Demand for ST status for Meitei/Meetei Pangals of Manipur

Alhaj Muhammad Riyaz Ahmed Shah *

Meitei/Meetei Pangals during Id-ul Adha celebration at Babupura, Imphal in October 2012 :: Pix - Bunti Phurailatpam

Introduction :

Generally, the Muslims, whenever they go or wherever they live, get themselves subjected to the influence of the indigenous people or get influenced by any situation cropped up in their way. It has become a phenomenon and this phenomenon has led them to genetic drift and admixture and inbreeding culminating into genetical differentiations here and there.

One of the best examples in respect of the first phenomenon is the influence exercised by Shah Jalal, the famous Muslim saint from Yemen who came to Sylhat in 13th century. The saint had influenced the populace by exhibiting his supernatural power coupled with miraculous acts(karamat) which overwhelmed the populace and almost all of them embraced Islam resulting into huge concentration of Muslim population in Sylhat and its surroundings. In respect of the second phenomenon, the best example is the case of the Manipuri Muslims or the Meitei Pangals.

The 1000 plus Muslims who came to Manipur in 1606 AD in the service of Sanongba in order to overthrow his reigning elder brother king Khagemba (1597-1652) were, on their defeat, allowed to settle in Manipur. They were influenced by the customs and traditions of the indigenous people mainly the Meiteis/ Meeteis in matters of their marriage, socialization, settlement, dress, food habits, homestead arrangements, house style, cultural activities etc. The Muslims had also influenced the indigenous population in matters relating to the king's dress and royal arrangements, agriculture, industry, games & sports (acrobats, wrestlings etc.).

But due to the difference of religion between the two communities on one hand and on the other the cultural elements of the Meiteis/Meeteis adopted by the Muslims could not be given up totally, although they had established their own Muslim families.

Subsequently, a Pangal Sub-Culture has come to exist in the form of assimilation between the strict Islamic culture and the circumstantial Meitei/Meetei culture which is not known to the Muslims of outside Manipur. The first phenomenon signifies the spread of Islam and the second one relates to tolerant assimilation and co-existence of two opposite religious groups in the same geographical area.

The Muslims who came to Manipur were neither colonialists who use to treat their colonies as milch cow nor imperialists who would poke their nose in the internal affairs of another country to bring them under the sway of their mastership as super power. In 1606 AD the Muslim army of Taraf had made the military expedition to Manipur through the king of Cachar in order to make Sanongba the king of Manipur after overthrowing king Khagemba.

Origin of the Meitei Pangals and their affinity to the Meiteis/Meeteis : The Meitei/Meetei Pangals trace their common origin prominently to those Muslim merceneries from Taraf who came to fight against king Khagemba (1597 -1652 A.D.) in the year 1606 for the purpose of enthroning Jubraj Sanongba and after their defeat, were permitted to settle in Manipur by establishing their own Muslim families with Meitei/Meetei wives.

(a) The 1000 plus merceneries led by 17 generals under the command of Mohammad Sani of Taraf were composed of different races and ethnic groups such as the Seljuk Turks, Turko- Afghans, Pathans, Mughals, dark- skinned Bengalies of Taraf, Sylhat region etc. Most of the generals belonged to the said foreign groups while the main fighting force who speak Bengali are possibly considered to be the descendants of the Dasyus who had fled from the northern India at the time of the Aryan Invasion. So the generals were mostly of Mongol origin. Those helpers such as artisans, animal tenderers, mahouts, barbers, blacksmiths, utensil makers, pottery makers, carpenters, cooks, tailors etc.must have been the local inhabitants of Taraf.

(b) Muslims' free access to matrimonial alliance with anyone including converts in any part of the globe irrespective of caste, creed, nationality etc. as permitted by their religion; have led themselves to encounter with 'random genetic drift and admixture and inbreeding' in their society which would result into 'genetical differentiations' from their ancestral populations. Same thing occurs in the case of the Meitei Pangals also as their present population is,after mixing with the Meitei/Meetei mothers, also subjected to further genetical differentiations from their Muslim forefathers who were settled and socialized under the patronage of king Khagemba (1597 - 1652) in Manipur.

(c) In the Indian context the Muslim society is divided into four distinct racial groups/clans presumably on the basis of their racial origins. They are Sayyid, Shaikh, Mughal and Pathan and they use the titles i.e. Syed, Sheikh, Shah and Khan respectively before or after their names. In Manipur the Meitei Pangals also use these titles in their names knowingly or unknowingly. However these titles have no socio-cultural significance in Manipur as the Meitei Pangals are identified with the names of their respective sageis/clans for all practical purposes especially in the matter relating to marriage.

(d) Possibly, in view of the affinity between the two communities, the Meiteis/Meeteis have regarded the Manipuri Muslims who are born and brought up in Manipur and speaking the Meiteilon/Meeteilon as mother tongue, as their" mother descendants" in token of which their very ethnic terminology i.e. 'Meitei' /'Meetei' is prefixed to the Muslim community name i.e.'Pangal' as "Meitei Pangal" or "Meetei Pangal" signifying the Pangal community as a component of the Meitei//Meetei population.

Settlement of the Meitei/Meetei Pangals in Manipur : For the first time in the history of Manipur, king Khagemba (1597-1652)had patronized the bulk settlement of Muslims in Manipur by giving them agricultural land, wives, family titles etc. Accordingly the Muslims started their settlement in 1606 by sharing a common ecological niche in the oval-shaped central valley alone with the Meiteis/Meeteis and the establishment of their families and society with Meitei\Meetei wives, adopting many of the technological and socio-culrural elements of the neighbouring Meiteis/Meeteis in respect of language, dress, diet, clan system, housing, mode of habitation, type of economic pursuits etc which had gradually transformed their life style enabling themselves to preserve their strict Islamic way of life to its purity until their religion was rejuvenated in about the beginning of the 20th century.

The tribals, Meiteis/Meeteis, Meitei/Meetei Bamons and Meitei/Meetei Pangals as Hill People : The tribals (Nagas, Kukis etc.) inhabit the top of hills, hill sides, plains available in between the hill ranges and in different parts of the oval- shaped central valley side by side with the Meiteis/Meeteis, Meitei Bamons and the Meitei/Meetei Pangals etc. Being treated as hill people, the overall tribals are constitutionally categorized as Scheduled Tribes.

But the Meiteis/Meeteis, the Meitei Bamons and the Meitei/Meetei Pangals who are inhabiting the valley,dotted hills located at valley and in the spaces available in between the portruded ranges of the surrounding hills, are neither allowed to settle in the surrounding hills by owning lands there nor categorized constitutionally as Scheduled Tribes.

Since 90 percent-of the total area of the State is covered by hills and the so called Manipur valley, which is 2600 ft above sea level is in the centre being thickly surrounded by hill ranges, Manipur becomes technically a hilly state and land-locked not accessible easily. Therefore,all the settlers of Manipur are the hill people or tribals ought to be categorized as Scheduled Tribes in constitutional perspective. Moreover, the last but not the least emphasis to be made is that the people of Manipur are topographically isolated from the Indian mainland thereby requiring special preferential treatment for their all-round development.

Non-inclusion of the Manipuri Muslims in the List of Backward Claases: After the declaration of the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste categories, the Govt. of India had envisaged another program for enlisting the remaining backward classes under the Kaka Kalelkar Commission(1953) which extended its vision upto Manipur for study to include the Meiteis and the Manipuri Muslims in the List of Backward Classes. In respect of the Manipuri Muslims, Mr.R.Suisa, M.P.(Outer Manipur) had submitted an exhaustive Memorandum to the Govt. of India in November,l 957 for inclusion of the community in the List of Backu,ard Classes under the Kaka Kalelkar Commission.

But due to the lack of interest from the \Iuslim political leaders of that time coupled with lack of awareness on the matter mixed u'ith the lack of political u'ill of the then Manipur Administration,the honest and sincere attempt of Mr.R.Suisa happened to be defused. Had the Manipuri Muslims/lVIeitei Pangals been included in the List of Backrvard Classes under the K.K.Commission(1953) their upliftment to the desired level could have been achieved much earlier prior to the Mandal Commission. However, the Meitei/Meetei Pangals have seen a low voltage light at the end of the tunnel when they are included in the List of O.B.C. under the Mandal Commission. But the benefits given to O.B.C. are far less than the quantum requirements of the Meitei/Meetei Pangals. This community needs more at least to the extent equivalent to that of the Scheduled Tribe.

Sub-Culture: By virtue of their living together with the neighbting Meitei/Meetei communities for centuries, the Meitei/Meetei Pangals have developed sub-culture between the Islamic culture and the Meitei culture under the shadow of many similarities and connectivities between the two communities which is not known to the Muslim populations of outside Manipur. The so called sub-culture to which hung the course of their future history as well as the dignified existence in Manipur is quite peculiar to the Muslims in national perspective.

Backwardness of the Meitei/Meetei Pangals: The Meitei/Meetei Pangals are still the most backward community in Manipur due to the lack of education, opportunities for economic upliftment, job opportunities through reservations etc. They are in dire need of constitutional remedies to the extent of the scheduled tribe status so as to enable them to keep pace with the neighb{;ing advanced communities so that they would be able to become the meaningful citizens of the secular democratic India.