By – Laimayum Bashanta Sharma
On the occasion of his 86th birth anniversary I pay my humble tribute to my Guru and father figure guide, who introduced me to the RSS and BJP, respectively, via this article. Manipur was an independent kingdom that could not be completely captured or overrun by foreign occupiers like Burmese imperial forces or British colonial rulers. Of course, we were subject to their rules, but they could not remove us culturally. When other areas were converted to Christianity, the indigenous Manipuris stood out like the Rock of Gibraltar. Our forefathers preserved our culture and tradition and embraced vaishnavism as state religion for a good reason because sanatana dharma promotes tolerance, coexistence, assimilation, spiritual seeking and bhakti unlike the Abrahamic faith that relied on bloodshed, invasion, crusade and mass conversion to impose their religious practices all across the world. Manipuris never forgot their roots and also practiced Vaishnavism consistently. The pride of our fierce independence led to a protracted liberation war against the Union of India after the merger in 1949, since the mid 1960s and still continues to this day.
The cohesive social fabric became vulnerable as a result of rampant conversion caused by foreign powers’ systematic missionary activities, backed by massive funding, which reached our bedrooms in the 1980s, when television was introduced in this part of the world. The atrocities that people experienced in Manipur as a result of the draconian AFSPA further alienated them from mainland India. That faultline persists to this day. While those opposed to the merger waged a liberation war against Bharat, openly referring to the Bharatiya Fauj as the Indian Occupation Force (IOF), this was exacerbated by a ban on the use of Hindi and even the national anthem in educational institutions. Because of the advancement of technology such as cable TV networks, satellite television, and now the internet, as well as the use of powerful mediums such as mainstream movies, television entertainments, musicals, and TV news channels promoting agenda-driven narratives on a large scale, conversion activities have increased dramatically, unlike in the past. My mentor, Swargya Pabung Madhumangol Sharma, was aware of this impact ahead of time. Native traditions and cultures that had previously been occupied by imperialists and colonial foreign powers were wiped out in Australia, North America, and other places. What is left today is a showpiece reserved land with a small indigenous population preserved and protected as part of a “museum ghetto” to conceal the occupiers’ past crimes against humanity.
My mentor was aware of this, and when he was unable to rally the people against the impending storm that would wreak havoc on the indigenous people, he joined the RSS, followed by the BJP, when its presence in Manipur was negligible. His intention was not to criticize imported faith or our non-vegetarian eating habits, customs, or traditions, which our forefathers followed in order to mimic mainland India’s customs, rituals, and traditions. His efforts were geared toward preserving our heritage, culture, traditions, way of life, and eating habits. He did not want Manipuri hindus and revivalists to resemble native Americans or endangered aboriginal tribes of wild Australia. A converted nation state is no longer a mainstream entity, but rather a museum exhibit, because the occupier will almost completely eradicate oral, written, or engraved literature from the mainstream. His approach was nonviolent, and he used dialogue to persuade both supporters and detractors. Unfortunately, his intentions were interpreted as an attempt to impose Hinduism and Brahmin supremacy on the populace. That motive was also planted by vested interests in the masses to make them feel insecure and hostile toward him. The left-liberal cabal and other radicals banded together to paint him as the enemy of our society. Unfortunately, that hatred led to his tragic assassination.
I associated with him for a long time to learn about his working style, and he started the BJP foundation without using funds, gaining support from those who were inspired by his words of wisdom. He envisioned Manipur as a miniature India and advocated for peaceful coexistence and brotherhood among the indigenous population decades before the emergence of modern-day Manipur’s socio-political commentators. He wanted to promote unity among all communities and believed strongly in unity through diversity.
My Tribute to a Visionary Leader of Substance
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