Vulnerable Manipur's Cultural Warming
- Global/Cultural Warming -
- Part 2 -

By Dr DS Sharma *

Global/Cultural Warming:

Without doubt, the present humanity has since 1990s faced an increasingly serious problem (glacier melt-down, sea-level rise, global warming, irregular rainfall, unseasonal flood and drought).

Concurrently Manipur has itself seen sort of a replica of the global problem by way of complex conflicts among major ethnic groups with unprecedented consequences.

If for global warming the leading superpower US – the world's largest green house gas emitting nation – has so long blamed China and India but has now at the Bali meet somehow agreed to fall in line and solve the global problem, then for Manipur's growing inter-ethnic lovelessness and the resultant cultural warming the same Aristotelian logic may well help at arriving at a consensual formula.

In that vein, even Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh cited, although in general terms first, that
'There are many regional and tribal demands which need to be addressed systematically.'

But his 'add-on' runs in as specific as;
'... each state has its specific nuances and characteristics and we cannot generalize the problems.'

Yours sincerely may add that each of Manipur's own 36 so-called recognized groups claim their own ethnicity.

A two-fold scientific treatment would thus seem apt for Manipur's Achilles' heel.

First whether, and to what extent, these 36 existing groups are really 36 or else reducible into a common origin to South China's Yunan, over its at least two millennia-long history?

Second, whether their cultural warming (read rigidity) can now be otherwise sorted out and moral responsibility for past differential growth benefits somehow amicably agreed upon to the satisfaction of one and all, and also a trade-off between harm and benefits be settled?

In particular this magic wand can be used to solve cultural warming problem in Manipur.

Initially one can address a few queries squarely to the satisfaction of each ethnic group.

Who is responsible for Manipur's inter-ethnic or cultural warming (growing lovelessness)?

Or since when is it consensually deemed valid and hence accountable to which extent?

And so on?

To be continued...