Manipur must be one of the few places on earth which still has time and inclination for frequent and extended carnivals even in the midst of extreme crises. As it is there before everybody's eyes, most of our religious festivals are increasingly being transformed into carnivals, even to the extent of ceasing altogether to be the religious occasions they are supposed to be -- a time reserved for genuine soul searching and communion with super nature. A time to recharge sagging morale by pouring out the overload of tension and uncertainty which are an essential part of existence, to the one with infinite patience and understanding. The words holy or prayer no longer rhyme with our religious festivals anymore. Instead there are no more than another occasion to make merry, gamble and binge. It may very well be such merry making have their own healing quality. After all there is much in the saying, laughter is the best medicine. However, celebrations must be proportionate to the occasions and more pertinently to the levels of achievement. Laughter in the times of misery, rather than being medicine, can be a symptom of lunacy, just indulgence in the times of penury is the height of imprudence. Manipur seems to be on this fringe at the moment. Its population have lost all sense of proportion. The gravity of the crises facing the state does not find any reflections in this land of carnivals where leaders virtually compete with each other in declaring holidays believing these are a measure of their popularity and achievement.

We are not calling for anybody to impose restrictions, or issue edicts in the regard. We are of the opinion that such decrees and whips can only whet the appetite for more of what has been restricted or banned. The pitfalls of moral policing cannot be more vivid than in the picture of a Kabul resident kicking the dead body of a Taliban fighter, killed by advancing Northern Alliance soldiers, that was published in various newspapers across the world, including the IFP this morning. Five years ago, the Taliban ended a reign of chaos and mayhem in their country but by resorting to the introduction of a monstrously distorted vision of discipline through the power that flowed out of their guns. They also ended up throwing the human spirit into dark, damp, medieval dungeons, shielded from light and enlightenment. In the end, they became no better than the demons they exorcised and today, the relief at their departure from many of the Afghan towns can been felt not just by the residents of these towns, but also by those of us watching from distant lands. We sympathize and empathize with the ordinary Afghan people who have gone through the torturous experience of jumping out from the frying pan into the fire. We hope that they are not just about to jump back into the frying pan.

As for us here in Manipur, a reformation (or revolution) is the urgent need of the hour. But this revolution is one that must build up from within and not superimposed from above. It must involve a sincere stock taking with the intent of bringing about a balance between the reality before us and our sense of well being. While grief and despair are best kept at bay, our excessive eagerness to celebrate should not be allowed to degenerate to hedonism.