For a better Manipur

By: Mangkholun Touthang
From time immemorial, hatred and war between nations and communities have been existing on this planet. Till today, it seems there could be no end to racism, religious intolerance, killings, fraud, colonialism, narcissism, oppressionism and other such terrible things on the world we live in. But there is no guarantee that humans should hate and do terrible things to each other despite the existence of all these evils among us. We could simply avoid them by seeing all people as our real brothers and sisters, spreading love, tolerating other people’s religion, respecting their custom and culture, land boundaries, and views. A place where there is absence of religious tolerance and respect of other people’s tradition and land boundaries, nothing other than hatred and war could be expected. We all know the reason why the Second World War started. But I want to raise a question here: “Are we not fed up of the hatred we have for each other?” I can’t tell what you think about it but if you ask me what I reckon I would say, “I think I am tired of all these hatred, killings, and hostility. I want to replace them with brotherly love and tolerance.”
In Manipur, there are several tribes, communities, and religions. There are the Kukis, Meiteis, Meitei-Pangals, Nagas, and other communities, and when it comes to religion there’re the Christians, Hindus, Muslims and many others. And when we take a look closely, it seems we have forgotten one thing: that despite our different religions and cultures we’re all humans created by God. We have lived together for decades but we never get along. One of the reasons why we cannot coexist is because of the fact that we consider our own community as superior to others, we consider other communities as inferior to us. It’s a good thing there are no serious problems and conflicts relating to religion in the state, it’s a great thing we respect others’ religion. But when it comes to politics and land related matters, we become so fanatic to our own tribe or community that there were even times we fought bloody wars because of it. People seem to forget that by being too fanatic and chauvinistic towards a particular community, tribe, religion or cause, we are only making our territory smaller. I mean it’s okay to love and uplift your nation or tribe, but it shouldn’t be done at the expense of other tribes. That will only create problems after problems. And this is one of the main reasons hatred and discrimination prevail over brotherly love in the state.
In a state like Manipur where different peoples and cultures live together, it’s crucial all people act wisely and think twice before they speak. For something bad you say about a particular community could create chaos in the state and could even lead to a serious conflict. There have been many incidents when unnecessary conflicts took place between two or more communities because of some people who have failed to think before they speak. And it’s sad to say that conflicts and fights between us have become something very normal. It seems we are used to it. But the thing here is that we have forgotten the fact that there is more to life than fight and hate each other. We could build a better Manipur by using social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter for spreading brotherly love and care among us instead of posting things that could hurt others’ feelings. I think we all have experienced that feeling of joy and contentment when somebody who is not from your community posts something positive on social media about your community. But unfortunately these days all these social media platforms are used to instigate communal conflict and for spreading lies and hatred. 
When we look at our condition now, we feel insecure when we step into other people’s land. For instance, despite the fact that we live together in a small state, a Meitei is insecure when he walks into a Kuki or Naga land, a Kuki is insecure when he walks into a Meitei or Naga land, and a Naga is feeling insecure when he walks into a Meitei or Kuki land. Why the insecurity and mistrust when we could treat every land, village, or town in the state as our birthplace, when we could treat everybody as our own brother and sister. This is the boundary we set by ourselves between us, not by the government or by our forefathers. And only us can remove this boundary that we set by ourselves, not by the government. So, let’s start throwing away our hatred feelings towards another person or community and start promoting brotherly love in lieu. It’s really a great thing that there are a lot of good people who don’t discriminate people by their looks, religion, and race. I’ve known people who consider everyone as their own kith and kin. If we could all be like them, I believe Manipur would be a much better place.
I believe majority of the people would want peace and tranquility although there are some people who often think of ways to incite communal conflicts between the settlers of this state. It’s true there are some individuals and organisations who are tirelessly working for the instigation of violence and chaos in the state. It would be best if we do not pay any attention to what they say or do. The more we pay attention and listen to them, the more misunderstandings between us will continue to rise. Instead, let’s come together and start working together throwing away all these animosity and misunderstandings behind us. A lot of things could be done to strengthen our relations. Students and civil society organisations such as AMSU, COCOMI, KSO, KIM, NSF, and UNC could play a great role in strengthening the relationship between the peoples living in the state. Therefore, through us working together and trusting each other, we could make Manipur a very much better place than before.