U A Shimray
Unlike other states’ capitals in the North Eastern region (excluding Assam), Imphal is the only capital situated in the vast plain area. Manipur State manifests unique physical features and socio-cultural entity. Topographically, the state is divided into hills and valley areas, which the Hills surround the valley. Lord Irwin describe Manipur as the “Switzerland of India” and “Jewel of India” by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The Meitei community refers as Sanaleipak (land of gold) or Kangleipak. Manipur is the home of more than 30 (thirty) hill communities such as Naga group and Kuki-Chin-Zomi group who traditionally live in the hill areas. The plain area is inhabited by major Meitei community and elsewhere Pangal (Muslim).
Imphal City, the capital of Manipur is cut through by two rivers- the Imphal and the Nambul. The city is replete with myths, folklore, heritages and historical background. The largest and famous women’s bazaar or Khwairamband (also popularly known as Ima Keithel or mother’s market) is situated in the middle of the city. The city is slowly weaned away from the past glory. Today, weeds and bushes invade historic Kangla and the Naga river looks like another nullah. One cannot avoid seeing garbage throwing here and there, water logging, traffic jam and unprecedented growth of population. Also, the city is filled with educated unemployed youths, AIDS is rampant, corruption is infested to all institutions and insurgency is very much alive and mobile. Some claimed that the increase of insurgency statistics is an attribution of unemployment problem. However, such statement does not substantively comprehend the historical and socio-cultural implications.
Hooded-face’s Day Out
Manipur government employees (read as JAC) often went “on and off” strikes demanding more service benefits including extension of retirement age up to 60 years. The extension of two more years meant another “chunk” of educated youth would be added to the proportion of unemployment statistics. Why does this old mammoth want another two years in the service? Indeed many educated youth cannot absorb into the employment sector because of low vacancy as well as job creation in the institutions. And the vacancies lying in the governmental departments are not filling adequately. Moreover, signing of MoU in 1999 between the Centre and State government, abolished many posts and curb recruitment.
What store in Manipur- bandhs, strikes, dharna, blockade, protest, rally, burning and destroying common properties is now became a way of life particularly in Imphal city. Whatsoever, in democracy, protest and agitation is inherent right of the people. But if the present trend continues (the average call of strike, bandh and blockade) there will be few working days. Also, it creates too many artificial holiday for the schools and colleges, off-day for the employees, non-sense business for the business person, another road-side picnic for the truck drivers.
Imphal is a very absorbing city if one closely observe. The more one seek, the more mysticism reveals in its own way. Indeed, frustration of the educated unemployed manifests itself in different forms. Take a simple example- a man in Ninja-like outfit Rickshawpullers covering their faces and performed their day’s business. Seldom ask why they are covering their face. Even the traffic police dare not to ask such question. It is not just a hooded-face’s day out. The faces are hidden not because of pollution or neither because of law nor because of style, but the faces behind the scarf is the stigma of educated unemployed youth.
According to the 1991 population census, the Manipur state registers a total literacy rate of 60 per cent, in sex-wise, male is 71 per cent and female is 47 per cent. Thiyam Bharat writes in The Telegraphy, 29 October 2004 that the number of educated job seekers in the Manipur had soared to 4,49,967 persons till May this year. Out of this, women accounted for 1,15,321 persons. A large labour force has been accumulating over the years. It also evident that there is growing unemployment even in the specialized fields such as medicine, veterinary, engineering, architecture, agriculture and computer science and information technology.
Learning New Things…
Sometimes, democratic protests are unbearable. We experience “public curfew” (as called by NGOs and social organisations), road-blockade (National Highway 39) known as “economic blockade”, Hindi boycott terming as “communication blockade” and burning down books and library in the name of democratic protest. In Imphal valley areas airing cable is not free, entertainment MTV and V-Channel and Hindi based channels are banned by one of the insurgent groups- Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF). Also, screening Hindi films is ban in Imphal areas (Hitherto, Hindi CDs are available like Paan). Now, many theatres are close down only few screening local Meitei films (With the same monotonous story line and reproduction of Bollywood’s story version). Are we practicing democracy or just bending to the dictation of some autocratic hands. In fact such rhetoric approach do not qualify democratic principal but imposition of dictatorial concept.
In democracy, there are many ways of protests and register against the state machinery. In Manipur condition, what we need is accommodation and understanding others’ problems with mutual respect and support. The staging social organisations or union should adopt more humane and democratic value. But unfortunately, the kind of bandhs and strike happening in the state are ways by which NGOs’ hope to gain “political capital” and assert their hegemony.
So, Manipur contributions to the democratic dictionary only bandh like Leftists’ popularisation a word “Gherao”. One mistaken identity is when one talk about Manipur, it is often limited to Imphal valley because the political and economic power concentrated there. Phrase like “Manipur bandh” is also limited in the greater Imphal. The periphery voices of the Hills somehow could not penetrate to the core because of various reasons. Present unequal politico-economic structure in the state in fact strengthens the division. Moreover, all the State’s administrative institutions and powers are concentrated in the Capital and become an easy target for any damn organisations. So, in order to maintain rationality the principal of decentralisation is necessary for the overall development. As stated democratic tools called bandh or strike are causing heavy loss for the State. Don’t make Manipur the “land of bandh” or surrender the dignify livelihood to the hand of few people.
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