A BITTER PILL OF REALITY

Acknowledging or coming face to face with the ground reality may be a bitter pill to swallow for anyone, but in this age and time, when the world has literally shrunk to a ‘Global Village’ and information or contacts is just a mouse click away, thanks to the rapid progress in information technology, it is extremely important, correction necessary, for a people or a community to confront the reality of the past or the present so that the ghost or spirit of the past may be exorcised and does not come back to haunt the future generation. In recent memory, perhaps we can cite the example of the Germans, who have managed to exorcise the horrors of the Holocaust, during the height of Nazism that saw thousands of Jews being slaughtered in a systematic manner. It was madness, but there was a method to the madness as is evident from the gradual revelations and emergence of documents, which give a vivid description of what actually happened during the days of Adolf Hitler, the SS and the Gestapo. Cambodia also presents another example where the targeted people were rounded up, kept in confinement, put to forced labour and executed at the fancy and whims of of Pol Pot and his men during the days of the Khmer Rouge. The trial and sentences handed out to those who orchestrated the large scale killings is a reflection of the truth that the Cambodians have had the moral courage to look back and exorcise the ghost of the past. In Barack Obama, the president of the United States, we see the coming to age of a Nation, which lived and prospered under the impression that the Blacks, now referred to as the African Americans, are second class citizens who do not merit any of the civil rights enshrined in their Constitution. This says something about how the US has come around to the idea of equal rights for all its citizens which fits in perfectly with the new world order. Nelson Mandela, perhaps the greatest living legend of our time, epitomises how sheer grit, determination and reaching out to the world with his non-violent approach can bring a regime to its knees, when South Africa, under FW D Klerk had no choice but to bend to the rising global opinion and do away with the racially discriminating Apartheid which segregated the Blacks from the White and where the Blacks were not entitled to the rights enjoyed by the Whites. The successful hosting of perhaps the greatest show in the world, the FIFA 2010 World Cup at South Africa recently, is a telling testimony of a Nation exorcising its past ghost and working towards a common destination. We have cited some of these cases, because there is the urgent need for the people of Manipur to confront the spirit or ghost of the past and acknowledge past misdeeds and past mistakes, for the society as a whole to move forward. This is particularly true in the case of the majority community in Manipur, the Meiteis, especially the Meitei Vaishnavite Hindus. It is not for nothing that there is the universally accepted observation that what we reap today was sown yesterday and what we sow today will be reaped tomorrow by our children. Now let's try to study and understand the many critical issues besetting Manipur within the context of the observation that we have just quoted. Aren't we reaping the fruits of what our forefathers did and more importantly, have we had the courage to face and acknowledge the past, however ugly and bitter it may be ?
To say that Manipur is today torn asunder along ethnic lines will be an under- statement or else how does one explain the increasing interpretation of everything along ethnic and communal lines. Pardon us, if we are proved wrong, but given the political reality and ethnic schism today, it would be a pipe dream to even imagine that a Naga from Manipur, especially a Tangkhul, can ever become the Chief Minister of Manipur. Forget the Nagas, for the divide along the Lim line has been there for years, how about the prospect of a man or a woman from the Kuki-Chin group ever becoming the Chief Minister of Manipur ? This is a speculative question and yes we are treading on dangerous terrain, which can trigger more mis- understanding and deepen the ethnic divide, but at one point of time or the other, the Meiteis have to come face to face with the reality or the ghost of the past will continue to cast its shadows on Manipur. The Meiteis would be fooling themselves and no one else, if they continue to believe that Manipur will survive as a social entity by mouthing some slogans like Ching-Tam Amattani (The Hills and Valley are one). Politically, yes, Manipur may continue to exist with its present map unaltered, but is this the idea of the Manipur that we seek in the first place ? There are reasons, why the tribals, not only the Nagas, but all hill men, do not and cannot trust the Meiteis as one of them and there are cultural, historical as well as social factors for this. We need not go into the details of what these factors are as a number of learned and senior citizens of the land have had their say on the matter, but the question still stands, whether we have managed to come face to face with the reality and are willing to take up some steps by looking back at the past ? It would be a lie if one were to say that the Meiteis do not suffer from an overdose of Meitei Chauvinism and Meitei Jingoism. Nothing can be more stupid and archaic than this mindset, and unfortunately, for all the big talks about Hill-Valley ties, no one from the majority community seems to have realised this. The recent intance of a scribe from Churachandpur being man handled and subjected to communally charged verbal abuses at Phougakchao should not be taken merely as an isolated case, for there is no guarantee that this mindset is not pervasive amongst the Meitei chauvinists.

SOURCE:TSE 31st.july 2010




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KATHILTUAH KHENKHATTE

Hunlenite hong kihei zel in hunte hong mualliam a akhente khual zin bang akhente nasem bang huchih lai in keileng naupang khawmpi a hohding in kong kisa hi.Huchia naupang khawmpi ah kong hohta uhi .Huai lai ahih leh Tipaimukh road lut lai ahi a Leizangphai kual khong nuam mahmah hi,bangteng kim chih theih phial hi. Vai mahajonte lah dim chihding ahi mai hi .Huchi in Leizangphai ah naupang khawmpi a hong om phetmah hi. Huai lai a Child Co-ordinator ahih leh heutupa Vungzamuan ahi a, naupang te nopsak nang theimah mah mai hi nuam sak in kisak phet mah hi .Huchia khompi bang zang zota aki hihman un innlam kahong paita uhi ,sainouzang leh pamzal tou chu himai nisatdan chu agen didan le omtuanlou himai saphet mah.Huchia hongpai zel in Kaihlam khua tunding bangchu kingak lah himai huchia kongpai pai chiang un gamgi a gintaklouh pi a thu kiza ta,bang thuhiam chia e kan leh Saikul ah thahdouten imi isate tampi hon na thah sak uh kidou kipan hita huaiziak a hiai mun a duty a om ka hi uh chita mai uh enlah kidou cih le kithei nailou huailai achu. Hilele lung a kilung kham mai lau a kilau mai keile hon na thatkha di ua aw chih bang ki ngaih tuahtuah mai.Huaini a pat chu buai kipan ahi mai a, ani ani in buai chu hong kisan deuhdeuh mai hi.

Nikhat chu nitak lam hita THANLON I etsuk leh hongkhu luailuai mai chu kuamah alungphong lou ki omlou hi aneu alian chih omlou in ki en sepsup mai hi, ei khua bangchik chiah hong kang de aw chih I ngaihtuah na ahi mai hi huaini a patchu,ivan neih te kawlbuk khong ah kisel khe zel hi huaizawh chiang in kimuang deuh cih chiang in vaki lalut zel a zawhhmeng nounei mah kibang hi.i ngaihtuahna a om ahihleh bang cikciah khua hongkang de aw chih chauh ngaih tuah na ah hongom mai ta hi.Huchiin nitak chiang a inn a giak sun chia gamlak lak a hun kizang denta maita hi.Ani ahih leh ningani(Thursday) ahi a, zingkal thouphet khua honghal di uh chih thu kiza thulou halou a atek akhang chih omlou a gamlak kidenna duty loute siah huchia lungkham tak a bangchik chiah khua hongkang de aw chia dip ko hithit a ngak himai,huailai ahih leh thau hoih bangmah kinei nailou ahihmanin thau hoih nih om a huailai in M16 khat leh US Carbine khat himai adang the chu tupi thau himai huailoute lah thal(Arrow) khong himai mai,khua venzawh chu kinephuai mahmah lou himai.

Huchi’n nitak lam hong hi ta ani ahihleh 31^st.July 1997ahi.KAIHLAM khua tuh khut in hongkhu luai luai tamai hi tuan a pupan alam sa gou-le-gam teng chu kang tum ahi ta mai a,ngaih tuahna chu apai sau khop mai koi lam a paidi bang chidi cihchu miteng lung kham na ahi ta mai hi, huchi in khuateng chu kang tum dimdem ahi ta mai hi,aw toupa bang dia hi chitel dia hon koih na hihiam bang a ki chi dek dek a Pathian bang kimohsa nuam zozen mai hi.Huchi in nitaklam ahong hita a nibang tumding in ahong kisa ta hi belh ding bangmah inn omnonlou ahihmanin khua a pan paina gamla sim khat kawlbuk(cave) a kibel mai hi. Huchin nituh ahong tum taktakta mai a, khua mialin vuahbang hongzu hi,ahuchihlaiin meilah kide ngamlou galte hongpai ding kilau ahihmanin dai khipkhep in ki om mai hi, naupang khat sai-le-pha theinailou chu ahong kap khiat a votsa ahi diam or thousi thouvai thuaklah hidingin ka gingta hi hucihlai in papi taltak mahmah dia I gintak khatin golmek lumun I galten honza khadi uh honchi mok chu ana mahmah mai ei huai lai a naupang sim lai ihihman in bang mah lah kigen ngamlou hi huchia haksatak in zankhovak in kizang den hi.

Huchi in zingkhua chu hongvak khongkhong a kuamah maban dingthei ki omkei hi,huchih lai in loikhat upalamte hong kihoukhawm ua I kikhak na din ikhua uah ipai dia,voksa gouin kikhenni hon chiua huchin in a inn agam a om tengteng kisam khom in kikhenna annkuang chu lui in hongom ta hi.Kua mah ann nezou le ki om manglou hi maban ding I ngaihtuah chiang a bing lotel,bangmah lah kineilou ivan teng lah kang tum ahih chianga lungdong huai mahmah mai hi huchi in akap pawl toh bangbang hiam hih pawl toh kimau vengvung mai hi.Akhenten lah khua taisanlou ding chi,akhentenlah khua ipai meng hoih ahi galte hongpai manding uh chipawl toh ataisan ut kuamah om kei hi himahlah khua a om mawkleng bang ne a omding chih chu kidotna hazel,huaiban a bang chik chiang a I gal ten hongsim non ding chih la kitheilou ahih chiang in,huchih lai in ann bang hong kine zou ta hi,Huchi in pianna vang khua KAIHLAM chu ut in ut keileng paikhiak sanding dinmun in hong omta hi.Huchi in suun dak sawn-le nih lak vel ding in kaihlam khua tuh pawtsan in hong om ta mai hi.