Why The Palace ?

Leichombam Kullajit *

Sana Konung (Royal Palace) in June 2013 :: pix - Bullu Raj

Call me a naive or ignorant. I must confess that I do not have any idea and the genesis about my surname. How does it come, how it was named and when did it come into exist.

Yet, I am convinced that our surname was given by our great kings in some point of time and so does to everyone who belongs to the fold of Meetei community. This makes me rather a proud son of the soil sometimes when I try to identify myself to non-Meeiteis, either from outside the state or within. Also this is the uniqueness of our culture, customs, tradition, and of course identity, which we can showcase to the entire world.

However, because of the changing times and circumstances our people and our identity has been reduced just to a cliché. Some couple of months back in a journey to Itanagar, I met a young guy from that State who happened to sit beside me. All through the journey he, the young boy, spoke in Hindi while he was on phone.

After few hours I asked the young gentleman why he was speaking in Hindi and he replied that he could not communicate with other language except Hindi among other communities. Also he disclosed that he used to speak in Hindi only with their own community members, thought he had a fair mother-tongue.

The tragedy was the people sitting surrounding me in the journey were all talking in Hindi. And I said if you don't speak your language nobody would come to speak their language. It also means he lost his identity and culture like those States including Assam, Nagaland and Tripura, particularly in Northeast India.

According to reports one language dies every 14 days. By next century nearly half of the roughly 7,000 languages spoken on Earth will likely disappear, as communities abandon native tongues in favour of big languages.

Though the Government of India has made efforts to preserve and protect the sanctity of tribal people by introducing and formulating many unknown laws and reservations, in other ways, it also uproots the customary law, practice and belief and of course language of the local people.

Now, the Government of Manipur, in a Cabinet decision, has decided to take over the century old Royal Palace of Manipur, by deceitfully to the people, that they (the Government) wanted to preserve and protect the Royal Palace to showcase to the future generation that Manipur was once a princely and an independent nation by removing the titular King. The point is whether the Government wants to preserve the identity or to protect the identity of Manipur history by removing the King from the Palace.

Either the case, the government appears to be more of protecting the identity rather than preserving it. The king or says the Palace has been preserving the customary laws, practices since the immemorial times. The other day in a news report in the Hueiyen Lanpao, few people belonged to Ibobi's clan "Okram" came to the Royal Palace and requested the King to allow them use of "Keirel-Keijaob" in the funeral of one of the clan's male member.

As a customary protector and preserver, the King had granted and authorised them to use it, by which Chief Minister Okram Ibobi or for that matter the Government of Manipur, could never grant that permission or authorise such an age-old practice. This is called customs and tradition.

Given the circumstances, there are dozens of countries across the world having still practiced the monarchial system, though they are fully democratic. Most notably among them is the Great Britain. The country has one of the longest monarchial systems in the world, although they are also fully democratic governance. The Government of UK allows the monarchy to fully occupy the land and the Royal Palace by providing in millions of pounds to preserve the age-old customs and tradition.

Likewise, Denmark, Netherland, Sweden, Japan, Spain, and many others are some of the most advanced nations in the world. These monarchs still occupy the same palace and enjoy full liberty on their own. What's more, they have a huge regard and respect by their people. If their people respect their Royal Highness, the people of other countries would follow the same. Even in Thailand who is in our neighbourhood, their Government prohibits and punishes anybody whosoever disrespects the King.

Unfortunately, the Government of Manipur, since the State had merged with the Indian Union, has never shown any interest and respect to the King of Manipur. The King has been sidelined over the years. It should rather have given the same respect and regard as they did to the Governor. Whenever there is an oath taking ceremony the King should have been invited with honour to the Raj Bhavan, though he won't say a single word in their policies.

Fortunately though, the titular King of Manipur has never been involved in politics, like Karan Singh, the princes of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, to make a personal mileage. The King had never embroiled or took part any dispute with anybody like the princes of Nepal some years back. He has been so devoted and has been preserving the culture and identity of Manipur, while the incompetent State Government, though, brings more shames to the people of the state.

Many children of the State have been killed, raped, beaten up, intimidated and humiliated by many outside the state, but the State Government had no time to protect their sons and daughters. While a girl from the State was killed in a suspicious circumstance in Delhi last month, not a single official of the Government visited the victim and took a spot inquiry.

Alas! This is the same Government who now wants to protect the identity of the culture by occupying the Palace and expelling the King. So what do you expect from this Government? If you really want to develop the palace, then do it. But don't pluck the gardener who protects the garden for so long.