By – Marjing Mayanglambam
It is human nature to have a sense of superiority in this so-called “society”. We tend to believe being a leader is easy thanks to movies and fictional stories. Without explaining further about other countries or Indian states, as usual, I would love to focus intensively on our beautiful motherland, Manipur. Home to dozens of Indigenous tribes and communities having various cultural and traditional uniqueness and beauties, our Manipur has not been able to enjoy a prolonged amount of peace and normalcy due to many external reasons and a few internal causes too. I wish I never had to write much about Manipur’s downfall and hardships but how could a sane motherland lover like me remain silent when this precious land is being ridiculed and tormented relentlessly by her neighbours and some of her rotten egg children?
Maybe we were not taught enough civic sense at our schools which still follow the ancient British clerical selection education system and by our elders too. Our schools just teach us very little of the basic knowledge required for living a life and I have no idea about the latest NEP which is very popular in papers only. I have never had to use Euclid’s axioms, nor have I ever proudly discussed the Mughal invasion. Most of the youth and even adults have little to no knowledge about Manipuri history, myths or legends but rather know more about the world which is not a pride they should possess at all. The neglect of one’s history and roots will adversely lead to less care and patriotism for their birthland. Only a few politicians and rare individuals have deep knowledge of Manipur, mainly to serve their own interests, such as winning votes or passing public service exams.
By the way, who is leading Manipur now? Who has been leading Manipur dedicatedly so far? Before the crisis caused by narcoterrorists and illegal immigrants, Manipur had been progressing slowly yet productively with good governance. However, with the government being toppled and now in a state of abyss seeing no near recovery soon, every individual is trying to shape the societal image with their ideologies and powers. Retired government servants, old politicians, local village elders, and several social media keyboard warriors are being highly active in jabbering repetitive complaints. A classic example of male chauvinism is how many TV talk shows feature endless discussions led by men on Manipur’s issues, yet when it comes to protests or practical action, only women are sent to the forefront as tools.
Our lives are trapped in an endless loop of hypocrisy, ego clashes, power war, betrayals and confusion. Even as I write this, I struggle to find solutions that could restore the harmony and normalcy that we Manipuris have deserved since the seemingly forced annexation to India. We are slowly marching toward the end of our legacy, forced to dance to the tunes of those who seek our downfall. We are living in a very crucial geo-political region hence we are somehow important for the nation. No matter how much we complain about the government, we still find ourselves begging for their mercy and support just to survive. It won’t be an exaggeration to state that we youths have no clear path and enough advice on what to do for our motherland and our elders are no longer in a state to lead us positively towards development and peace. It is all a game where we have to fight for survival, and we are living in an almost post-apocalyptic scenario.