and notcomplain. Should we feel fatigued at the time of Taraweeh (Ramadan nightlyprayer), this too should be borne with fortitude.It should also be borne in mind that fasting does not aim at inflictingpunishment upon people or taking on unbearable burdens. The underlyingidea behind it is to teach moderation and spiritual discipline so that humantemptations may not become so wild and uncontrollable as to flout thecommands of the Great Master. To be a true servant of Allah (SWT), it isessential that man should be able to conform his behavior to the moral andspiritual discipline embodied in the Shari’ah of Islam. Fasting isindispensable for this moral and spiritual training.The Prophet (pbuh) said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, thegates of mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are locked and thedevils are chained”. (Sahih Muslim, Book 006, Number 2361)

The hadith (sayings of prophet) below gives some very important points regarding Ramadan:The Prophet (pbuh) said “Fasting is a shield or protection from the fireand from committing sins. If one is fasting, he should avoid sexualrelation with his wife and quarrelling, and if somebody should fight orquarrel with him, he should say, ‘I am fasting.’ There are two pleasuresfor the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and other atthe time when he will meet Allah; then he will be pleased because ofhis fasting.” (SahihBukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 128)

In this month, the rebellious ‘Shayateen’ (Satans) are chained, so as not toprovoke those evils which they normally do during months other thanRamadan. A question may arise here that, when the ‘Shayateen’ arechained, how it is that we still do see evil committed? The reply is that evilmay not necessarily be caused by the rebellious ‘Shayateen’. People havefor eleven months lived in obedience to ‘Shayateen’ whims and wishes, andso performing evil deeds instigated by them becomes second nature.Consequently, evil is being done in and out of Ramadan.Therefore the feelings and lessons we experience should stay with usthroughout the year. In Al-Qur’an, Muslims are commanded to fast so thatthey may “become pious”. This piety and devotion is especially felt duringRamadan, but we all must strive to make the feelings and attitude stay withus during our “normal” lives. That is the true goal and test of Ramadan.

Fasting is the way to piety and the fear of God. Fasting narrows the food andblood arteries. They are known to be canals of the devils, hence fastingreduces their insinuation. It further weakens carnal desires, thoughts andtemptations of disobedience.Fasting enhances bodily health. It gets rid of contaminated matter, eases thestomach, purifies the blood, eases the working of the heart, brightens thespirit, refines the soul and disciplines the character. When an individual fasts,his soul is humbled and his carnal desires are dispelled. There is a greatreward for fasting, as it shows a Muslim obeying Allah (SWT) and submittingto His command.

According Dr. Jack Goldstein author of the book “Triumph over Disease by Fasting and Natural Diet” says that “Fasting give vital organ a complete rest, promotes elimination of metabolic wastes, allows the body to adjust and normalize its bio-chemistry and also its secretion, lets the body break down and absorb swellings, deposits, diseased tissues, and abnormal growth; restores a youthful condition to cells and tissues, increases the power of digestion and assimilation and permits the conservation and re-routing of energy; it clears and strengthens the minds”.

Fasting in Ramadan is not merely physically restraining from the obvious foodand drink, but the total commitment of the servant’s body and soul to the letterand spirit of fasting.
1) The fast of the self means to be free from all carnal desires.
2) The fast of mind is avoiding thoughts about things other than Allah (SWT).
3) The fast of the hand is not touching/taking what does not belong to it.
4) The fast of the nose means not sniffing or smelling unlawful things.
5) The fast of the feet is not going places where sinful acts are propagated.
6) The fast of the eye is to prevent it from seeing forbidden things.
Allah (SWT) says in Al-Qur’an, “Tell the believing men to lower theirgaze and be mindful of their chastity; this will be most conducive totheir purity. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and bemindful of their chastity, and not display their charms (in public) beyondwhat may (decently) be apparent thereof, hence let them draw theirhead-covering over their bosoms”. (Al-Qur’an 24:30-31)
7) The fast of the tongue is guarding against lying, backbiting, slandering,reviling, abusing others, cursing, indecent conversation, swearing and falseevidence. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “A Muslim is he from whose tongue andhands other Muslims are safe”.
The Prophet (pbuh) said, “”Whoever does not give up forged speechand evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink(i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)”(SahihBukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 127)
The fast of the ears is not to listen to idle talk, gossip, lyrics and notes thatcontain obscene and indecent things. Listening to Al-Qur’an bears the fruit offaith, guidance, light and prosperity. It fills the heart with wisdom, tranquility,intimacy and contentment. It is a source of protection from the dangerous,deviant and sinful thoughts.
9) The fast of the heart means casting out from it the love of worldly thingsand by emptying it of all corrupt material such as, false beliefs, evilsuggestions, filthy intentions and degenerate thoughts.

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “There is a piece of flesh in the body if itbecomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it getsspoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.”(SahihBukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 49)

The believer’s heart abstains from pride and egotism as these traits breaks itsfast. Egotism is when the individual sees himself as perfect as and better thanothers. The cure for this self-importance is to look at one’s faults and shortcomings,thousands of sins and misdeeds that one has committed, wrongs thatone has done and forgotten, but knowledge of which are with Allah (SWT).

Allah (SWT) says in Al-Qur’an, “do they, perchance, envy other people forwhat God has granted them out of his bounty?” (Al-Qur’an 4:54)

The heart of the believer fasts and abstains from envy as envy lowersrighteous deeds and stops its progress toward Allah (SWT).

Fasting and healing
Studies are being conducted to treat serious illnesses like osteo-or rheumatoid arthritis or asthma utilizing fasting for a short duration of a few days to medically supervised water (only fasts of 30 days) to help the body heal itself. It has been known that both children and animals refuse to eat when sick as a natural response. The severely sick have no appetite, but they take the food only at the urging of the family members.

The severely sick feel no hunger because food in severe sickness intervenes with natural response. The body is always trying to heal itself. When the patient is resting and consuming water only, the body heals itself and fasting acts as a facilitating process. One can get rid of coffee, cigarettes salty or sugary foods, which are addictive, through fasting, as fasting can help clear the taste buds and healthful foods start to taste better again. However insulin-dependent diabetics should not fast because of ketosis in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes, who cannot break down the ketones and use them as fuel. Healthy people use the ketones (by-products of fat metabolism) to maintain energy. (To conserve the glycogen stores, glucose becomes restricted to the central nervous system, mainly the brain. Instead of taking the glucose from the brain, the body begins breaking down the fatty acids in adipose (fatty) tissue). People with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (the majority of people who have diabetes) can improve their health through fasting.

Fasting helps cardiovascular disease, arthritis, asthma, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, ulcers, and digestive disorders, lupus, skin problems (including cysts, tumors and kidney stones). Even quitting smoking and obesity respond favourably to fasting.

Hence fasting during the month of Ramadan does not cause any adverse medical effects, on the other hand may have some beneficial effects on weight and lipid metabolism.

Charity in Ramadan
It is reported that “The Prophet (pbuh) was naturally the most generous of people and he used to be more generous than ever in the month of Ramadan”. (SahihBukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 126)

Allah (SWT) has given you, so Muslims should try to give generously in Ramadan, both Sadaqah (optional charity) and Zakaah (obligatory charity). Every time a servant of Allah (SWT) gives something in charity Allah (SWT) eases his physical, spiritual and mental conditions. He expands for him His sustenance. Sadaqah does not only have to be money. It can also be a good deed—such as helping another person—done for the sake of Allah (SWT) and without expecting any reward from the person. Even a smile is considered charity in Islam. Most Muslims pay their Zakaah during Ramadan because the reward is so much greater in that month. Wealth is like water, if its flow is obstructed it becomes brackish, and if it flows, it becomes sweet and fresh. The Prophet (pbuh) said “This is the month of charity in which believer’ssustenance is increased. Whosoever feeds a fasting person or gives afasting person a single date or a sip of water, to break the fast, for himthere shall be forgiveness of his sins and he will be saved from the fire ofhell, and for him shall be the same reward as for him (whom he fed)”.(Tirmidhi Hadith 1965)

In conclusion, this is what I was able to write about issues concerning fasting. I ask Allaah to help us to remember Him, thank Him and worship Him properly, and to conclude our Ramadan with forgiveness, and to save us from the Fire. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/ramadan-a-general-perspective-2/

by: Mohd. Nasir Ahmed
Ramadan (Sawm) is one of the five pillars of Islam and the ninth month ofthe Muslim calendar. The meaning of Sawm is to ‘abstain’. In this month,Allah SubhanaWaTaala (SWT) has made it compulsory that the fastingbe observed by day, and he has made the ‘Taraweeh’ (Ramadan nightlyprayer) a ‘Sunnah’. Fasting is to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, saying, looking, listening bad things andconjugal relations from dawn till sunset. The goal of fasting is to develop self-restrain (Taqwa).

Ramadan is an annual training programme to refresh us for carrying outour duties towards Allah (SWT). Fasting develops self-control and helps usto overcome selfishness, greed, laziness and other faults. This month ofpatience gives us an opportunity to experience for ourselves what it is liketo have an empty stomach. This develops our feeling for the poor andhungry people. Fasting teaches us to control the love of comfort.

If difficulty is experienced in fasting, one should bear it cheerfully and notcomplain. Should we feel fatigued at the time of Taraweeh (Ramadan nightlyprayer), this too should be borne with fortitude.It should also be borne in mind that fasting does not aim at inflictingpunishment upon people or taking on unbearable burdens. The underlyingidea behind it is to teach moderation and spiritual discipline so that humantemptations may not become so wild and uncontrollable as to flout thecommands of the Great Master. To be a true servant of Allah (SWT), it isessential that man should be able to conform his behavior to the moral andspiritual discipline embodied in the Shari’ah of Islam. Fasting isindispensable for this moral and spiritual training.The Prophet (pbuh) said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, thegates of mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are locked and thedevils are chained”. (Sahih Muslim, Book 006, Number 2361)

The hadith (sayings of prophet) below gives some very important points regarding Ramadan:The Prophet (pbuh) said “Fasting is a shield or protection from the fireand from committing sins. If one is fasting, he should avoid sexualrelation with his wife and quarrelling, and if somebody should fight orquarrel with him, he should say, ‘I am fasting.’ There are two pleasuresfor the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and other atthe time when he will meet Allah; then he will be pleased because ofhis fasting.” (SahihBukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 128)

In this month, the rebellious ‘Shayateen’ (Satans) are chained, so as not toprovoke those evils which they normally do during months other thanRamadan. A question may arise here that, when the ‘Shayateen’ arechained, how it is that we still do see evil committed? The reply is that evilmay not necessarily be caused by the rebellious ‘Shayateen’. People havefor eleven months lived in obedience to ‘Shayateen’ whims and wishes, andso performing evil deeds instigated by them becomes second nature.Consequently, evil is being done in and out of Ramadan.Therefore the feelings and lessons we experience should stay with usthroughout the year. In Al-Qur’an, Muslims are commanded to fast so thatthey may “become pious”. This piety and devotion is especially felt duringRamadan, but we all must strive to make the feelings and attitude stay withus during our “normal” lives. That is the true goal and test of Ramadan.

Fasting is the way to piety and the fear of God. Fasting narrows the food andblood arteries. They are known to be canals of the devils, hence fastingreduces their insinuation. It further weakens carnal desires, thoughts andtemptations of disobedience.Fasting enhances bodily health. It gets rid of contaminated matter, eases thestomach, purifies the blood, eases the working of the heart, brightens thespirit, refines the soul and disciplines the character. When an individual fasts,his soul is humbled and his carnal desires are dispelled. There is a greatreward for fasting, as it shows a Muslim obeying Allah (SWT) and submittingto His command.

According Dr. Jack Goldstein author of the book “Triumph over Disease by Fasting and Natural Diet” says that “Fasting give vital organ a complete rest, promotes elimination of metabolic wastes, allows the body to adjust and normalize its bio-chemistry and also its secretion, lets the body break down and absorb swellings, deposits, diseased tissues, and abnormal growth; restores a youthful condition to cells and tissues, increases the power of digestion and assimilation and permits the conservation and re-routing of energy; it clears and strengthens the minds”.

Fasting in Ramadan is not merely physically restraining from the obvious foodand drink, but the total commitment of the servant’s body and soul to the letterand spirit of fasting.
1) The fast of the self means to be free from all carnal desires.
2) The fast of mind is avoiding thoughts about things other than Allah (SWT).
3) The fast of the hand is not touching/taking what does not belong to it.
4) The fast of the nose means not sniffing or smelling unlawful things.
5) The fast of the feet is not going places where sinful acts are propagated.
6) The fast of the eye is to prevent it from seeing forbidden things.
Allah (SWT) says in Al-Qur’an, “Tell the believing men to lower theirgaze and be mindful of their chastity; this will be most conducive totheir purity. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and bemindful of their chastity, and not display their charms (in public) beyondwhat may (decently) be apparent thereof, hence let them draw theirhead-covering over their bosoms”. (Al-Qur’an 24:30-31)
7) The fast of the tongue is guarding against lying, backbiting, slandering,reviling, abusing others, cursing, indecent conversation, swearing and falseevidence. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “A Muslim is he from whose tongue andhands other Muslims are safe”.
The Prophet (pbuh) said, “”Whoever does not give up forged speechand evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink(i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)”(SahihBukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 127)
The fast of the ears is not to listen to idle talk, gossip, lyrics and notes thatcontain obscene and indecent things. Listening to Al-Qur’an bears the fruit offaith, guidance, light and prosperity. It fills the heart with wisdom, tranquility,intimacy and contentment. It is a source of protection from the dangerous,deviant and sinful thoughts.
9) The fast of the heart means casting out from it the love of worldly thingsand by emptying it of all corrupt material such as, false beliefs, evilsuggestions, filthy intentions and degenerate thoughts.

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “There is a piece of flesh in the body if itbecomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it getsspoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.”(SahihBukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 49)

The believer’s heart abstains from pride and egotism as these traits breaks itsfast. Egotism is when the individual sees himself as perfect as and better thanothers. The cure for this self-importance is to look at one’s faults and shortcomings,thousands of sins and misdeeds that one has committed, wrongs thatone has done and forgotten, but knowledge of which are with Allah (SWT).

Allah (SWT) says in Al-Qur’an, “do they, perchance, envy other people forwhat God has granted them out of his bounty?” (Al-Qur’an 4:54)

The heart of the believer fasts and abstains from envy as envy lowersrighteous deeds and stops its progress toward Allah (SWT).

Fasting and healing
Studies are being conducted to treat serious illnesses like osteo-or rheumatoid arthritis or asthma utilizing fasting for a short duration of a few days to medically supervised water (only fasts of 30 days) to help the body heal itself. It has been known that both children and animals refuse to eat when sick as a natural response. The severely sick have no appetite, but they take the food only at the urging of the family members.

The severely sick feel no hunger because food in severe sickness intervenes with natural response. The body is always trying to heal itself. When the patient is resting and consuming water only, the body heals itself and fasting acts as a facilitating process. One can get rid of coffee, cigarettes salty or sugary foods, which are addictive, through fasting, as fasting can help clear the taste buds and healthful foods start to taste better again. However insulin-dependent diabetics should not fast because of ketosis in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes, who cannot break down the ketones and use them as fuel. Healthy people use the ketones (by-products of fat metabolism) to maintain energy. (To conserve the glycogen stores, glucose becomes restricted to the central nervous system, mainly the brain. Instead of taking the glucose from the brain, the body begins breaking down the fatty acids in adipose (fatty) tissue). People with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (the majority of people who have diabetes) can improve their health through fasting.

Fasting helps cardiovascular disease, arthritis, asthma, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, ulcers, and digestive disorders, lupus, skin problems (including cysts, tumors and kidney stones). Even quitting smoking and obesity respond favourably to fasting.

Hence fasting during the month of Ramadan does not cause any adverse medical effects, on the other hand may have some beneficial effects on weight and lipid metabolism.

Charity in Ramadan
It is reported that “The Prophet (pbuh) was naturally the most generous of people and he used to be more generous than ever in the month of Ramadan”. (SahihBukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 126)

Allah (SWT) has given you, so Muslims should try to give generously in Ramadan, both Sadaqah (optional charity) and Zakaah (obligatory charity). Every time a servant of Allah (SWT) gives something in charity Allah (SWT) eases his physical, spiritual and mental conditions. He expands for him His sustenance. Sadaqah does not only have to be money. It can also be a good deed—such as helping another person—done for the sake of Allah (SWT) and without expecting any reward from the person. Even a smile is considered charity in Islam. Most Muslims pay their Zakaah during Ramadan because the reward is so much greater in that month. Wealth is like water, if its flow is obstructed it becomes brackish, and if it flows, it becomes sweet and fresh. The Prophet (pbuh) said “This is the month of charity in which believer’ssustenance is increased. Whosoever feeds a fasting person or gives afasting person a single date or a sip of water, to break the fast, for himthere shall be forgiveness of his sins and he will be saved from the fire ofhell, and for him shall be the same reward as for him (whom he fed)”.(Tirmidhi Hadith 1965)

In conclusion, this is what I was able to write about issues concerning fasting. I ask Allaah to help us to remember Him, thank Him and worship Him properly, and to conclude our Ramadan with forgiveness, and to save us from the Fire. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/ramadan-a-general-perspective-2/

by Laifungbam Debabrata Roy
“Many sweet thoughts fill my heart today/Dear mother of mine.”
***

Faded, easy words gazed back at me from an inscribed smudgy marble tablet set into the front wall of an old shop building on Imphal’s Mahatma Gandhi Avenue. The words mesmerized me. Ever since I got a request from Bimbabati, Saratchand Thiyam’s wife, to write an article about my reminiscences of living with my mother as a child, I had been pondering endlessly to myself. I imagined to myself so many ways to write the memories that sometimes trickled, sometimes swamped my mind. Days turned to weeks without me putting a single word down into my ancient laptop computer. I had even begun to despair, when she gently chided me a few days ago for not finishing the article. Then these words, staring at me, released me from my agony.
***

Honestly describing an association exposes the associates…otherwise, it is mere observation, filled with falsehood.
***

The festival of Kang will always evoke a thrill for me. Its arrival somehow causes the deeply buried child within me to awaken, every time. It was always special to my mother too. Perhaps that would be the reason for this unfounded emotion for I am not a deeply religious person. She had a particular fondness for the Hindu deity called Jaganatha, which she used to call Jagabondhu, like a fond friend. Her relationship with this god did not seem to be inspired by personal religious passion or related to any form of deep or mindless devotional act. The acts with which she showed this special friendship with Jagabondhu could only be described as play. She never tired to tell me, and others, how she played with her Laiphadibee as a child, growing up among her elder sisters carried along in the whirlwind world of the royal palace of Manipur…habouring a smoldering jealousy, awestruck by their beauty. She told me that she drooled over their beautiful things, their laces, books, and His Master’s Voice gramaphone records. When she became overwhelmed by self pity, she was moody, brooding alone by herself, retreating to her Laiphadibees, to whom she poured out her complaints of neglect and inadequacies in prolonged dramatized monologues about her sisters who enjoyed special treatment from her royal parents. Those mute hand-made dolls kept her sane. Those extended sessions of doll play, she told me, were cathartic…much akin to confiding and grumbling to her best friends, like going to her tolerant therapist. I believe that playfulness stayed with her throughout her life. To her, Jagabondhu was a lifelong dear friend with whom she played occasionally.
***

Our house had many small things she had picked up, bought or collected from wherever she had been. One could have made a long list of places and events my mother had been to just by examining this collection. Little pebbles of various hues from exotic mountain rivers, sea shells from the beaches of Puri, oddly shaped stones and roots from various picnics, tiny and painted statuettes, beads of various colour and pretty, clay pots, dried gourds (toomba) from the distant villages of the Manipur and Khasi Hills and the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA, known as Arunachal Pradesh today), miniature pictures, elegant but peculiarly shaped containers made of copper, souvenir sized replicas of deities from various tirthasthan lined our home’s window sills, hung from the walls in artistic disarray or sat dotingly next to the black telephone, on shelves and tables in the drawing room and bedroom. She would be quite possessive of these aimlessly assembled ménage, but never scolded me if I handled any of them. I began to collect some stones and other things too that caught my childish fancy, and brought them to her. She would examine what I had brought with great care; turn them over and around as she looked at the object before passing verdict. Our house was like a zoo of memorabilia and artistic artifacts.
***

One of my earliest memories was of a film that I saw. It was black and white, and it was screened at home by a friend of hers in our bedroom. I can’t remember who, I must have been about four years old. An old bed sheet did the job of a makeshift screen. I could not understand a single word of it, but the uncertainly lit dim images haunted me. Strangely, the story or what little I understood of it was a very ordinary seeming one to me. It was set in some village in rural India and the characters were all dressed in grimy looking plain clothing. The harried father that seemed always anxious. A girl that played, ran, skipped and wandered around saw everything through her clear inquisitive eyes. She, her little brother and their parents lived with an old aunt in a worse for wear house, which couldn’t have been much even in its heyday. The fat village shopkeeper, fawning and threatening in turns, who doubled as a teacher armed with a fearsome cane whilst selling rice, kerosene and other daily needs, was funny. The toothless old aunt, a cripple, was another loving character I remembered. In the background, with the noisy churning sound of the projector and alien garbled sound track, I watched the girl and her little brother live a very plain life enjoying simple joys of life in a village. What left an indelible impression in my mind’s eye about the film was the scene of the brother and sister running carefree amongst the white cloudlike blossoms of tall wild grass (kaash), running to catch up with a black, smoke-belching train. Later, much later, when I asked my mother, she told me the film was Pather Panchali made by the legendary Satyajit Ray. As I grew up, Pather Panchali, made in 1955, became a familiar household topic associated with many anecdotes and discussions amongst us about this classic film and the renowned Director and litterateur.
***

When one is a child, the earliest recollections are mostly dominated by those associated with smell, sound, touch and taste. Such memories are the lasting ones we take them with us when we die. The so-called lower senses and emotions they evoke somehow are so deeply impressed, that they even simulate themselves along with the memory as it is triggered. And so, an object or its particular shape, the timber of a voice or a song, a kind of food or dish, a certain shade of colour, such random things evoke old memories of childhood to us, and we like certain things or a stranger for no particular reason, our mouths water when we see or smell certain foods, make us impulsively buy an ordinary cheap thing, make our emotions swell up suddenly for no particular rhyme or reason. My earliest memories of my mother are, therefore, dominated by such kinds of sensually and emotionally linked ones. The delicate fragrance of Pond’s cold cream dabbed swiftly onto my face by her warm hands before I fell asleep will always be one of my personal symbols of motherhood.
***

“Nahak Churachandpurd? pokp?né.”
***

My mother always told me that I was born in Churachandpur. This, to her, happened when my father was posted there as a District Medical Officer. I found this most intriguing even in my earliest childhood days because she also narrated another parallel story about my birth! The second narrative, which had many witnesses who retold this story in their own versions, carried the story of a prolonged and exhausting labour and even the hint of a breach delivery. With many doctors in attendance, including my grandfather Dr Bhorot Roy, tragedy was only averted by the aggressive intervention of the midwife Sister “Iche” Taruni. It happened in Imphal, in Yaiskul inside the upaak-ka at her sister’s house. The tin-roofed house constructed in the traditional “Assam style” still stands today, just to the north of our present residential compound in Yaiskul. It is a story worth telling only because of its dramatic nature and the obvious relish of the telling to whoever was telling it. As a child, I heard many versions of this second narrative.

In the night of my parent’s wedding day in 1950, which happened with the usual fanfare of the marriage of the royalty at the temple of Sri Sri Sri Govindaji in the Sana Konung, a great earthquake shook Assam and Manipur. It was known as the Great Assam Earthquake of 1950, and it happened on August 15, which also happened to be India’s Independence Day. For four years, my mother was childless. She began to despair, and visited many shrines including the one of the ancestor god Ibudhou Oknarel at Ningthoukhong to make offerings. Ningthoukhong is on the road from Imphal to Churachandpur, where my father was posted at that time. According to legend, Oknarel was the son of Ibudhou Koubru, and a great polo player like Marjing, Khamlangba, Thangjing, Khoiriphaba and many others of our ancestors. I do not know how Oknarel Hanuba came to be associated with the childless woman, but my mother conceived soon after visiting the shrine and offering a polo stick. This perhaps explains the first narrative.
So, I grew up with two different stories of my birth, as told to me by my own mother.
***

There is yet another story about my birth; this she told me too. My mother’s favourite brother was my Mamo Yaima. He was the second son of Maharaj Churachand Singh of Manipur. He is known generally as PB, short for his real name Priyabrata; she used to call him Tamo when he was around but just PB whenever she had to refer to him. Mamo Yaima was a handsome confirmed bachelor with many talents and achievements, widely respected all over the State of Manipur irrespective of tribe, clan or community. PB and my mother shared a passion for art and aesthetics. He was the first person to make moving pictures in Manipur. And he was a painter and carpenter. He had served as an officer in the Assam Regiment during the British days, so a few who knew him as a military man also called him Captain PB. Soon after I was born, he made me a wooden cot with a sliding side. The very idea of a separate baby cot for an infant child would still be received with horror in Manipur today. The childless PB doted on me, the first born child of her favourite little sister, Tombi. The cot that PB made in 1954 is still with me; perhaps I shall keep it for my first grandchild.

While my mother was carrying me, there was much speculation as to the sex of the child…will Sana Wangol have a son or a daughter crossed everyone’s mind. My mother was the foremost among these speculators. She was a great admirer of the legendary Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor. Secretly, and constantly, my mother prayed for a daughter, a beautiful girl with magical eyes whom she would spoil and play with, like one of her childhood Laiphadibee. PB somehow discovered this secret wish. He was an intelligent man, and he put two and two together when he saw a new photograph of Taylor in my mother’s bedroom and observed that she stitched many baby clothes…all of them for a baby girl!

When the news got out that a son had arrived, PB dropped by and his first greeting to me was, “O, Elizabeth Taylor!”

Another passion they shared, the brother and the younger sister, was their love for Manipur. Mamo Yaima stammered. His stammer got worse when he became upset. As soon as he walked into our house, my mother would first bow to him in the traditional style and then ask him if he wanted an omelette. He loved omelettes. He was always served an omelette freshly made by my mother when he visited us. This was because such kind of food was prohibited in his orthodox household in the palace. Tombi was PB’s sounding block whenever he had a vexing problem, be it political or personal.

As a young girl, my mother hero-worshipped her brother PB. She used to tell me how handsome how he was as a young man, wearing a spotlessly white cotton sleeveless vest and sporting a “jum-jum taba” hairstyle. It was the hairstyle that Leonardo DiCaprio sported in the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic. It is popular even today, not even the “Korirang wave” has managed to kill it. The younger sister emulated her accomplished brother; he inspired her with his love for art, literature, beauty and Manipur.
***

The consciousness that my mother was a woman of beauty or high social standing, a princess of Manipur, an artist and later a writer came much later to me. To the child that I was, she was a familiar person, a shape who carried particular smells and fragrances at different times of the day and night, a sound or phanek’s swish that made me want to get up abruptly, abandon whatever I was doing and run towards it, a hand that I feared if I knew I had done something wrong or had told a lie, a kind of machine which had the expertise and repertoire to produce mouth watering delectable items to eat.
***

My mother’s dressing table was a piece of furniture in our home that always evoked endless curiosity for me during my earliest childhood. It was like a monument. It had a large well-lit mirror and a large rectangular stool with a curved seat made of walnut placed in front; and the table was always cluttered with objects and items that were obviously her secret arsenal of powerful weapons. There were drawers too, which held many more top secrets. Somehow, I knew instinctively that this was a no-no territory for me. My inborn sense of survival told me that my very life depended upon not being caught in the table’s vicinity. This instinctive “avoid it if you value your life” message from my guardian angel, however, did not prevent me from snooping into this prohibited military territory whenever opportunity presented. Such was the level of caution I exercised in my secret forays to this table that I was never caught. She spent a lot of her waking hours at this table, especially before she had to go off somewhere with my father.

Many kinds of bullet shaped lipsticks adorned this table, along with perfume bottles, Lakmé powder compacts, mascara, eyebrow and other liners, Pond’s cold cream and vanishing cream, combs and a brush, bottles of nail polish and removers, cotton balls, and bowls with a mind-boggling array of ear-studs and ear rings, necklaces, rings, brooches, bangles, clasps, hair clips and dark glassed goggles. I sensed that this formidable arsenal was of the essence for her; vital aids that helped her to conceal in order to reveal! Growing up with my mother was also growing up with this dressing table.
***

“I am the most misunderstood woman in Manipur.”
***

My life, with my younger brother, as children was full of stories. My mother loved stories and to tell us stories was one her favourite past times; and we devoured them. I think she loved telling stories because she loved to hear them again too. The realms of literature are in the world of stories. She told us countless stories, many of them from her own life, and others from books she had read or films she had seen. She loved to tell us ghost stories too. But my childhood associations with her will always be warmly wrapped by the books and their stories that we shared.

Some of the best stories I remember were from her days in Shantiniketan. The Shantiniketan days, I realized later, were some of the best of her life. The few life-long friends she had are all associated with Shantiniketan. Intermixed with her Shantiniketan stories were the stories of Tagore and Shankar. Shankar, known also as Sankar, is a Bengali novelist unfamiliar to the readers of Manipur. His real name is Mani Shankar Mukherjee. His father died while Sankar was still a teenager, as a result of which Sankar became a clerk to the last British barrister of the Kolkata High Court, Noel Frederick Barwell. Noel Barwell introduced Shankar to literature. Sankar’s ground breaking debut novel Kato Ajanare, published in 1955, inspired my mother. My favourite bed-time story telling memories with her are steeped with the world of the young protagonist of this novel, a lawyer’s clerk, and his barrister sahib. I would listen to these stories again and again.
Very little is known of how much Sankar’s first novel influenced her short stories and radio plays. This is because the association is unknown in Manipur, and Sankar is not only largely inaccessible to the readers here who are unable to read Bengali; most of his works remain to be translated. Jana Aranya (The Middleman), a film directed by Satyajit Ray and released in 1976, is based on the novel of the same name by Sankar. Another novel Chowringhee, was made into the classic cult film of the same name in 1968 by Pinaki Bhushan Mukherjee, starring Uttam Kumar and Supriya Devi.

Recently, in February, while passing through Kolkata airport and visiting my old favourite corner book store there, I purchased a copy of Penguin India’s “The Great Unknown”, an English translation of Kato Ajanare by Soma Das. Discovering this book was one of the highest watermarks of elation in my life after my mother died in January. It was as if she had sent me this book. Suddenly, as I began to read the book on a slick jet plane cruising 35,000 feet above peninsular India, I looked up and around from my seat, looking for a familiar or friendly face so that I could pour out my feelings, my memories, my tears.

Penguin India’s website said,
“The Great Unknown is the moving story of the many people Shankar meets… It offers a uniquely personal glimpse into their world of unfulfilled dreams and duplicity, of unexpected tragedy, as well as hope and exhilaration.”

Sankar’s almost autobiographical, very personal anecdotal style influenced my mother’s appraisal of her personal life as a young doctor’s wife. Buried somewhere in her collection of short stories Nung’gairakta Chandramukhi is an concealed tribute to this post-Tagore modern Bengali novelist whose stories my mother dearly loved.
***

Our house received many strange guests and visitors. Many of them, I discovered, were well known personalities. A few stayed with us, and others dropped by and left after meeting my mother. There was Mulk Raj Anand, one of the first English language writers of India; Salim Ali the renowned ornithologist, Petre the Romanian dancer, and Milada Ganguli the Czech-Indian anthropologist are among those I remember. One day, when I was about nine years old, a tall and gaunt “white lady” showed up in an above-ankle sari and no-nonsense leather sandals. Her bags suggested that she was to stay. My mother had been busy for some days preparing a bed in another room. The woman’s eyes were a faded inscrutable colour, and her maize-flower like hair was neatly done in a single plait. I spent hours staring at her long thin nose and quick nervous gestures. A few of our neighbours remember the peculiar lady who waded in knee deep into the Nambul River during the rainy season to take photographs of women catching fish with chinese nets.

Milada Ganguli married Mohanlal Gangopadhyay, a close relative of Rabindranath Tagore, after they met in London at some soiree. She came to India in 1939 as a young newly married bride. Some years later, she met my mother in Shantiniketan, who invited her to come to Manipur. But it was 1963 before she set foot on Manipur’s soil. It was a significant year for the Indian State of Nagaland had just been created. She became fascinated by the stories of Nagaland and its peoples. My mother managed an Inner Line Permit for her, and Milada first traveled to Nagaland from our house in an MST mail-bus, part of a convoy escorted by over a hundred Indian Army trucks. She visited Nagaland many more times. I believe eighteen times. She wrote several books on the Naga peoples in the style of the European traditional anthropological school. Her extraordinary and extensive unique collection of beautiful photographs and Naga art objects has been acquired by the Museum der Kulturen in Basel, Switzerland and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. She died in the year 2000. But I will always remember her as the awesome and brave “Aunty Milada”.
***

I grew up as a sickly child. My mother told me that I learnt to walk with great difficulty and after much coaxing with numerous ruses when I was more than two years of age. Nurturing motherhood skills were a big blank with her. Growing up in a palace as a girl has its definite disadvantages too. She hadn’t a clue how to look after a newborn baby. She had been raised by wet-nurses and maids. However much you want to cuddle and spoil the infant, it’s still not a Laiphadibee! My father had left for bilaat soon after I was born to pursue higher studiers, to become bilaat trained surgeon. He was absent for almost two years. I became ill with severe malnutrition, rickets and all sorts of debilitating diseases common to the neglected infant. My mother was at her wit’s end, I was told; she had also just given birth to my brother. She begged her father-in-law, Dr. Bhorot, to recall his son, her husband. In the end, a telegram was sent to my father in Glasgow to return immediately because I had become too ill, it was doubtful that I would survive very much longer. He had been accepted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in record time; but he wanted to acquire second degree from the United Kingdom. It was the fashion in those days to have a double, even triple, FRCS degree behind your name.

He flew back immediately, in a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) owned Constellation passenger aircraft, via Rome, Italy. Upon his arrival, he also discovered that he had two challenging tasks before him, one professional and the other emotional. To cure the malnutrition of his first-born, and to make friends with a second son born in absentia.
***

Soon after Little Flower School as established at Imphal in 1958, I was enrolled there after pre-schooling a short spell at the Montessori School attached to Tamphasana Girls’ High School. It was quite close to our home and my mother took me there every day. It’s a pity that the school has long been discontinued. All my cousins also went there, so I thoroughly enjoyed the first experience of formal education outside the sheltered atmosphere of my mother’s house, surrounded by aunts, uncles and helpers.

The Montessori tradition, as it became known, was I believe started by an Italian doctor called Maria Montessori. She said that the greatest sign of a success for a teacher is to be able to say, “The children are now working as if I did not exist…

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/warm-hands-and-cold-creammy-mother-sanaibema-wangolsana-and-i-19541965/