Some theories on the controversial issues that has happened over the last couple of decade in NE and the possible reason behind the creation of Nagalim issue and unrest in NE region:

NE CAN NOT BE ALLOWED TO PROSPER- My theory about the whole unrest and disturbance in the region is because NE as a region can not be allowed to prosper because it will lead to more influx of illegal Migrants from Bangladesh which the state of Assam and Tripura know very about its consequences and influx of illegal migrant from Myanmar which is a war ravaged region and people waiting to escape the tyranny of the government anytime.If there is peace in NE that will definitely lead to prosperity and hence will result in the influx of migrants. A disturbed and underdeveloped NE will thwart any illegal immigrants so NE can not be allowed to prosper hence there should not be peace in the region.

NE CAN NOT BE A PEACEFUL REGION AS PEACE LEADS TO PROSPERITY – Now what is the best way to disturb peace and stability in the region.Best way is to divide the people in the region on communal and ethical background as the government is very much aware of the various ethnic groups in the region and the ultimate objected of the militant outfit representing there communities.Nagas only talk of Naga homeland,meitei and Assam militant also do the same.So why not use one of these militant group to divide the people of the region and NSCN IM happened to be a good choice.By using the Nagalim issue as just a tool the central government can easily bring disunity and drive a wedge among 3 different states and its people namely Manipur , Assam and Arunanchal Pradesh thereby creating disturbance on the major trade hub,power generating , and influencial community in the entire North East region.Holding talks and honouring the objective of other militant groups from Assam or Manipur will not serve this purpose because they dont have any long term objective of creating an autonomous region beyond their present boundary but NSCN IM has such ambitions.

DIVIDE AND RULE POLICY – More then 60 years of trying to suppress the arms struggle by the militant group of the region has caused a lot of loss in life and property for the Indian Security forces. So a new strategy has to be followed.Create division among the militant groups, let them fight among themselves and weaken each other thereby making them so weak so that the last one standing will not be in a position to retaliate when the final military action is taken up. This is the old divide and rule policy the British used against India.

NE INDIA IS JUST A BUFFER ZONE AGAINST CHINESE,BANGLADESH,MYANMAR INFLUENCE – Last but not the least India with a billion population do not need NE people.We are just the people who on the buffer zone protecting the mainland Indian states and its people from Chinese,Bangladeshis and Myanmar influence.NE people do not generate or contribute much to the national income hence, creation of development and path breaking projects is useless and uneconomical ,it is evident for the region that foreigner have to take permission to enter the region thereby making it highly unlikely for Foreign Direct investment (FDI) to flow in into the region.

Now how do we come out of this controversy come out of the vicious cycle of depending on others for our own survival.The blockade that is happening in Manipur should give a good lesson and there is a need for our leaders and decision makers to do something instead of crying and begging to the central government for every petty reason and ever think that they will have mercy on us and we will thrive.The only way for Manipur to survive in the 21st century is to think beyond party politics and be emotional about everything and takeup some real steps.We should forget about what we dont have and start realizing our potential on what we have and out strength.Some of the things that we can do are :-

1) THE EAST-WEST CORRIDOR HIGHWAY FROM SILCHAR TO IMPHAL – Some years back Ibobi government of Manipur was given a road map or project plan on the possibility of Connecting the 4 lane National Highway East-West corridor connecting Gujarat in the West to Silchar, Assam in the east to reach manipur by connecting from Silchar to Imphal by NH 53. Corrupt Ibobi Government could not come up with the project proposal and it was not taken up.If this thing has materialized we would never had faced the problem faced by public right now and NSCN IM would never had kept us on ransom.But its better to be late then never.The government can still make it happen by lobbying the central ministers and the East- West corridor reach Manipur.

2) RAIL SERVICE TO MANIPUR AT THE EARLIEST – No drought the load and volume of movement of goods and commodities will drastically improve if rail service reaches manipur.This will reduce cost and be more effective mode of transport then a road transport.Government should do it on war footing and protect the rail rout from possible attact by the miscreants.Keep aside lame reasons like “mayangs” will come if railway reaches Manipur.

3) MORE TRADE AND COMMERCE WITH MYANMAR IN MOREH- One way flow of goods only form Mainland india is not enough for the region to survive. There is a necessity of both way traffic and alternative route.Moreover , we can make Imphal a trade hub for goods and services to be exported to Myanmar from India and vice versa.History is evident that any region which is a the crossroad of trade and traffic always prosper. Hence we can make good use of our strategic location.

4) CONVERT IMPHAL AIRPORT TO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – International airport in Manipur will open up the region to neigbouring countries like Thailand,china and other south east Asian region.This will definitely help in increasing the flow and movement of businessmen from the region and increase the possibility of having FDI from south east asian region.

5) NETWORK OF ROADS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT – Investment in roads and public transport will have a direct impact on the development of any region. Hill and plain region should be linked properly with roads and network of public transport so that proper flow of people and commodities happen and thereby break the divide of hill and valley people.

6) USAGE OF INLAND WATERWAYS FOR TRANSPORT – It sounds strange but the various array of rivers flowing in manipur is a potential that we have not realized yet.Proper maintenance of such waterways for transport and ferrying purpose will surely help in reducing the cost on transport and development of tourist spots.It is a natural potential that our forefathers created for us but we haven’t used or utilized it properly.

7) CREATION OF SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES(SEZ) – It is well known fact that it is at the power of the state government to create special economic zone without taking permission from the centre as done by Narendra Modi in Gujarat.He raised 25 billion dollars from FDI and investment in the trade fair held last year in Gujarat. Our state government should start creating SEZ ( Special Economic Zones) in the region and promote the same to South east Asian countries and even china.Showing them the easiest way to enter the Indian market is from Manipur.

E-GOVERNANCE IN MANIPUR AND STRONG LEADERS – Corruption and misuse of funds has been one of the main plague that has degraded our society for so long. Investment in IT is not something which our state government should give priority.E- Governance and allocating of public projects on bidding done online will surely improve the quality of development projects done in manipur and there will be more free and transparency on government use age of funds.

9) ENHANCING LOKTAK HYDEL AND TIPAIMUKH DAM PROJECT – Although it is controversial topic to talk about Tipaimukh dam project but the long term effect of creation of such a dam will help us become energy independent and Proper usage of water for irrigation.We need to sacrifice something to gain something. As power is very important for any business to develop , if we want companies to set up in Manipur there should be adequate Electricity and Water.

10) HIGHEST PRIORITY TO EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES – Universities ,schools and colleges are the training ground for future leaders of the society. We need to promote more Medical, Engineering colleges and Investment in IT and health care will employ these resources and stop the brain drain and make us self sustaining state.

These suggestions are very much achievable within a span of few years and they are not impossible.I just wish if someone at our decision making community understands and take up some initiative.I feel these are the only ways we can survive in the 21st century and come out of the dark ages.

thanks and regards,

Aeroshil Nameirakpam
Googlemaps Moderator,
Google Mountain View CA

We always wanted to be someone who sits inside the AC in suits and sarees; talks in American accented English, move around the foreign locals and pursue our own selfish goals and careers. At best, we would write something for our motherland or contribute few thousands generously to someone for a social cause. 

The point is, the frame of mind of today’s youth is tuned in such a way that their aim is to study well, earn well and lead a good life with a good family. They don’t think of politics as a career option at all. That’s the mindset now. Perhaps, for the same reason private schools which accounts for largest number of students at high and higher secondary level are least interested in imbibing such culture and ambition. Perhaps, for the same reason very few good students who love the institute stand for college / school election. Perhaps, for the same reason there are only a countable number of highly qualified and educated politicians in the state in so many years. 

We assumed that there will be always someone to run our motherland and left it in the hands of those knowingly they will at best create anarchy or chaos. In the past five to six decades there was none who could do something very right for the state. None of the government that ruled the state did anything which was outstanding and could be remembered. Instead, the politicians jumped from one party to another in search of power and money. Money which is the basic means of survival has rather become the selfish goal for the politicians to build castles for themselves and let the common man survive on tattering infrastructures. 

The line for water has become longer, the number of hours in load shedding is record long, the roads are filled with potholes, a little drizzle is enough to flood many places, the corruption is rampant, the unemployment and under-employment has touched sky high, encounter happens daily, every job demands a shameless price to be given, job creation is painfully low, many family has lost their sons and daughters – some to guns and some to in search of jobs for survival, etc. but, we the common man have learnt to adjust the situation. Still we insist that our sons and daughters should become only engineers and doctors. 

Perhaps, we have forgotten that it is the politician who can change the fate of the state and not the doctors, engineers, JACs or so-called numerous freedom fighters who have lost their ideology. We blame everything to the government. From so called encounter to poor roads, the government is the punching bag. We complained that the state is rotting but, we never wanted to take part in the political affairs of the state and are least bothered about how the state is governed. At the most, we would write something sitting in AC room saying that things are rotting and wrong. Who are we to complain when we have problem to be the part of the change? Morally, we also play a part in decomposing the wonderful motherland into something like war-raven state by running away from our duties and responsibilities. It takes lot of courage to stand up to do this and we don’t have the courage and strength. Worst part, we hate to admit but, love to criticize. 

“Agar Gandhiji beta beta, biwi biwi kehkar ghar pe baithe rehte to tum aaj kisi angrej ka letrin saaf kar rahe hote”. The line is quoted from movie Nayak. I hope the above line may inspire some of us to jump into the gutter and part of the cleansing system. “If people are happy with their 20K salary job, and live an ordinary life, then who will come out and bring the change?” – another dialogue from the same movie (translated to English). This hits hard enough to all of us if you have even an iota of love left for your motherland. 

There are two types of human if you watch it closely. One who will criticize, bark all the time like a dog and one who initiates the change. We are like a kind of dog who keeps on barking on everything and everywhere – saying this is right or wrong. But, we always wanted to stay away from being the part of the change system. 

We idolized Che Guevara but, we hate to admit that they also fall short of their own dreams. We have forgotten that there was also Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela who took part in the change system by leading the country as Head of the Country. We have enough of Guevaras who are hiding in bushes of hills and far away countries. Now we need people like Fidel Castro, Lincoln, Martin or Nelson who stands and speak up, to represent the voices of the poor and the weak. 

Agreed that we have lost faith in the current political system where corruptions, chamcha-giri are widespread. It will take lot of courage and determination to bring in a change where everyone will start having more faith in the system. The path will be full of problems; every turn will bring a new challenge to overcome. But, unless we don’t take the path now, it will be too late for the next generation. The next generation will be left with nothing if we decided to close our eyes, ears and fail to stand up at this time. 

The need for you to be part of the political system has come not because everything is fine, smooth and route is well defined. But, because the gutter has stopped flowing and has become standstill since it is filled with all kinds of dirt you can simply imagine. Someone needs to pull up the sleeves and go down the gutter to cleanse without minding how dirty it will make him. It may be noted that many of America’s leaders enter politics from other arenas-business and law being the two most common. Though, politics as a profession has fallen out of favor but it is still the heart of a democracy. If you learn how to fashion a political career then perhaps you can become a generation of professional politicians who run things differently. 

The path is not meant of soft hearted people like you who will prefer to stay away. It is for those who have the courage and determination to do so. Maybe even Rambo will fall short for such tasks. We need to awake the hero inside every one of us to bring a change because change is never easy how small it is. 

If you still think that there will be someone else to remove the dirt while you are sitting in AC room far away then stop cribbing and stay silent because you are not worth to say or write anything. States are not moral agents, people are, and can impose moral standards on powerful institutions. What are the moral standards that we have set? What have we done to encourage ‘good’ politicians and kick out the bad ones? These are questions that can be easily asked but so tough to answer. 

Development can take place only when there is change in the system which is in the hands of the politicians. The power of a politician is immense and if used properly for the welfare of the people can cleanse the dirt. The very law that binds the person in power from making the changes can be amended with a little effort by going beyond the selfish goals. But the very first step to remove the dirt is to replace the bad politicians with good ones. 

There’s no bad politics. There are only bad politicians. True, that power corrupts people but power can also correct the people. The person in power makes all the difference. So let’s fight for the chair instead of picking up a gun if we really want growth in our state. 

The writers can be contacted at ngakpa.oinam@gmail.com and babina.wahengbam@gmail.com 

The resilience of the Manipuri people is really incredible. Perhaps we are used to the perennial difficulties of life, when it has become an ritual for the state to be mired in a couple of consequential controversies, political dissension and ultimately, violent conflicts every year. Such is the tragedy we have been relentlessly compel to experience.

In the latest spectacle, Manipur is reeling under a crisis after Thunaleng Muivah’s impending visit to his hometown in Ukhrul and the vexed ADC elections, not necessarily in that order. Can we compare the present calamity to any disaster that had struck the state in recent past?

With a showdown in the name of us versus them, highways are hold at ransom and essential commodities are running scarce. It has created a situation of life and death, literally, with hospitals running out of oxygen and life-saving drugs. Nobody wins in this hostility.

But so ironic is the situation that one’s freedom is becoming another’s bondage. Precisely, the Nagas* have decided they are pulling together for a greater Lim, which would pave the way for their self-determination. Their leaders have convinced them that the movement will be more successful, if their clans (imagined or real) come under a single administration, based on ethnicity.

On the other hand is the dominant, valley-based Meiteis. We feel Th Muivah (75) is singing his swan song and is a sacrificial goat from the Indian government. Of late, we have been also at the receiving end. The Nagas and other people from the hills look down on us, alleging we have neglected them from long. The idea that we are an obstacle to their dream, is their persuasion. We pay Rs 200 for a mere litre of petrol and Rs 1,000 for a gas cylinder. What a defect we are!

However, what is more unfortunate is the overt apathy of the Indian government in dealing with the complex issue – just because the peripheral states are infinitesimal in the national politico-economical setting. What do we need to do to empower ourselves? I used to think it’s a matter of a pen or a gun, yet the thought appears to be too superficial now**.

In any case, the sole resemblance of these recurring issues is that we push ourselves down in each extremity to the next level of bestiality, from the previous low. For the record, office buildings are gutted down; sit-in demonstrations are persistent, so are the rallies and protest marches; animosity is brewing; MoUs are being submitted to the unconcerned authorities; and you never know when the society would explode.

As mentioned earlier, there is an acute shortage of daily commodities in the capital city. Imagine the arduous life the people in remote areas might be facing. It is a torture. It might be paradoxical but there are also people (mostly in the hills, far from the capital) who think these are the passing days, which will ultimately lead them to their salvation. We sing the song of fraternity, but it is dubious in reality. And reasonably so.

We have already redefined several ex-pressions, such as, strike, curfew – and now, economic blockade, wakat-meepham and mainland Indian indifference are some of the familiar parlance.

Even a person suffering from dementia would come out with a list of insane records, which evidences the wretched state-of-affairs in contemporary times. Last year, for instance, Manipur burst into flames when an righteous SDO officer was murdered along with two of his subordinates in cold blood. When the matter subsided, the July 23 incident banged; and, the untold miseries it fostered had been concealed shamelessly, whilst we mark our time for the next fiasco.

We are seemingly too honest-to-goodness. We live through everything, anything on earth, or hell for that matter. There is little chance we would get the better of adversity. The most significant factor in marching ahead is to fine-tune our consciousness. Starting from the individual to the common people, the administrators, the government and across the region and the states, there must be a voluntary appreciation of our existence and recognition in us as capable, trustworthy human beings.

* The Nagas are a diversified group of tribes, who are bound together mainly by Christianity. The Wikipedia states: “The dawn of a spirit of nationalism and a common identity (however) are relatively new concepts among the Nagas. This is because, to the Nagas, every village is a republic, free from all outside domination and their desire had been to preserve the status quo.” But it must be noted that there are several other Naga groups, who are nonpartisan and don’t sing a chorus to Muivah’s song.

** I’m in a dilemma these days. Earlier I used to sympathise with the people, who are leading the separatist movement. I still feel the mess in Manipur owes a lot to the integration of the state into the union. But I have changed my stand – mainly because of the unholy, commercial path that these people have taken in the name of the land. The question that whom I should stand for is an inconclusive issue, though my inner voice says I can never take interest in mainstream politics.

Now my propensity is in finding a cognitive retreat – a level field inside me that equates all these heart-rendering, irksome issues, but not without some hope. The essence of life lies in its abstraction; what we live through are merely events and observation. In this regard, a Manipuri life is a ruination, where everything or anything is possible. This must be halted. But how we pull the plug on this manifestation is going to define our existence. When we are in a vicious cycle of violence and underdevelopment, what we need is human thinking and to resist ourselves from animalistic conduct.

Dickheads of the land, unite! You have nothing to lose but your weaknesses

About Tonthoi Leishangthem:
Tonthoi is a very talented person in the field of entertainment; today she has occupied some space in the Manipur Film Industry. Since childhood she has the wish to be part of the entertainment society but could not expose her talent quite often for being brought in a family where nobody are attached with entertainment society but all of them are enthusiastic of education. Nevertheless, she didn’t give up her wishes and continue to explore the entertainment world by participating for the first time in Miss Manipur 2003. However, she was not selected but her untiring move made her again to participate in a beauty contest. In fact she was crowned the Miss Chandranadi title in that same year.
Apart from it she also completed her dance diploma from the most reputed dance and music academy known as Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy. Further moving ahead with career she was again entitled the award for DAWN 2006 (a special competition to search most perfect actor and actress)
Tonthoi has to struggle a lot since it was her parents’ strong advice that she has to complete her education at any cost, though her parents never object her acting. Today she is not only an actor but also continuing her studies to fulfill her parents’ wishes. Apart from film today she also got various offered to act in teleplays which are highlighted in the state local channel and Doordarshan Kendra, Imphal.

Comments from IX
1. Dinesh L
None of the politicians of Manipur because all of them only think of making themselves richer instead of applying their minds in making our state progressive and to respected all over India.

2. L. Phonia
This is a very hard questions because nowadays all the politician carry out illegal activities and are all cheaters.

3. Ngachaneo
Rishang Keishang, because he was the best. There were no mistreating or mocking the hill people. He brought unity among both the people of the hill and valley. He is very inspiring.

4. Steton K
I don’t admire anyone of them because none of them come out courageously with action to treat the people in a satisfying manner.

5. N. Teresahani
The question is indeed a bit hard to answer. I actually do not admire any politician of Manipur because the politician I came across think only for themselves and their families and not for the people. They even forget that they are elected by the people to bring development in society.

6. ChitrabalaKh
I like OkramIbobi the most because he tries so hard to make Manipur a civilized state. He works wholeheartedly by going to every corner of Manipur.

7. Loreta N
All politicians of Manipur cannot be admired because they don’t know the purpose of their job.

8. Y. Shiya
This is a hard question. All the politicians of Manipur are not worth to be admired. They think about money always and I read this in newspapers. I haven’t experienced it, of course. Just in news headlines!!

9. Yengkhom Ghanapriya
I admire none of the politician because they are the one who acts sweetly outside but lazy to take up any work in reality.

Students' writing comments

Comments from XII-A
1. Ng Bidyabati Devi
The MLA of Moirang Kendra, Mr. Prithibiraj is the only politician that I admire most. Because he think about both higher class and lower class people. But Mr. Ibobi as a CM never ever think about the people of Manipur, he makes the people angry e.g. the six pay commission that was already given by the central Government but till today he don’t give even a singlepaise as six pay.

2. Ningthoujam Ella Chanu
I admireHonourable Education Minister; Mr. L Jayanta because he tries his best level for the betterment of the students’ that is believed to be the pillars of the nation.

3. SunieLaishram
I admire Minister Irabot the most. He is a senior politician and he doesn’t stick to his own decision and also can scold the underground openly.

4. Rita Loitongbam
None.Because none of them have not done a remarkable thing in Manipur for the development of society.

5. Ch. Roni
Education Minister Jayanta is the politician of Manipur I admire most. Because he encourage students’ regarding studies which is the only way to make our life successful.

6. Deepa Yumnam
No one because they are all fraudsters and they came out for personal gains (as far as I know).

7. N. Suhanjit
None because all of them go after money.

8. Sapam Gayatri Devi
Ibobi because he did whatever he wants, no matter what others think of them.

Comments from XII-B

1. Neela Rajkumari
None, if there is one who is truly a politician (not a money lover) than that would be my choice. But yeah, I have one which I truly admire – Agatha Sangma. More women like her with a pure heart for the people can bring al least some little changes. Manipur is unchangeable though.

2. Saurav Bose
Nowadays we don’t find good politicians. All the systems are corrupted which should be changed.

3. Kh. Telheiba
No one because they do a lot of corruption and we have nothing to learn and admire about them.

4. Hittary Mongsatabam
Sorry, I don’t admire any of them about themselves. They don’t think about the development of the state, they are all corrupted.

5. Jenny Ningngobam
I admire Late ShriElangbamKunjeshwar the most because it is he whom I have seen with my own eyes to work hard for his constituency.

Students' writing comments

Q. What is culture and what do you think about Manipur culture?

Comments from class XII-A
1. L. Shiny
Culture is something which showcases or reveals the traditional way of life and the identity of a particular community.
The culture of Manipur is almost like a mini global culture because of all the ethnic groups living together. It is almost like a garland made up of all different kinds of flowers available in a garden.

2. L. Ania
People all over the world have their own culture. A culture means rituals, beliefs and ceremonies conducted or performed by our past ancestors or culture could also many other meanings like in our Manipur.
Apart from our rich culture, the Manipuris also has few other cultures like killing among the same communities and extortion of money as well as various forms of violence.

3. Deepa Yumnam
Culture is the indigenous nature of the society of a particular place.
Manipur has very rich culture but its primitive form is deteriorating.

4. Ch. Roni
By culture, we mean the rules to be followed with regard of a religion i.e. as its identity for which other people all over the world can recognize it.
According to me, Manipuri culture is very rich and nice. Woman used to wear phanekandenaphi and man used to wear pheijompumyat. But now, this type of culture dressing is declining with the influence of western culture.

5. Rita Loitongbam
Culture is the belief followed by the people from ancient time when a society developed.
The culture of Manipur is changing very much with the intervention of new scientific things and the culture of others countries. We are loosing our culture and following other cultures.

Comments from class IX-A
1. Yengkhom Ghanapriya
Culture is a way of tradition which has been taking place from our birth till now.
About Manipur culture, I think it is a different experience in my life. It shows the traditional way of living of an earlier time.

2. Sapam Rebika Devi
Culture is the way of tradition which have been taking place from our birth.
About Manipur culture, I think Manipur culture is very good, it preserves the heritage of our state.

3. Sneha Yumnam
Culture is something that a particular region or a place follows strictly from the very beginning of the region.
There are so many do’s and don’ts, so Manipuri culture really sucks because there are so many reasons. Why do girls only have to wear phanek and not boys? Boys do not have to wear pheijom while attending school. This is not fair.

4. B. Puremba Sharma
In my idea culture is the traditional ways which our forefathers started and which is still practiced in various areas or we can also say which is practiced all over the world.
Manipuri culture, our dance form speaks a lot. The folk songs of Manipur are wonderful and I hope one day Manipur would be known for its creative, artistic and amazing art and culture.

5. Garry Rajkumari
A culture is a traditional or modern style in terms of modifications over time but the culture of the place will be in itshistory.
I think that Manipur culture is very fantastic because it is the most proper tradition in the world.

Comments from class XII-B
1. Neela Rajkumari
Culture is something which has been with us right from the starting of the generation which shows how a group of community lives, their way of respects, their sahstras&sangeets etc.
I think Manipur culture is the richest of the entire world. We should be proud of our inherited treasure.

2. Gaihemlung Marangmei
Culture is the identity of a person by which he is known to other.
Manipur culture is unique and one of its kind.

3. Dayaraj Akham
A culture is a historical thing related to the ancient tradition that must be conserved by the growing generation.
I feel little disappointed about Manipur culture because day-by-day our youngster copy western style.

4. Y. Malemnganba Singh
Culture is a form of organized good habit that forms a beautiful society and identities its followers.
As Manipur is composed of many religions and communities, Manipur has none of its own definite culture.

Teacher writing the questionnaire

Q. Maintaining of culture inside the institutional place is good/bad. Reason.

Comments from class XII-A
1. Rita Loitongbam
Maintaining of culture inside the institutional places is good because it is the place of learning and if we develop our culture inside the institution, it gives the youth the opportunity to learn the culture which they are trying to destroy.

2. Ch. Roni
Maintaining of culture inside the institutional places is good. With the influence of western cultures it seems like we forget our rich culture. So, maintaining of culture like wearing phaneks is good but in Manipur it seems like only the girls are the one to preserve our culture. So, it would be better if boys should also wear cultural dresses in school as girls and boys have the same responsibility to preserve their culture.

3. Deepa Yumnam
It’s good that we introduce such ideas but if it’s done, it’d be better if we implement it equally among the two genders.

4. R.K. Prakreeti
Its good because we all need to reveal our true identity and expressed the advantages of culture so that people will know more about us and there will be more relationships between each and everyone.

5. Sangeet Gupta
Maintaining of culture inside the institutional places is bad as we can see that in Manipur, only are the girls maintaining it but not the boys. They wear long pants which isnot the culture of Manipur.

Comments from class XII-B
1. Samrat
Maintaining of culture inside the institutional places is good because it lifts up culture to a level which can be respected by all.
Hence, anyone who does not have any idea about our culture could also learn and have some idea of it.

2. Dayaraj Akham
Bad, because there may be caste fighting that disturb in education. Education must be in peace and not depend on culture.

3. Khedashwori
It is good to maintaining culture inside the institutional places because it can suppressed the influence of western/east asian trend. Sometimes it may be uncomfortable after all we have to wear it some years later.

4. Jenny Ningnombam
It is good but too much involvement of culture inside the institutional places can mislead the students’. After all, institutional places are the sites for gaining requirement for the students to learn about the whole world and not only for this homeland.

5. Y. Nilakumar Singh
It is good, because maintaining of culture inside the institution place develops/create an idea to the students’ who are the pillars of the society. If they maintain our culture it can last long as ever in a good way.

Sending out a threat to non-manipuris to leave the state is certainly not the solution.

I’m a true Meitei in heart and soul but I cannot agree with our fellow brethrens in chasing away non-locals from our state or sending out a threat to leave the land by terming them as “illegal immigrants” just because we don’t like to be part of India. I don’t mean or intend to overlook our history but the present scenario demands a more practical and attainable solution.

If the militants were outside Manipur fighting against all odds for a decent space in this mad world, they would have understood how tough it is for us to pursue higher studies or make a living. Staying far away from our beloved home and working day and night is not easy. Yet, we have managed to find a space for a living just like the non-locals do in Manipur. Imagine what will happen to us who are living outside the state if we are told to pack up our bags and leave behind our jobs and studies. Any threat against the non-locals in Manipur can put the lives of other Manipuris living outside the state a under similar threat.

The most likely consequence could be the major political controversy with the stand taken by CPI (Maoist). According to a news report published in Hindustan Times dated April 21, 2010, the Bihar Maoists’ plan to come out with a counter ultimatum in support of the Bihari and Jharkhand labourers. The report further stated that CPI (Maoist) would also issue an ultimatum to the students of Manipur enrolled in different educational institutes in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to leave these places by June 30. Even people working in other organizations in the four states would not be spared. And the end result would be both the militants and the Maoist, being the Centre’s pain in the neck, will make the show more pleasurable for the Govt of India. This has to be kept in mind before taking up any further steps.

But what were our state leaders doing when the ultimatum was sent to the migrant workers? Were they waiting for the Maoist counter ultimatum? It is really disappointing to see our Chief Minister is least concerned about Manipuris living outside the state by saying that our safety and protection is not under his jurisdiction. If Mr Ibobi had made it clear that the threat to migrant workers is unacceptable and illogical, such question regarding our protection would not have come up. The government watching silently all this time proves its inefficiency in ruling the state and providing security of his own people and non-locals under his umbrella.

Have our fellow brethrens ever thought what the common people want? No. Unfortunately, they raise their own voice and not the voice of the people. The militants should not forget that they are not the legal body of the sate and they cannot anytime impose or issue any barbaric statement or rule in the name of the people’s welfare. If they think that guns can rule us then there are hundreds of lives who stand in between the guns of freedom and bullets of democracy. But eventually, it’s our own blood that will be shed.

The militants must also understand that it’s neither possible to make the non-manipuris leave the place nor sending them away by force that is the right solution. Rather, it would create chaos in the state not only economically but politically too. All of us know that our economy is so fragile and depends on India for survival. We have seen this many times whenever there are blockades in national highways. Even for a pinch of salt, we need to import from other states. Currently we are facing shortage of essential commodities and transport fuel supply because of the week-long blockades along the Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Jiribam national highways, the two lifelines of the state. Prices of vital items are rising much higher than the normal rates across the state. In such a situation, do not be under the illusion that we can meet both ends by cutting ourselves from the rest.

Today, you feel insecure because the non-locals started to control the commercial market but have you ever questioned yourself why they can make money in the heart of Imphal market while our own people continue to depend on them. Instead of sending out a threat, why don’t you ban all Indian goods, stop buying Indian products, stop eating Indian foodstuffs, stop wearing Indian cloths and stop chasing Indian money? If you do so, no mayangs will ever dare to survive in Manipur but this you cannot do because the state will not be able to survive in its own. Then how do you think it can subsist by stopping the traders from entering Manipur? So why don’t we work a little harder and replace the mayang rag-picker by a meitei rag-picker, a mayang trader by a meitei trader.

The militants have banned hindi films in protest against the illegal domination by India. They even went to the extent of burning hindi books but was it successful? No. Today you can see Imphal market flooded with pirated hindi movies. The successful launch of Tata Sky and Dish TV via satellite channels which offers hundreds of hindi channels is unstoppable. On the one hand, they banned wearing skirts in schools adding unnecessary nuisance to the students but on the other hand the market is swamped with Indian and western dresses. Where has all the spirit of preserving our tradition gone? Was it limited to school uniforms only?

Not a single major industry, much less an important establishment has ever been established in Manipur partly because of the colonial regime and political and military subjugation of the people and partly because of the illegal taxation imposed by several insurgent groups. So much of talking has been happening about threats posing to the local people of Manipur by the unchecked increasing influx of non-locals but what about the insiders who are also equally responsible for it.

If they cannot work as hard as their counterparts, at least learn something constructive from the Maoists. Founded on 21 September, 2004 with the aim to overthrow the government of India, the Maoist has been fighting for the rights of the tribals in the forest belt in and around central India. Their principle source of funding has been abduction, extortions, looting and poppy cultivation but they serve its own people by building roads and running schools. It is unfortunate that our brethrens only know how to extort money from the poor people, not even sparing the small retailers like the pan-dukans. The worst scenario is they have graded politics above education.

Revolting against the Indian army and its excessive usage of special powers under the Armed Forces Special Power Act is justified to the extent that it’s taking undue advantage over the common people. But chasing away the non-locals, who are like us earning a living, will not serve any purpose. It will rather deteriorate the economic condition of the state and only the common people will pay the price for such irrational act.

The heavy influx of non-locals is quite alarming and certainly needs to be checked by all means. At least we should not let outsiders buy or own property except for industrial purposes that can provide employment to the local people. This can solve half the problem as the demand would be quite reasonable. For example, outsiders are not allowed to buy land in some states of India because of various political and historical reasons. In Sikkim, outsiders cannot buy land, except to set up industrial units. Only Sikkimese residents can buy land there. Article 371F of the Constitution of India, which grants special provisions to Sikkim, prohibits sale and purchase of land or property involving outsiders. In addition to this, only tribals can purchase land and property in the tribal areas of the state, for instance, the north district of Sikkim.

In Arunachal Pradesh too, sale of land or property to outsiders (non-tribals) is prohibited. Arunachal falls under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and in all such areas; non-tribals cannot purchase land or property.

Fighting for self-determination is a greater cause and needs more realistic measures that are achievable. But before that we need to clean the mess among ourselves if we want to meet our goals. So we must first change our outlook and initiate steps to take up firm actions to bring industrial growth in the state.

In cases of sexual harassment of women instead of blaming the perpetrators the attitude, dressing style and manner of women are made responsible. Sexual harassment of the Northeast girls cannot be understood in isolation as women as a whole have to be taken into account. This article questions the wrongful notion attributed to women dressing scantily, thinking of tribes as nude, blaming of women roaming in nights, and disdainful use of the word tribe. This article throws new perspective on the understanding behind the term “Chinki” used for the people belonging to Mongoloid race. Sometimes there is a notion of stereotyping all the people from Northeast as tribal. The word tribal always inherently understood in a disdainful and contemptible manner. The article tries to demystify these prevailing misconceptions about women from Northeast India and the problem of sexual harassment in general.

Why sexual harassment is perceived as related only to women not to men? The idea of sexual harassment generally pertains to molestation or rape. Women are sexually harassed by men and if men had to be sexually harassed who will do it? Is another man to sexually harass another man or is a woman to harass a man. Is it feasible for a woman to sexually harass a man. It is a universal phenomenon that no man can be in the legal sense sexually harassed. The maxim goes ‘Man can’t be raped’. The point is men’s sexuality is never in danger. Each of the sex perceives their sexuality differently. For women sexuality is associated with morality and prestige but for men they are free from any such associations. So what does it matter if a man is raped? It does not make any difference at least socially if not personally. They have nothing to lose nor their prestige or morality but for a woman who is raped nothing is left because the social norm snatch away from her something un-seeable, intangible things called prestige or morality.

ON THE TERM CHINKI
Chinki is a derogatory term for the people belonging to mongoloid race just like Mayang is for brown Indians or Yankies for the Americans. Derogatory words are part of common language spoken and written. But in a public forum if someone utter such derogatory term directly pointing to the other then it not only shows the person’s prejudice and biased attitude towards the people of other community it also shows the level of insensitivity and immature attitude of the speaker. It is indeed a pity if any forum publicizes writings incorporating such words without a second thought. It shows the forum’s indifference and disdain for the people involved.

ON ROAMING IN THE NIGHTS BY THE NORTHEAST GIRLS
There is a huge difference between the life of some sleepy towns or villages in Northeast and the life of metropolitan cities like Delhi or Mumbai. These are metro cities with vibrant night life which one cannot find in a remote small town or village of any part of India. If a man venture out in night and enjoy then its ‘macho’. But when women do then they are blamed to be inviting dangers. Let us say dangers are invited then why men are so willing to take this invitation? Why these man have no judgment over their own choice on whether a woman walking alone in the road can be raped or not. If a woman bares her breast or open her legs why some specific men are so willing to grab the opportunity. All men would not like to taste the parts of women who are strangers. Let us say some men want to then there is brothel where women of all kinds and colours that attune to their fascination are available. But why hunt unwilling women in nights; there is indeed a dark psyche involved.
The perpetrators are the prisoners of their own uncensored and unrealized conscience. They are positively un-free. It is not woman who had to be freed from the clutches of man’s unholy hands and undignified eyes but it is the men themselves who had to be salvaged from their unrealized conscience. The unholy hands and the undignified eyes are the shadows of their unrealized conscience. As much as the shadows disappear with the disappearance of the real object the former will disappear with the realization of their conscience.
We cannot blame the women’s desire to venture out in night just because some men are there to hunt them as prey. Why are some men hunters in the first place? Why can’t they stop hunting women? Or is it something like it is inherent nature of some men to hunt women as sexual prey. It cannot be; it can never be.

PERCEPTION OF NORTHEAST WOMEN AS VULNERABLE AND AVAILABLE

This perception is mainly because their looks are different so they can be easily distinguished in public and they have come far from home so they are without support system of their family. But we failed to notice the vast North Indian women who are too raped, molested and harassed because they merged in the North Indian Crowd. If one stays in any women’s hostel in Delhi one will get to hear every stories…from sexual harassment to sex-sell by the girls to rich middle aged Indian for as much as ten Thousand bucks a night. These are gossips, stories and rumours. But you cannot have smoke without fire. One only wants to see the dainty Northeast girl standing beside the road waiting for a customer for the night but one willingly fail to notice another beautiful North Indian girl standing next to her waiting for another customer. But the regular customer knows her so she will be picked up surely. But the North Indian eyes want to see and blame only the Northeast girls. One sees only what one wants to see. We have to put another lens more secular enough to see all women as a whole not as North Indian or Northeast women. They are willing then who has the problem. One must accept the fact that it is woman as a whole regardless of caste, class or race is the victim. One must instead of hunting for unwilling women should go for women who are available.

ON NUDITY

We all are born nude from our mother’s womb. We were all undressed initially. If we trace the human evolution human ancestry can be traced to Africa undressed and raw. If someone is comfortable with his or her nudity who are we to tell him or her to dress. If you see all the high profile fashion magazine nudity and semi nudity is the best way to express the garments. If you see sculpture David made my Michaelangelo you will find the celebration in the beauty of male nudity from his limbs to his soft penis. And if you see the sculpture you will find it is indeed beautiful to be nude. Unfortunately the people of this world abandoned the aesthetic of nudity to clad themselves. And if the people of Northeast have dressed late they are lucky enough to be true to nature and to be committed to the aesthetic beauty of nudity for that long enough. Unfortunately now people of this region dress more than they are suppose to. I feel the slim and trim and sexy thighs of the dainty girls regardless of race or place deserve a decent look, an appreciation of its beauty not to look at it in the raw lecherous way of a sexually frustrated man/ woman. The attire of a person or of a community can never be judged. The person who makes any such judgment is of cheap, shallow, biased, abnormal mind. Such person’s opinion is made to reach a public forum mean then it fails in holding responsibility towards its image and toward the general public. The point however is that it is much better to be a human, naked than a full dressed beast.

DEMYSTIFYING THE TRIBAL NATURE OF NORTHEAST
The region is presumed to be predominantly inhabited by the tribal. This is contrary to the ground reality. According to 2001 census only about one-fourth of the population in the region is tribal. Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are tribal in majority of its population but the whole region cannot be categorized as predominantly tribal. There is another assumption that the tribal population is still very ‘primitive’. On the contrary a large number of them are educated and western in lifestyle unlike the marginalized tribal in other parts of India. That is why unlike in other regions of India the policy of protective discrimination for ‘schedule tribe’ in the region raises serious questions of justice and equality for the non-tribal population. In these circumstances conceptualizing Northeast in the special ‘tribal’ way has to go.
The extent to which a state’s population is tribal varies considerably. In the Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland, upward of 90 percent of the population is tribal. However, in the remaining northeast states of Assam, Manipur, Sikkim, and Tripura, tribal peoples form between 20 and 30 percent of the population. The largest tribes are found in central India, although the tribal population there accounts for only around 10 percent of the region’s total population. Major concentrations of tribal people live in Maharashtra, Orissa, and West Bengal. In the south, about 1 percent of the populations of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are tribal, whereas about 6 percent in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are members of tribes. There are some 573 communities recognized by the government as Scheduled Tribes and therefore eligible to receive special benefits and to compete for reserved seats in legislatures and schools. They range in size from the Gonds (roughly 7.4 million) and the Santals (approximately 4.2 million) to only eighteen Chaimals in the Andaman Islands. Central Indian states have the country’s largest tribes, and, taken as a whole, roughly 75 percent of the total tribal population live there.

TO BE A TRIBAL: IT’S MEANING
When we eat food we are tribal, when we have sex we are tribal, when we give birth we are tribal, when we kill people we are tribal. We are all tribal in cosmopolitan cities. We are the tribes of this world. Just because you wear sarees or trousers or just because you are in a world of gadgets you don’t stop being a tribal. In our elemental ways of living we all are tribal. So to despise others as tribal is despising oneself.

CONCLUSION:
The point is how you get sexual satisfaction: through willing partners or by forcing someone. Moral judgments are always full of bias and in the world of suppressed sexual frustration of highly orthodox and conservative society a dainty pair of Northeast legs is intolerably luring to them. Had they been watching these sexy legs since birth they would not have got so turned on watching it suddenly in a city and that too for the first time at the age of 30 years or so. The outlet they use is by grabbing on women’s breast, nudging their groin on women’s bottoms and at times bumping at women in the pretext of stumbling. This disgusting way of releasing their sexual desire is shown in bus or trains or in roads almost everywhere. Our world is filled with specific dirty hands and genitals. The problem is not with women be it Northeast, north Indian or belonging to any nation or race, the problem is in the vision these kind of man looking at women with the sinister desire to rape, to grab and at times even to kill. The problem is in the psyche of such individual not with the attributes of women. Her attire, her nudity, her legs, her semi or full clad nature or her being just a woman can lure man can seduce man but it can never be a reason for a man to sexually harass her or rape her.

“Restaurants come into public scrutiny once again”.
Is the banning of what are known as “cabins” and stopping young people from using mobile phones the only solution to clean the society? The problem with our society is that we don’t want to give freedom to others and we don’t respect the freedom of others. What make us think that somebody is against the society if he/she is found kissing or hugging his/her lover somewhere in the corner of the road?

How has the chain of the dark cabin restaurants built up in a society which is so suffocating and closed from all the sides? Why do couples and lovers have to find dark cabin rooms to meet each other? What are the factors which force them to hide from the public? They are the miserable lovers whose opportunity to express love for each other is only in the dark cabin or only in the corner of the closed room beneath the posters of scantily clad women. It has become a customary law for our society where we only terminate the consequential products and by-products of a problem but not the root of the cause of such problems.

There are many other ways and means to stop the teenagers to stop such practises like child marriage, early pregnancy and early elopement. Manipur is listed in no. 1 for child marriage occurrence and sexual abuse though we still don’t own responsible authority to do a scrutiny in this matter except some self proclaimed human rights groups. Let’s pick up any example; let it be the case of drug abuse or sexual abuse in the name of dating, which is very much common in our society now. Who can stop such kids from committing whatever they want to do? Isn’t it the fault of the society which prevent them freedom to go out in the open public and letting them to live their life freely without blindly guiding them “ do” and “don’t”?

Will we ever give young people the freedom to date in the public space as all normal human society in the world does? Why have we started thinking that dating is an illicit behaviour in our society? I don’t think we would be born if indeed dating was illicit. Human race would have ended centuries back if our forefathers had not dated each other. Giving freedom to the youngsters to live their own life and learn is not about following the western culture and just abandoning our culture. It is more about preserving the human norms of relations and emotions. If we started treating that the romantic relations between a girl and boy is illicit, then the culture of marriage is a crime.

Let’s take an example of drug/alcohol abuse. We can see that Manipuri society especially our Meitei society is famous for husbands abusing his wife after consuming alcohol. Is it really because of alcohol? Let’s find out now what kind of chemical entity is there which instigates a man to beat his wife. As far as scientific discovery is concerned, no chemical entity is there which can boost a man’s capability to overpower physically his wife after drinking. Problem is with the psychology of the human being and not with the alcohol. Why have we launched so much of restriction against ourselves from eating, drinking and living freely? Have we ever heard of any country where alcohol is not available and where there is no drug abuse? But the question here is why we are on in the lead regarding such problems? The only answer is the close and suffocating society where we lived forced us to show such abnormal behaviour. In our society people drink, eat and make love out of suffocation, frustration, humiliation and fear of the society, due to the unbearable restriction around us.

It’s high time we recheck, revisit and rectify the system of resistance against any kind of man-made abuse before it become a calamity against human race. The resistance against our survival operated by some fraction of the culture preservers which can only create tension in the society. Unfortunately we live in a society where people are waits with their mouths open all the time to humiliate and judge another human. Instead of referring a drug user to a rehabilitation centre, he would be ostracized in front of everyone and sent to police custody. In the police custody again he would have to face abuse and insults. How could a person who has lost control over his own brain rectify without proper guiding? How many people have we saved from drug abuse or any kind of wrongful activity by insulting, humiliating, abusing or even by killing? Rather, they become more vulnerable to drugs and any other means to escape from such abuse by the society.

My own locality is filled with drug users and once in a month at least, there is a drama of humiliation in the school playground. We always accepted the crime done by a mob such as burning house of prime accuse, beating a prostitute or drug abuse in the process of humiliation. But till now I have not come across any success in stopping them from taking drugs, becoming a prostitute or a criminal. Had we sent them in a rehabilitation centre instead of humiliating them in the public, they could have stopped taking drugs because of our humanity.

Sometime I really feel jealous of the time where our grandparents narrate about the “Likon –sannaba” on full moon night and how perspective suitors come to meet young women in their houses. How I wish to own a “ningol- ka” in my parental home where I can my lover freely in front of my parents without any humiliation from the society. How I wish we would return to that age where our forefathers lived freely!

Man’s essential characteristic is his rational faculty. Man’s mind is his basic means of survival—his only means of gaining knowledge. In order to sustain its life, every living species has to follow a certain course of action required by its nature. The action required to sustain human life is primarily intellectual: everything man needs has to be discovered by his mind and produced by his effort. Production is the application of reason to the problem of survival ( Ayn Rand in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal )
Hilly regions are well known for their extravagant natural beauty. I take pride in the fact that I belong to one such land, where blue mountains kiss the azure skies and the green shrouds adorn the breathtaking landscapes. The lonely, winding highways could take your heart from the pinnacle of the highlands to the rock bottom of deep gorges, whilst you appreciate the sweeping views — such eye-appeal, which could even make Venus self-conscious.
Each season brings along its inimitable characters. I would always put the cheerful spring sky on a pedestal, for those days draw the star out from the natural world. But it would not be fair to overlook the misty mornings of winter when the open spaces and the fields hide behind the white smokes of chill air, and when the hills drape itself in clean hoariness. The ceaseless torrential rain, laving the grime from the foliages to offer serene views, completes the cycle. No metaphor or a long muse, but only poetry and philosophy, can describe these ineffable experiences.
Has language too many shortcomings that clog our understanding of the world? Pascal viewed that man is so necessarily mad that to not be mad would amount to another form of madness. Of course, thought is vital for our consciousness, and its limit caves in to the limit of our world. Nevertheless, as posited in the theory of knowledge, reason (rationality), sense perception and emotions shape our consciousness in those areas where language cannot tread. But that’s another story.
The spectacle from atop the Sendra hillock — the floating masses of water hyacinth across the immense Loktak, the greens around its bailiwicks are mere amuse-guele. On the way to Moreh town, bordering Myanmar, you could see the flying clouds on the road, while the vista stretch across several folds of mountain ranges. In fact, this kind of delightful panorama is quite ubiquitous across the hills in the entire state, though the perception changes according to the territory. Regardless of the acute underdevelopment, the serenity is also prevalent in the Shiroi Kashung Peak in as much anyone can find in the Dzuko Valley. It is seemingly too minimal to mention only a few of these places.
Nature has been lavish in providing Manipur, a conflict zone in the western South-East Asia, with soaring mountains and valleys and waterfalls and rivers and gurgling streams and verdant vegetation and what not. Its unique topography, with a bowl-like structure comprising nine ranges of hills surrounding the lonely Imphal valley, accentuates the charms; a sui generis creation at its best. It is startling; nature has created the wondrous colours on its own. It is also surprising, at times, that the spectacular open grasslands at the foothills lie unpopulated as if we are showing our mercy.

The fact that beauty is only skin deep, is seriously consonant with our time. If there is a chance to be carried away by the mysticism of this place that we call our home, then we have a hell lot of possibility to get ourselves drowned in its vanity and barbarity. There is an utter lack of prospect to acknowledge this impressiveness of our land. And because, how we define our collective consciousness will unnecessarily have an adverse effect on the things, which we feel are so aesthetic and unique. When we talk about the state, it’s about the violence committed by state and non-state actors; the corruption and bribery system that they say, has become social mores; the close proximity to the Golden Triangle across the border; and the development processes, which are taken up at a snail’s pace.
For that matter, there are several places across the world that remain out of reach, in spite of huge tourism potential and under-utilized resources in abundance, owing to unfavourable socio-political reasons. The Swat region in north-west Pakistan, Israel, North Caucasus in Russia and southern Thailand are some of the random places that are worth a mention.

?Primitive Delight

Among the bushes,
Lies the serpent
On its back we crawl
Like a snake we slid
The earth descends upon the sky
The pinnacle among the clouds
The bitter breeze keeps calling,
Comforts of the mundane life,
When the soul was lost in the distance

Nature’s wealth abound in the hills;
The narrow roads, twisting and turns
Mount’s unremembered splendours
Beside deep gorges scaling down,
Taking the heart into the depth.?

This poem was written while I was travelling on one of the highways that connects the state to the other parts of the country. The problem arises here if I cite the reason for my journey. Despite the beauty galore, Manipur is set in a wretched locale, which is a perfect breeding ground for armed rebels and anarchism. It is a place where policy makers, on one hand, elucidate that it should be guarded militarily. On the other hand, a violent resistance movement is waged against the establishment. The conflict is tearing apart the social fabrics, the economic foundation, and the polity is tantamount to the state of nature. It’s akin to someone hollering at us to go away. Leave the place or get ourselves ready for its bloody theatre of the absurd.
But, ultimately, what we need is the will to march ahead along with other societies. The unsurpassed beautiful spots should be not confined to a handful of travellers, or allowed as hunting grounds for the rebels and the armies. For long we have been denied the chance to appreciate the magnificence in our own backyard. There are government’s efforts, formulating the State Tourism Policy that proposes to develop centers in Loktak and set up several ethnic/adventure tourism circuits in the hill districts — but these are simply insufficient to take us forward. There might be more projects in the pipeline and festivals are being organised as a part of the Look East Policy, but their effects in highlighting the place are doubtful. Even with those heartfelt efforts, gunshots and bombs will always drive away the visitors. The problem is not about lack of development funds, but rather the deplorable contest for political authority in the state.
In these states of affairs, we can discern the apparent shackles of beauty and reason. The truth of the land has manifested itself in the duality of being beautiful and, unfortunately, of being deficit in rationality. Is it because there is no reason in beauty or there is no beauty in reason? Either ways, there is no doubt about the existence of umpteen places that embellish our land, and we need to cultivate the virtue of reason. For its paucity — with the culture of vice and violence — has caused havoc in our paradise. George Bernard Shaw might have seen such a situation, when he said: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” The dream about Switzerland, that it would be one day hyped as Manipur of the West makes the heart lighter.

GOC
Red Shield Division