Private Investigations – Kapil Arambam

PrivateInvestigations

Private Investigations a potpourri of

personal commentaries

Kapil Arambam 1

PrivateInvestigations

Private Investigations

A potpourri of personal commentaries

- Through the looking glass of a pacifist - While my guitar gently sweeps - I have a dream - Prejudice, ignorance and intolerance - The Manipur hangover and search for a solution

Kapil Arambam

Email: [email protected] Homepage: www.kapilarambam.blogspot.com Contact : +91.9818.6051.61

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Through the looking glass of a PACIFIST Violence rules the roost in Manipur – the state government as well as the militant organisations are responsible for this deplorable condition. The bloodshed continues unabated and the only thing that remains is the hope for a better tomorrow. BY KAPIL ARAMBAM

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ike an individual, every community has its distinctive traits and ways of life. At a glance, observers in the state would say violence, corruption, drugs and cheap lifestyle amongst other things, provide the platforms where the farce is set. These are the parasitic elements of any backward region and are, not surprisingly, rampant in our neighbourhood. The resulting frustration is manifested in our daily life, where the elected government is bent on intimidation while non-state actors are defying them at will. The general public are sandwiched between the two, and are disoriented lot between the devil and the deep sea. A confused identity and a sense of belonging nowhere are the building blocks of this absurd plot in the valley. But there are dreams, and plenty of them, which are sustaining our life and making survival possible. The struggle for achieving them has become all the more difficult as many have lost faith in it while others are embroiled in the chaos and lack of clarity to accomplish the task. The hope of a peaceful and self-reliant society is all we have got for posterity. We need to change ourselves, get rid of the violent and lazy mentality, and make ourselves visible in the global space. It has called for figuring out our roots. Asking ourselves where we belong might puzzle us again. Still we know we do belong to a root. Belonging is a feeling – not just a membership. It involves being included or accepted by others in a group. Hopefully, it is not politics this time around, but rather a universal feeling of

love that we have for our birthplace. We belong to humanity, and we know it. In deed, this consciousness oil the social reality, however harsh it may be in contemporary times. But how do we justify the security forces causing mayhem in a crowded place? Is there any authority out there? Or are they so busy fighting the rebels, who are clamouring for freedom from the jungles? Why do we remain a mute spectator to bloody gunfights in our backyards? Is it done just by staging those boring sit-in protests or organising senseless general strikes? How do we say we have an elected government? There are several more questions that we don’t have the answers for – the stupidity, of course, makes us a hardcore Manipuri. One of the insurgent groups even criticised that ‘the killer pack of police commandos the chief minister is raising is beyond counting.’ We can hardly expect anything from this dimwitted commandos, who were formerly raised as the Quick Striking Force (QSF) in the late Seventies. They are blood-thirsty and barks when their masters order. But, at least, we expect some panacea from the top brass if – yes, if they are aware they are responsible for the security of the man on the street. In history, we have seen revolution giving birth to nations whose power and autonomy have markedly surpassed their own pre-revolutionary pasts. France became a conquering power, the Russian rose to an industrial and military superpower. Mexico gained political strength and the country is least prone to military coup in Latin America. The culmination of a revolutionary process reunited and transformed a shattered China. Likewise, decolonising and neocolonial countries, such as, Cuba and Vietnam have broken the chains of extreme dependency. We have also seen the lofty ideals of Liberty, Fraternity and Equality firing imaginations in the quest of social and national liberation. 3

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Killing in the name of...

It might be superficial to compare these enhanced national powers to a region like ours. But the resistance is completing five decades and it is worrying, the label of being a failed state is going to be attached for ever. It is an open secret how these insurgents are operating with mass extortion, and how armed movement has been devalued shamelessly as a business enterprise. What is to become of Manipur? Ted Gurr elaborated in ‘Why Men Rebel’ that political violence occurs when many people in society become angry. And people become angry when there occurs a gap between the valued things and opportunities they feel entitled to and the things and opportunities they actually get – a condition known as relative deprivation. But there are basic counter-arguments, which are convincing and easily specified. No matter how discontented an aggregate of people may become, they cannot engage in political action, including violence, unless they are part of organised groups with access to resources. Is it only politics that is affecting the Manipuri landscape and the North-East as a whole? Not necessarily, as this aspect is also closely related to a regretful history, a complex geography and an inefficient economics, so as to say, that is spoiling every generation. In our homeland, we have so many beautiful places to die for, and vast natural resources to kill for. However we are caught in a time warp, unable to break free from the chains that tie us to our tribal instincts. We have been exploited... we have been humiliated... we have been cheated... but this is not just done. A gun is not at all enough to bring us salvation – we need thought and discipline and reason and commitment and planning and what not. In 'Revolutionary Change,' Chalmers Johnson described revolutions on the basis of a value-orientated social system model. A crisis comes into existence, according to Johnson, whenever values and environment become seriously dis-synchronised, due to either internal and external intrusions. Then, people become disoriented, and hence open to conversion to the alternative values proposed by a revolutionary movement. The existing authorities lose their legitimacy and have to rely more and more upon coercion to maintain order. Johnson continued if the authorities are "smart, flexible, and skillful," they will implement reforms to "re-synchronised" values and environment. But if the authorities are stubbornly "intransigent," then revolution will instead accomplish systemic change violently. But there are doubts about the prevailing armed rebellion, blamed for ideological bankruptcy and focussing more on extortion and government contracts, will be able to re-synchronise the social system's values and environment. Or rather, to create an organised and self-conscious "class-for-itself," as expounded by Marxism. We rise to every dissension and sink to any depth of social-economical and political tragedy. We are resilient to this experience would mean but to be preoccupied with a defeatist’s psychology. Getting to the basics, the Manipur State Development Report in 2006 surveyed we have a meagre 6.73% of the gross geographical area of the state, which is classified as agricultural land. An inefficient centralised planning, with an acute infrastructural

scarcity and lack of resource mobilisation, has been cited as the foundation of the present economic doldrums. No wonder, the successive governments are resorting to overdrafts to pay the employees in various departments. Throw garbage politics into the dust-bin. A couple of years ago, in an opinion poll conducted by the All India Radio, nearly 90% of the 750 respondents answered corruption is a bigger issue than HIV/AIDS though the state has the highest number of the HIVinfected people in India in terms of population ratio. Corruption is unbridled where there are low public-sector salaries, delayed salary payments, weak performance evaluation and disciplinary procedures, extra-budgetary funding mechanisms, and lack of complaint mechanisms leading to disciplinary action. It does not take a rocket scientist to identify the complication. While culpability might be a debatable issue, what causes corruption to spread its tentacles in society is not. It can be minimized only if political leaders are willing to impartially implement effective anticorruption strategies and augment the probability of detecting and punishing corrupt individuals. But then this crookedness has eaten up the entrails of our society. It would be wrong to blame the system because all of us are equally responsible for creating a dishonest and corrupted society. We are caught in a web of decadence and, unfortunately, everything is inter-related in the establishment – we cannot expect any positive upshot out of this mess. Do you see any probability of curtailing the drug menace in the state? Is there any chance to resolve the crises bogging down the region in the near future? Not at all, and the answer is simple as that. The diagnoses do not mean to doctrinaire the multi-faceted disorder, like once the mainland politicians and policy-makers had done for the sake of expanding the region. These are rather the quest for a development paradigm that is conditional on improving the people’s subjective well-being in an environment of peace. An air of pessimism is lingering, and is making us more frustrated. No redemption song can free our mind. This pen is all that I have and I doubt, it can write further. The dream of a peaceful and just society has remained as elusive as ever. We are a violent society, trying to seek recourse to violence to address the issues. Still, we believe a day will come when man will be equal to man and blood is shed no more. We want to leave behind a vision that would survive this turmoil. And nothing else. www.pdfcoke.com/doc/18056450/Kapil-Arambam-Through-the-LookingGlass-of-a-Pacifist www.e-pao.net

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While my guitar gently sweeps There are certain things in life that we can learn from our hobbies and the experiences that we gain are quite exciting. BY KAPIL ARAMBAM

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eisure activities teach us several things. An awareness is being instilled, which otherwise would not have been possible in our mundane life. The knowledge that soaked consciously or unconsciously in our pursuit does a great deal to make us understand things. It does not matter what you do, but how you do it. In solitude or in company, there are several things we can pursue for recreation. These activities in our life are provided with several doors, which lead us onto large rooms for exploration as well as discovery. For the past ten years, we have been playing guitar for fun. This hobby has fine-tuned our receptory veins, enabling us to split the best piece from the better lot, and the better one from the good collection. You cannot call me an expert because I still don't know how to read music on staves. But the years that I have spent strumming my Signature semi-acoustic instrument, have been quite an experience. One of the most remarkable experiences is gaining the knowledge to critically appreciate music. The world of music, which many people have been traveling along, transforms into a familiar valley of wild orchids, streams, and sweet melodies when my guitar started sweeping gently. In our teens, it was our deep interest in rock n' roll that gave us a hitch to this place. Our seniors had then advised if we could play A-D-E, we were done. We improvised on those simple chord progression, fingering techniques, and further

graduating into groups – playing easy Led Zep and Dire Straits riffs, or anything short we could make out from the dizzying spells of Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Angelo, Eric Clapton, Richie Blackmore and their ilk. Finally, we found there was something more hidden in between the notes. Music is life. Everybody has the desire for making it big some time but, unfortunately, it does not count anymore as far as our guitar is concerned. However, the journey has enabled us to feel the intricate emotions of every musicians. Our frames of reference are broadened and we got newer perspectives to view the world. Especially, when we were growing up in a chaotic place like Manipur, our guitar was a useful weapon. It had provided us a space to get rid of boredom in the listless Imphal atmosphere, a solution to ease our frustration caused by the moronic and megalomaniac leaders, and a means to excuse those eye-soring activities of the numerous self-interest, social psychopaths. In other word, this weapon doubles as a medium, allowing us to mend the emptiness of life in our hometown. It is a pain to relate our guitar to these political trash but we know more than meet our eyes in reality. This is just one aspect, and not surprisingly, there are still several lessons that we have learnt from the six strings.

On the cultural front, playing guitar and listening to different forms of music have made us more open to accept the various social mores. People have different taste, choice, and it varies as much as there are different societies with their own backgrounds -- be it social, political, historical, geographical or whatever. Technology has shrunk the world into a global village, but we are still living in a big bad world, where it takes sixteen hours to reach the nearest railway station. Ironically, we are not village-dwellers though our town may be quite rustic. The experience takes us out from the familiar social terrain to the unfamiliar. Many people counters us western music is a mere hole-in-the-wall hoax, cashing in on our deplorable weakness for anything with a foreign name. For any critic, there are always reasons and drawbacks in any thing, well, for criticism’s sake. I’d say if you argue correctly you are never wrong. In fact, this magical instrument has become our identity. Many people in mainland India are surprise how every north-easterner could play guitar. It’s in our blood -- we are creative, crafty, and have a ‘soft’ hand. No doubt how we find so many of our mayang friends and their siblings, who want to learn the tricks of the trade from us. These things apart, we have been able to find a place in the mainstream. One of the chief causes of the turmoil in Manipur is the lack of identity. We are humans, and we love playing guitar -- this consciousness is sufficient to give us an identity and make us a better person. He who stops being better, the famous British politician Oliver Cromwell said, stops being good. As in our personal life or in proffesional field, a simple instrument like guitar teaches us to keep up with the rapid pace of change. The Black Sabbath could do wonder with a distortion effect but we have to improve -- that’s the only way to survive. We need to update our awareness about new gadgets and accesories to commit ourselves to continual improvement in life. Whenever we embark on our way to improvement, we begin in small manageable steps, like learning Bach’s Sonatas, to make room for long-term success, such as in playing Malmsteen’s solos. It further accentuate our conviction that we can easily improve. Oh, and while my guitar gently sweeps... ® www.pdfcoke.com/share/upload/12889379/1vir6h9g quojnncv0n31 ® http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=leisure. Rock_Concert.While_my_guitar_gently_sweeps

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I have a dream No person has the right to rain on your dreams – Martin Luther King

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irst thing first. For starters, I see myself earning circa two lac [Indian money will do!] a month, though without any income-tax hassles. The cash is flowing smoothly, and I have a substantial saving that nets a crore plus a couple of lacs invested in mutual funds. I have earned, saved and invested, allowing me to buy a delightful home. It is set in one of the prime locations in a cosmopolitan city. My property is designed by leading architects and interior designers, and comprises several state of the art fittings. It has a stylish and generous living area with a lot of period features in a contemporary setting. I'd definitely love to kill my time in the large study room, furnished with a flexible library. The double aspect interiors are well complemented by a landscaped garden, where I could throw occasional parties and entertain guests. With the money that I have earned by dint of my sweat, I've been able to drive a jet black Bentley. I've also kept a spare Skoda Octavia in my garage. The Blackberry might be beeping inside my tuxedo pocket, with a mail from an important client, but which I'd not be checking until I reach my office, situated a half-an-hour drive from my home. Besides, I'm more handy with the latest Nokia cell for personal use. You might want to know where I am working to earn such a dough. I own a multi-national publishing firm, where I work as a Managing Director. We deals in books, journals and magazines, many of them with a global presence. Our clients range from Foster's Australian to the lean, slit-eye Malaysian, and from vodka-loving Russians to the arrogant Englishmen. All of them have one thing in common - their incorrigible belief in our high-quality products. No wonder, my employees takes pride in working in such an organisation. I work 5-days a week from 10o'clock till 6 in the evening. It caters to pursue my hobbies very well. I have a Fender Stratocaster guitar with a 501Processor connected to a sophisticated Marshal stranger. There is also a plenty of scope to kill time in my well-stocked library. I have collected books and journals, which can eaten, chewed or digested. On the other hand, weekends are exclusively separated for festivities. The fitted wine cellar would undoubtedly be everyone's favourite refuge. I'd unfailingly store vintage wine, imported whisky and a truck of beer in there. I believe life is celebration. I would work hard, so hard people would take me as their role model. But that does not mean I'd sacrifice my leisure activities. And not surprisingly, I'd take my time off for holidaying once a year to exotic locations across the globe. I have several places to go – Switzerland, France,

Italy, Spain, Egypt, Greece, Russia, New Zealand, Venezuela; and nearer home Sikkim, Meghalaya, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh – oh my my... the list goes on. I would love to visit remote areas in Manipur too. On priority, I have also build a gym, with the latest gadgets, in one corner of the house. I would work out an hour daily. Health is wealth, and it is a must as I plan to hit a century - bringing more essence to my living. The balanced diet and the spiritual lessons that I took would, no doubt, accentuate my lifestyle. The easy life would be a source of vital energy, adding more to the meaning of my existence. All's well till now. But no man is an island. I love meeting people, though I have what people call a reserved personality. My mood depends whether I enjoy solitude or in company. One way or the other, I dream I have a healthy relationship with my fellow mates -- family, friends or whosoever. In life, it is a delicate entity, which we need to take care and nurture gently. I have supportive friends, who are my critic, well-wisher, guide and most importantly, my good company. I'd love hanging out with them, share things that we love and hold debate about our ideologies. Personally, I don't like routine things. I'll write novels based on conflict, insurgency and softer themes such as human relationship, dilemmas and ironies. I'll travel around the world. I'll learn more about my hobbies and passion -- music, web technology, photography et al. These pursuits will, I believe, get me rid of the tedious, routine lifestyle. Several meanings are bound to define our existence. Every thing that I have mentioned here suffices to add more essence. However, man is not a complete being in this vast universe. All of us are a means to explain the ends of our human life. I'd be glad if I could take more lessons in spiritualism; if not, the material gains are mere mortal's pleasure. We are not living for the sake of living. The sacred study of our life will definitely bring more shades of meaning to all of our action. There is a reverie, which has been occurring now and then. I dream about being a powerful opinion leader -- to steer the direction of our Manipuri civilization. I like to contribute worthy, pragmatic solution to find a way out of the current hotch-potch. But they say thought without action is not a thought, but a dream. The only way to realise them is to wake up. And you know I'm an early riser. www.kapilarambam.blogspot.com b2b 6

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PREJUDICE, IGNORANCE AND INTOLERANCE A report on the perceptions on discrimination of North-East women in the National Capital City BY KAPIL ARAMBAM

Prelude For a long time, people from the North-East India staying in the national capital region (NCR) have been facing numerous cases of discrimination, harassment and humiliation. Intense socio-cultural conflict and the resultant stress that impact all aspects of their lives have taken a heavy toll on them. Study shows that 50% of the cases of sexual harassment are targeted at women from the North-East. There are approximately 90,000 people from the region staying in and around Delhi. On the other hand, the bewildering affair has raised objections on the lifestyle of the North-East women in general. In January last, two women from Manipur were molested and beaten up by 25 thugs. They were only the latest victims from the region. Y. Monika, a cyber café owner in North Delhi’s Gandhi Vihar had slapped a man for misbehaving with her sister, Anjali. The main accused returned with his friends, dragged out the two sisters and allegedly molested them. Dress to kill Attire can express so many things about you. No doubt, culture is characterized significantly by what people are clothed in; but, it will be unfortunate if this very matter cast a shadow over the dignity of a whole community and if it is sowing dissension between groups of people already diverge owing to varied factors. To be precise, the way North-Eastern girls gear themselves has raised questions on morality and mystify whether it is the reason behind crimes against them in the capital city.

It will be sheer ignorance to blurt out that the girls with their freedom and choice to live their own life should be completely responsible for the misdemeanors. On retrospection, the clash of culture or rather the domination of one over the other has been the bone of contention since long. Six decades of chicken-neck syndrome have shackled the lives of the North-Easterners and the incrimination that people from the region are blameworthy ahs waxed more hate and resentment towards mainland India. Moreover the hackneyed conception of all the Mongoloid stocks is ludicrous, for in any crisis it is labeled as done or created by them in ignorance that there exist different societies of diverse element in the region. Non-entity in Mainstream Consciousness It is often regarded that the whole North-East is an open society where sex, drugs and violence are pervasive while oblivious to the physical existence. The paucity in the mainstream consciousness is the genesis of point-at-issue, hitch together with apparent racial arrogance. People from this region with their distinctive epicanthic features, behavior and dress habits are taken as “outsiders” and often categorized as barbarous, uncivil, unrefined, tribal, easy and what not. The perception of being an Indian by the mainland people never seems to include the build and frame of the North-East people and it is deplorable that ignorance can also lead to racial discrimination and sexual harassment.

Research study shows that Delhi is like an alien land with unfamiliar language and unknown socio-cultural terrain for many students. Furthermore the situation is worse for girls. Owing in large to their liberal culture in the conservative Delhi milieu, they are often seen as ‘fast’ or of easy virtue. This acuity exposes girls from the North-East to worst sorts of sexual harassment. Diana, a Mizo student at IP College said, “Delhi men believe that North-East girls are easily available. They look at us with only one thing in mind: sex. If we protest, they warn us to clam up because we are alone and there is no one we can turn to protection”. In this scenario it is also interesting to observe the lifestyles of folks from the NorthEast which comprises mostly the student community. While we complain that the mainstream people do not understand our culture, we don’t either give a rap about their conservative way of life. N. Manishwar, General Secretary of the Manipur Students’ Association, Delhi points out that some people have brought disgrace with their untoward characters and that usually NorthEasterners do not interact enough with the local populace due to language barrier. 7

PrivateInvestigations The list rolls on... • Dhaula Kuan Rape Case, May 2005: A 19-year old Mizo girl was gang-raped by four men in a moving car after yanking her from a roadside eatery. The next day, the Vice-Principal of Kirori Mal College made a press release that the North-East girls should wear salwar-kameez to avoid any such happenings in the future. • Chanakyapuri Incident, November 2005: A Manipuri girl was molested and mishandled in Chanakyapuri. • Nehru Vihar case, November 2005: One girl was molested while she was returning from the market by dragging her in a deserted alley. The police refused to take timely action. When a complaint was lodged the police asked the girl to take it easy. They replied that the action will be taken when she identifies the culprits. • Mahipalpur Incident, June 2006: A girl was molested by four persons. No police actions were taken. • Viyaynagar Case, January 2007: The accused rape and murdered a girl from Manipur in her rented room in Vijaynagar. The girl was alleged of being immoral. • Kingsway Camp Episode: Three women were dragged from a rickshaw and were molested in broad daylight by the examinee of Delhi police constables at the main road. No police action was taken. • Mahipalpur Case, October 2007: One girl was molested by a tenant in Mahipalpur. The duty officer of Vasant Kunj Police Station refused to register case until the media intervened. The accused was arrested but failed the police failed to book a case under SC/ ST Prevention of Atrocity Act though the victim belong to Scheduled Tribe community. • Vijaynagar Case, November 2007: The accused molested the girl and passed lewd comments. In this case, both the accused and the victim were tenant of a reputed Delhi Police officer. • Gandhi Vihar Case, January 2008: Two sisters from Manipur, aged 24 and 18 respectively, were thrashed and molested by 25 rowdies in Gandhi Vihar on 5th January, 2008. The police registered the case only two days later when the media intervened.

Is there any way out??? Last October, a manager of a call centre firm in Green Park Extensions, New Delhi made sexual advances to two young women. He stopped their salary and suspended from work when they resisted his overture. The victims had complained to the North-East Support Centre and Helpline (Contact: +919818-3141-46), a joint initiative of various human rights activists, social workers, students, journalists and lawyers seeking to prevent harassment and abuses meted out to NE people and tribal communities of other states. Initial investigations showed that the two women from Nagaland, aged about 23 were employed at Accurate BPO. The manager made constant sexual offers to one of them. When she refused, the manager turned to her friend. She too declined to fell in the trap and ultimately both of them were sacked from the job without any payments. Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of the NE-SCH says, “It’s been just 5 months we launched the NE Support Centre & Helpline and we have received more than a dozen reports of sexual harassment. When we tell them we are not here to replace the police, but help smoother communication with

them, many of the complainants leave the case at that. That’s why most of the crimes go unreported and the accused goes scotfree. This is a major hurdle we are facing”. The last in line Eventually, the mindset of the people in Delhi towards the NE people and the lackadaisical attitude of the Delhi Police towards such issues need to be tackled. Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research and president of the Women Power Connect, said, “In the northern belt, the mindset is such that men believe they can control women physically. That’s why they can’t stand the freedom of sexuality that men and women in the North-East enjoy”. She added, “There’s no way out of this problem but for women to take charge of these issues. In this regard, we will be observing a National Shame Day across the country, hopefully coinciding with International Women’s Day on March 8, to tell the people that women must be respected”. Meanwhile, the attitude of college authorities and the local police to incidences of sexual harassment is usually nonchalant. A couple of years back, just a day after the Gang-rape of an NE girl, the vice-principal of a reputed college in Delhi University

announced dress code for the girl students from the region. In the press release issued by the vice-principal, it reads-“All the NE girls are sent by the militants of the region in order to seduce the mainland people so they are molested are raped. In this way, they are trying to culminate anti-Indian sentiment”. Often police stations refuse to register FIRs and provide data on sexual harassment of these girls. One policeman says, “This is the daily drama these girls play at… how many complaints should we register? Anyway, there is no smoke without a fire”. Not surprisingly, many NE students in Delhi are incensed by the callous nature of the police. Sensitivity training needs to be given to the police, and not to the targets of attacks. Alternate frame of reference… In another perspective, it is notable that discrimination of any kind is highly prevalent in present-day India cutting across region, race and culture. India ranks 114 in a list of 128 countries in the recently released Global Gender Gap report of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Particularly, Delhi is considered as the rape capital in the country and no wonder, even so many women from the NorthEast have fallen victim to the harsh social reality. Inequality and injustice are the order of Indian society with a diverse gap between the people in every spheres of life. Yet the vantage point is different when we deal about, for instance, the North-East on the problem of sexual harassment or racial discrimination in juxtaposition with the perpetual negligence by policy makers in the region. It is altogether a disparate matter when we analyze the situation on those of mainland and the North-East. Rakesh Pukhrambam, a Manipuri student at DU opines, “It is recurrently needed to create an atmosphere of resistance to show our consolidation. The authority cannot afford to overlook the aspirations of the people who are occasionally regarded as belonging to a human zoo”. Finally, social work interventions, concrete measures to fight discrimination and enhance socio-cultural exchange between communities of students could help alleviate the problem. Also there are law enforcement agencies to prevent crimes but they alone will not be able to solve the affliction. The local people’s cooperation is also crucial in eradicating the menace. Above all, people from the NorthEast, who have different sensibilities, need to be told about Delhi which is largely orthodox. © Kapil Arambam: This article was published as a cover story in the Eastern Frontier, a Manipur-based, monthly magazine in February 2008.

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The Manipur Hangover And Search For A Solution The armed resistance movement started in the state during the Sixties. Since then we are in a web of multiple tragedies, suffering an uneasy hangover from the British rule and more recently, the merger agreement with the Indian Union. People are beginning to ask what freedom really means. By Kapil Arambam

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Manipur The Land of Jewel, The Switzerland of India, the exotic land where you could find the Loktak Lake, the Siroy Lily, the Sangai and so on. But please hold your breath; the next few moments would not be quite amiable. It is implorable as the people are miserable here and you will feel pity. However, go to the street and talk to anyone you would never find such hospitable people on the earth. As you begin chatting, the mysteries of this place will mortgaged your mind, there are lots of confusion and chaos but hopefully the people are so carefree. Although our society does not have any expression of a cultured modern life or whatsoever, we don't seem to mind either. Experts view that we are in a web of conflicts, poor governance, ethnic confrontations, multiple tragedies and a complex social fabric. It could be ascertained to the fact that

it is the backwardness of the region hampering all the comforts of a modern life. Here it is worth mentioning that we are not yearning for fast cars, jet planes, big trucks and other trendy gizmos, rather we could be well-contented in simple life but we don't want violence, corruption and living in inferno. In the quest, it is quite apparent that our society is in a critical juncture of civilization. The other day, a senior journalist opined that insurgency arise due to underdevelopment in the region and the controversial Merger Agreement. The reason may vary from one person to another but the fact is that, whatever the condition may be, we have to move ahead along with the modern time. Unfortunately it is the inability to change the mindsets of our people that impede growth and development. People are apical about our future. When you are locked inside a compartment, obviously you will see nothing and you have to crawl and scratch. Our bleakly maintained society is always on the

verge of negative outbursts every now and then. Dear compatriots, we are not beasts and want to live our life with dignity. Whenever we demand our rights, the Government lays their authority as if we are begging for charity. The malady of maladministration is so profound that we need a radical and progressive movement. It is said that a State is an individual writ large. As such the development of a society depends upon its constituents i.e. the people. 9

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FREE AS A BIRD: An aerial view of Imphal valley The miserable facts of identity crisis, lack of political consciousness and fear and frustration out of subjugation have made our environment so deplorable. What is the significance of law in our State? Could anybody justify the existence of Government? The Government has been declaring that the door is open to all the underground outfits for peaceful dialogues. Any steps or measures intended to resist the decadence of our society is appreciable, the only doubt is the sincerity of the authority existing legally or otherwise. Incidentally the proscribed UNLF responded that a direct popular consultation should be held in the form of plebiscite under the supervision of the UNO to end the imbroglio and which the Centre has outrightly rejected the proposal. Still, in a democracy the people have the supreme power to form or deform the Govt. In the meantime this type of Government could be criticized here likes Socrates and his students would have failed

to. The Government should be coerced to give us an opportunity to express the consensus without any prejudices and preconceptions. Besides the army and paramilitary forces must do away with their dominant approach. It may not be entirely their fault but violation of human rights and maltreatment have created a fear psychosis in the minds of the people who have been already rendered ignorant by the prevailing geo-economical and socio-political scenarios. Peace and development lies in the conscience of the people. Since the origin of State, man has been professing for an ideal condition, though in vain. But as mentioned above democracy is a well-known concept and denotes a form of Government in which the people have a share in the exercise of the sovereign powers of the state. Moreover change is the only permanent object in our universe. To be precise,

the revolutionary movement needs popular consent, however there are bottlenecks in their activities for the simple reason that there are two many groups and also, the Indianisation of culture and tradition has worked in the Manipuri psyche that there are people who incriminate insurgency. At the end of the day nothing seems worth consideration except to tolerate the existing scenario. Basically there is not solution to answer these social riddles. Again it should be noted that the development of a region depend upon the mindset of the people. To be or not to be, that is not the question but the apparent solution is the embodiment of justice, equality and fraternity which are nondescript in our society. Lastly freedom is not the absence of bondage but the feeling of being unbound even in bondage. This article was published in The Sangai Express on January 27 2006 and webcasted on www.manipuronline.com/Opinions/ September2006/manipurhangover25_2.htm and www.nagalim. nl/news/00000256.htm.

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