I don't know politics. I don't know insurgents. And I don't know the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. But I do know one thing. I feel this is the worst time ever seen or heard about Manipur.

Day after day, for the past few weeks, I see pictures of what is going on there, I find myself reading the news snippets. The first two or three days, I thought this would soon pass but each new day brings more stories and more gruesome pictures. The unknown faces of the strangers in protests, the unknown faces of the hurt and the dead begin to take shapes. They could very well have been the faces of people I know, my friends, neighbors, and relatives. And yes, one could have been mine too.

I don't know politics but I know when something does not work. As I understand it, the Act was imposed to curtail insurgency. If after more than twenty years of it's being, if it has not improved the law and order situation, then it's apparent it is not working. Twenty years is a long time, for some, it is a whole lifetime. If it has not worked in twenty years, why not try if it works without it for one year? Sometimes, change is constructive. Sometimes, trust works.

Right now, at this very moment, there must be a protest in some street, in some corner. Right now, there must be a sick old man or woman trying to find safety in the familiarity of their homes against the chaos outside their doors. Right now, there must be some wide-eyed children not understanding what is happening but understanding enough that they cannot go out to play. Right now, there must be people standing up for what they believe is right. And life still goes on.

That is what I admire the most. Inspite of all the troubles, the belief that if they do the right thing today, tomorrow will be alright. It might work, it might not, but believing is half the work done. The voice can be silenced by some law, TV sets can be turned off, but the spirit takes harder than that to be silenced. And that is the whole point of my writing this. Everyone knows this but I just want to say it from my part too. Never lose hope and things will be alright. Believe, and someday every person in Manipur will be able to say to their little children "You may play outside out. It is safe".

And thank you, all of the people, who stood up for all of us.

P.S. I am no relation to Manorama (if you wonder)