Manipur suffers from bandh fatigue
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 02 2011 -

Crippling bandhs and blockades by all and sundry, enforced by people under the belief that they are making the supreme sacrifice for just causes have drained the reserve of patience of the people both in the valley and the hills.

The result is that whenever a bandh or blockade is called people either react resignedly or with puerile hatred. And yet, so far it seems, there is no way out to abjure from mindless bandhs and blockades.

In most societies bandhs and blockades are taken up as a last resort. Not so in Manipur. Here, there has been a qualitative change in the mental set up when it comes to showing dissent.

People begin agitations in support of causes, genuine and not so genuine by enforcing bandhs and blockades. People with full faith in the causes espoused are roped in by the leaders and these lambs are transformed into monsters by lumpen elements.

When the 'democratic, justified and peaceful;' means of destroying man's faith in man do not succeed the lumpen elements vent their fury at the denial of 'rights'.

This course invites police action, and in turn representations are made to higher authorities, as if the authorities do not know what is what. Acts of polite hearings of ravings and ranting are promptly interpreted as 'assurances'.

When even these assurances and so called promises fail to pass the test 'stern actions' like head bashing and torching of homes and property are resorted to.

Ultimately, talks with authorities will ensue, and undoubtedly insincere promises will be made, promises that cannot be kept, and then it is back to bandhs and blockades. And so the beat goes on.

A few posers we would like to put forward to our avid bandh enforcers and blockade ringmasters, both in the valley and in the hills.

What exactly are the difficulties which prevent them from making people to people contact before they enforce a unilateral bandh or a blockade?

What makes them shy of holding public meetings to air their views so that they can garner the support of the people from the total spectrum of our composite society?

Do they not have friends and well wishers in the hills or conversely do the others have no friends and well wishers in the valley?

They shriek and yell, and pump their fists at the government, both here in Imphal and Delhi, but for once, have they ever pondered what would have happened to them if they were carrying out their acts in China, Burma or Indonesia? It is spine chilling.

In Stalin's time, one believes the entire population of Chechnya was trans located to Siberia. What if our characters were to be trans located to the Thar desert or the Andaman Islands?

It is time we shared our grievances and chalk out together what course of action we should agree upon, to tackle what we regard as a callous and recalcitrant government.

This of course has to start with confidence building measures between ourselves. Above all let us reach an understanding of leaving innocent men women and children to be our targets to achieve our ends.

Otherwise, this will be interpreted as an anarchical step. Trust and mutual respect is the balm we need, not suspicion and pernicious thinking. Nobody is perfect but we can all try to make the best of our lives.

God bless, and let us remember a few lines from Spike Milligan, Irish poet, writer, wit and actor:
... I will not bend and grovel
When I die. If He says my sins are myriad
I will ask why He made me so imperfect
And he will say 'My chisels were blunt'
I will say 'Then why did you make so
many of me'.
– Me
Spike Milligan