"Excerpt 1.4"

It is easy not to be inspired albeit rather head for the shadow. Eventually, the shadow will fade away. The lights will remain as it is. The day before yesterday, the JCILP committee called for the 38 hours statewide bandh in Manipur. That day, we were suppose to be in Imphal to meet our local MLA Manga Vaiphei (Henglep constituency). By ‘we’, I meant our local youth club leaders. In spite of the bandh, we went ahead with our plan as the appointment was arranged earlier than the bandh that was planned later by the JCILP committee. We already knew that people who supports the bandh will stop us on the road and will tell us to return back or even worse. In fact, we were stopped more than 10 times but we reached on time for our appointment and back safely. 

Ever wondered, how did we overcome the stringent bandh that day when we could have cancel the appointment? A boy stopped us for a lift before we hit the main road at Ningthoukong gate or popularly known as Loktak gate. We decided to give the boy a ride. Fortunately, the boy turns out be a college student who have an examination at Imphal that particular day. I’d say it was a blessing in disguise for us. Whenever we come across the bandh supporters, we told them we were dropping the boy for his college examination. In fact, we dropped the boy right at his college examination centre. Also, we had a successful meeting with our local MLA as per the appointment. On our way back, I put up a sticker written as ‘EXAM’ on my car front mirror and we managed to escape the bandh. 

I guess ‘karma’ has it own wonderful work ethos. Moving on to the title Excerpt 1.4, “Citizens live with heroic spirit”. Excerpts from Inaugral address (April 27, 1980) by Swami Ranganathananda. 

It is the heroic spirit that came to the Western people and made them great. England sent its best people to die in the oceans, in the forests and mountains, and far-away islands; and they went fearlessly and cheerfully, for the love of their country, and for the sheer love of adventure. It was that that made that country great. I shall live in ease, I shall save myself, and yet my nation will be great--that can never happen. But we have been doing that very thing. We try to avoid all difficult assignments to hilly, forest, or rural areas, we circumvent all postings to situae offering challenges to our courage and daring, and seek the maximum advantages to oneself and one’s family. In all these, we see the good grihastha, no doubt, but fail to see the quiet heroism and patriotic spirit of the enlightened citizen. 

It is the minimum of spiritual growth that enables the citizen to take care of the national interest while protecting his own personal interest. And even that personal interest is not just money and more money only, which is all what most people understand by that expression, but also honour, dignity, creative life, and heroic adventure. And these come only from the spiritual growth involved in enlightened citizen. 

When this growth comes to a person, public spirit and human concern manifest spontaneously; he or she has not to struggle for it; seeing somebody in distress on the road, the impulse comes : I will go and ask the person in distress: What is the trouble with you? In what way can I help you? If, in all situations, I move far away, thinking, I don't want to be involved, I don't want to be caught, then there is the complete absence of citizenship-awareness. Yes, I am prepared to be involved and to face the consequences in the service of my fellow-men. That is how the humanistic impulse operates in a citizen. 

"Hope for fools"

Image Courtesy: AtheistRepublic.com

Imagine if we've been giving our support to a government even though there is hardly any proof to show that the government is working for the people.

I'm starting to beleive the word "hope" is overrated when "we" are the answer to make things right anytime. It's just my opinion, hope is for afterlife and not when you are living the present. We hope the state of Manipur will get better when everyone of us are living in the present chaos. And I don't get it because not long ago, an old man told me, "Nakhoi naharol na eikhoi Sanaleipak chaokhat hanlo"(Translation: Youths can bring progress and development to our beloved state of Manipur). But how do I contribute because the old man convincingly told me, you can.

When I started looking for the answer, I found that our state government and its subsidiaries are not working for us rather working for their own interests. Maybe, it sting and hurts like any poisonous desert scorpion but it's true. Say for example, if you want to get any paper work done, what is the first thing that you do? Checking your wallet or call in a favor from a friend who knows the authority! Of course, we both know the answer and we don't need to brag about it. But have we not realize our misfortune is the result of our own makings?

We do not need to say we don't have good leaders or the political parties as infuential as the Indian Congress party and the BJP. If you still think so, I'm sorry but you are naive because we live in the state of democracy not an anarchy or dictatorship. Are you not in awe with the results of recent Delhi legislative assembly election held on 7 February 2015? I'm not here endorsing one political party rather to let you know that we are the elements to change.

The truth is we don't need to say to the government we elected for ourselves, 'I hope you'll work for the interest of the people' but rather 'you have to work for the people and their interest'. The 2017 Manipur state legislative assembly is not far away and we got to be prepared. Remember the line from the book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

Food for Thought: In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of man. Friedrich Nietzsche

Thank you. 

"Liability or Human shield?"

Good Morning!

First of all, my condolences to the 20 army jawans who were ambushed and killed in Manipur by the so called underground outfit NSCN-K on 4 June 2015. The ambush itself is a cowardly act and showing us the true nature of the banned underground organization who do not believe in peace. I cannot fathom the fact that this very organization used to be in peace talk with our central government under the ceasefire agreement for 14 years until March 2015 after their leader SS Khaplang decided to go for the arms struggle instead of negotiation. How is the arms struggle helping their cause? Killing more innocent people and the Army is never going to resolve the region issue.

Now that the Central government has given the green light to the Army to go all out against the outfit, NSCN-K, I truly fear many innocents may have to be victims as collateral damage. The people of Manipur will have to bear the burnt of conflict arising between the NSCN-K and the Central government wherein their issue has nothing to do with Manipur. I'm really fed up of the leaders of Naga telling the Nagas of Manipur that their fight is for all of us. But it necessarily doesn't gives them the right to cowardly killed the 20 jawans in Manipur in order to grab the attention of our Central government in Delhi. 

The fact is that I DO NOT WANT TO BE A VICTIM. Why can't the NSCN-K follow the example of Mizoram? They must know that India ranks third among the top ten countries with the largest armies. You know that the central government has given the green light to go all against the Naga Insurgent in Manipur. And Manipur is not a war zone wherein many civilians are living out there. You also know that the Indian army is armed with the Armed Forced Special Power Act. So, in the end, the civilians are going to end up as victims because NSCN-K is not going come out in the open rather hiding behind the hills. 

In 1977, Protocol I was adopted as an amendment to the Geneva Conventions, prohibiting the deliberate or indiscriminate attack of civilians and civilian objects in the war-zone and the attacking force must take precautions and steps to spare the lives of civilians and civilian objects as possible. Although ratified by 173 countries, the only countries that are currently not signatories to Protocol I are the United States, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Turkey. It means our central government is not accountable for any civilians killed in their fistfight against the Naga insurgents in Manipur. 

Technically, we are a liability to the central government and a human shield to the insurgents in Manipur. God help us. 

Food for thought: “Listen up - there's no war that will end all wars.” Haruki Murakami.