Manipuri nisation of Prasad

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Manipuri-nisation of Prasad

By: Robert J Baite *

I have known Shiv Prasad many moons ago. In fact, we grew up together playing and running around. His father was a cobbler, running a makeshift shop, near our house. They belong to Bihar. During the day when I was at school, he would help his father run the business, learning how to polish or sew up torn shoes. In the evening, we would play cricket or football along with other friends at a playground near us.

Prasad gradually became a member of our gang. On Sundays, we would watch movies at the Usha Cinema Hall in the front seats with our coneful of oiled and salted Manggan in our hands. Alternatively, we would just sit on the roadside and chatter the day away. In fact, I had learnt Hindi from him, which helped me later in Delhi, where I had gone for further studies. On the other hand, we found that his Meiteilon improved rapidly.

After some years, his father moved to other place and bestowed the place upon his son. We would meet intermittently during my vacation breaks. I would proudly tell Prasad that I had passed through his beautiful land on my journey to Delhi on the train. Every time we meet, his eyes never fail to lit up. We would chat for hours talking about our lives.

Today, Prasad is married with two kids. They are staying at a rented place at Kakhulong. He still runs his small business. I have not seen any changes around him. He is the same Prasad that I have known long time ago. The rectangular wooden box where he seats his customers is still the same. Only the thin short leather cloth he sits on, have changed its colour.

Prasad has sent his two sons for schooling at an English medium school in Paona Bazar area. Once during a tete-a-tete over mugs of Atingba near his residence, he confided that he wants his sons educated and become officers. He also told me that he has decided to be the last cobbler in his generation.

I do not doubt him seeing how determination and desperation has brought him to Manipur at a very young age. I wonder how many of us would have the same spirit by venturing to a foreign land and look for a living with nothing in the pockets.

Though he seems he has not changed, Prasad has grown a beard and he looked years older than I did. It seems the workload is taking toll on him. He has also brought in his two younger brothers Shiv Hari and Shiv Shankar who have learnt the trade from him and are running their own show. Maybe, in the near future Hari and Shankar will get married and bring their family here.

This is the story of Shiv Prasad, which can be the story of any other migrant labourer who has come to Manipur for livelihood. Today, if one looks around, one can see migrants engaged as sugar cane-crushers, peddlers, paan sellers, barbers, dhobis, thela-pullers, muthiyas, betel-leaf sellers, hotel waiters etc in almost every important towns of Manipur.

One can also find these people running their business even in remote towns like Serou, Tousem, Phungyar etc. Among them are kids as young as five or six years old who have come all the way from northern India to earn their living.

Very recently, when I had gone to Konthoujam for covering a sports event, I met an interesting Bihari kid of about six years old. He was selling ice-sticks on a heavy Humber cycle. I asked him from where he had come. He told me he cycled all the way from Chingmeirong where he was staying with his brother.

On further chatting, he revealed that he had to give away more than fifty ice-sticks free to some youths out of fear. This tells something about our attitude on how we are accustomed to stealing and snatching instead of earning for ourselves.

On the other hand, look at our Khwairamband Bazar. Besides the rich Mahajons running big business shows, we can see a greater than ever number of migrants selling knickknacks everywhere. A walk on the Thongnamombi or the Maharani Thong is enough indicators.

Peddlers selling radios, Moreh items and what not have filled up every conceivable space. Thangal Bazar and Dharam-shala resemble a mini Vijay Nagar or Mukherjee Nagar of North Delhi with non-Manipuris filling up every gullies and streets.

Like it or not, we have come to such a stage that our land cannot do without people like Prasad or Shankar. Very few people among us have that attitude of dignity of labour. We can still find people who are married and still depending on their families instead of thinking ways and means to earn a living.

With such attitude and increasing influx of migrants, one can imagine how our economy is being affected. We can also imagine the flow of money from our State to places in North India sent by the likes of Prasads and Shankars to their home forget the big business people.

As for my friend Prasad, he tells me he has not gone home for more than three years. He is very much comfortable here and that he cannot imagine his dinner without ngari, soibum or yongchak.

Five years younger

Next week "Random Thoughts" completes five years. Five years is a long time. It can completely change one’s life. I left my job at this paper’s office and ventured into Mizoram to take up a completely new assignment. I tried hard to love my job but I felt something amiss in the deep of my heart, I knew I do not belong there.

After almost four years of a near-vagabond life there, I came back here in Imphal and started working again. In fact, now I have peace of mind, a family and a job, which is close to my heart. God’s miracles are truly abundant.

It was a truly self-assessment period over those five years. I believe I have grown stronger and more positive as a person. Thanks to my ex-boss at Aizawl, I have learnt to see the positive side of life. I was taught that no matter what or how harsh the wind blow against your face, learn to stick out your neck and look for opportunities.

Having written thousands of articles since I have joined this profession, I have also discovered that writing can be an outlet to release the frustrations or happiness over certain issues. However, with the kind of prevailing situation, I believe that most of the time, we cannot help but harp on the issues confronting the State.

Of course, we have also discovered that our articles and voices do not always reach the ears of the authorities concerned. Maybe, they think that we are writing only because it is our job-our bread and butter and that we are just writing for writing’s sake.

Random Thoughts in its five years of existence have touched on various issues castigating the ‘powers that be’ on their actions and policies. It is a crusade to tickle the wits and mind of the people who matters. It is a sort of campaign to remind the public about the various issues confronting the society and a platform for the masses to bear in mind their responsibilities and duties as a good citizen of a welfare State.

To conclude, I would like to thank readers and well-wishers who have encouraged me to continue this column. As they say, without your acknowledgement, this column would not have been a possibility. Thank you and hoping to hear more from you.

Robert J Baite wrote this article for The Sangai Express
The writer can be contacted at [email protected]
This article was webcasted on April 10th, 2006

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