Manipur News

The banner signboards at the entrances of the Kangla announcing the name “Kangla” to onlookers and visitors are too cheap, if not ridiculous: as if anybody would mistake the citadel of the erstwhile kingdom of Manipur for anything else. Today no doubt it is an archival complex with immense historical and cultural significance and no longer a living monument where daily businesses of governance of war and peace are conducted, but this does not mean it must be robbed of its dignity. Leaders of the state as well as bureaucrats would have seen how things are done in historical sites all over the country and the world. None of them do it the way it is done at the Kangla. Imagine the Taj Mahal, Qutabh Minar, Red Fort, Humayan Tomb etc with similar signboard across their gate, as if these were some popular circus grounds. Normally a granite plaque with a brief history of the monument is erected in a neat and well kempt corner of the entrance areas so that visitors can read and get the basic information of what they are about to witness or are witnessing. We wonder how the difference in the aura and dignity in the manner these other monuments are announced to visitors and the way it is done to the Kangla is not noticed by our leaders, especially those in charge of the upkeep of the complex. It is not too late yet, let the government remove those ugly banners and do it the way the rest of the civilised world do it at the soonest.

We also wonder whatever has happened to the drive for restoring the Kangla. The government has been going about on a demolition spree everywhere in the city, but is still not able shift (after suitable compensation of course), a few families living inside the complex, who were once the temple keepers while the Assam Rifles was occupying the complex. It may be recalled troops moved out and the Kangla handed over the people by the Prime Minsiter, Manmohan Singh in 2004 following widespread street agitation against the Assam Rifles in the wake of the alleged rape and custodial murder of a young woman, Thangjam Manorama. It may also be recalled that much earlier the Kangla came to be garrisoned after the British defeated and took over the Manipur kingdom in 1891, and much of the symbols of the state, in particular the two Kangla Sha the mythical beasts which have since become the state emblem, at the entrance of the Darbar Hall were destroyed. After the British left, the troops stayed on. The two Kangla Sha have been restored since along with some other historical structures within the complex. It must however be said the restoration work, while commendable at places, at others are at best kitschy. For evidence, take a look at the gate of the Dubar Hall. It looks like one of those hastily made entrances to some cheap stalls at circuses and fairs which visit the state occasionally.

As suggested for the gateways, we wonder why the government has not thought of erecting granite plaques with histories and descriptions at each of the many interesting sites within the complex. The two restored Kangla Shas will be a prime candidate for this. The Durbar Hall, the Manung Kangjeibung which is possibly the oldest polo-ground in the world, and where modern polo took birth, the ruins of the Govindaji temples, as well as the newly constructed indigenous Sanamahi temple etc are some of these. On the northern side of the complex are also another set of very interesting monuments and sites. Some of the cottages sitting aside sprawling lawns lined with flower beds are of profound historical significance too. The cottage where Field Marshall Sir William Slim lived and planned his “Defeat into Victory” strategies against the advancing Japanese Imperial Army in alliance with the Indian National Army, INA, of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, being the most significant. Why cannot similar granite plaques with explanatory notes be erected at these sites as well? Today, for the uninitiated, touring the Kangla complex is like scanning an album of interesting photographs but without photo captions. Visitors often are left bewildered at trying to identify the monuments, even the modern classic the Slim Cottage, for adjacent to it are other similar cottages. The Kangla undoubtedly will be a major attraction for tourist once Manipur becomes a tourist spot as so many wish for today. If the law and order situation improves, we see no reason why it cannot be buzzing with tourists of all kinds too. Kathmandu is advertised as a valley in which adventure tourists can head in any direction and find a good trek. We see why Imphal valley, surrounded by hills all around cannot acquire the same unique selling point, or as this proposition is better known, the USP.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/kangla-usp/

Before the onset of the monsoon, we had called the attention of the government in several editorials to potholes that had appeared on several major roads in Imphal, warning that if these were not mended in time, the monsoon waters would wash away the rather thin bitumen linings in and around these potholes, damaging the roads much more extensively. Despite these urgent appeals, the government refused to pay any heed, and now the conditions of these roads are there for everybody to see. One of the worst damaged areas is the one adjacent to the Andro Parking on the eastern side of the All India Radio, Imphal complex. There was a huge unattended pothole here for a long time and once it started raining, water accumulated in it and seeped into the earth and pebble bed the road rested on and weakened its foundation. The road has since been literally washed away leaving huge pits, and because these are now filled with rainwater, are virtually invisible, therefore extremely hazardous for motorists. Now that the thin bitumen cover has been washed away and the innards exposed for public view, even sycophants of the powers that be will think twice before defending the quality of work put into the making of these roads. Other than the Andro Parking area, the Uripok Road at the base of the B.T. Road flyover has to be seen to be believed. This relatively recently made road is now reduced to a dirt road. The RIMS Road from Nagamapal all the way to the point where it joins the Uripok Road is another stretch that would put anybody in a depression.

Much of these damages, and the consequent inconveniences and dangers thrust on thousands of ordinary commuters everyday could have been saved if the authorities paid heed to the timeless saying that a stitch in time saves nine. The cost to the state exchequer that would have been saved by such prudence is imaginable too. But then, as they say public property is nobody’s property, and those in the government who are entrusted precisely with these public properties are the ones who care the least about their charge. If this were not so, what we are now seeing in the capital Imphal would not have been possible. Furthermore, if this is what is happening in the capital, anybody can imagine what is happening in districts, the remote ones in particular. Yet, despite the obvious failure, and despite the avoidable waste of public funds, nobody will be held accountable for the mess. None of those involved in building these roads too would be fazed by the fact that the roads they built cannot stand the test of even one monsoon. Nobody takes pride in the work they do anymore, neither those actually contracted to do the job, nor those who awarded them these contracts, nor those entrusted to certify the compliance of standard of the jobs done. What everyone in the chain would have been interested in would undoubtedly be lining their pockets from the collaborative spinoffs they create from the entire process. In fact, it would not be very wrong to presume that there is a vested interest at work in building these roads not too well so that they are rebuilt practically every year so that the cycle of collaborative looting of public funds is ensured.

This is depressing. But this is also unfortunately what Manipur has become. It has lost all sense of social altruism and those leading the charge are those in power. But the call now must be not of witch hunting. It is not too late to make amends. Let a new work culture be introduced in the state. The effort has to begin with the government. It must first of all strive to introduce some structural changes apart from a stricter monitoring system of its infrastructure construction works. In this regard, it is surprising that in all of its developmental projects, including road construction, the government has not thought of factoring in the cost for maintenance. Nothing lasts forever, however well built, but the government should have known their longevity is directly proportional to the quality of their upkeep. The maintenance does not have to be always major overhauls, but mending little patches of damages so as to prevent them from setting off a progressive and ultimately total atrophy. The road stretch near the Andro Parking and the Uripok Road at the base of the BT Flyover are two loud example of this serious and indeed criminal oversight of the government. What has happened cannot be undone, but we at least hope the government would take note of the matter and do the needful so as to prevent a repeat. But then, we suppose this appeal would probably be as ridiculous as asking compulsive kleptomaniacs not to steal.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/no-stitches-in-time/

The trial of the arrested United National Liberation Front, UNLF, chairman, R.K. Sanayaima, would begin sooner than later. The case is important for more reason than the obvious of the accused having transgressed the law. It will demonstrate among others the status government of India holds the various nationalistic uprisings (or insurgencies) in the Northeast to be. That is to say, this case will demonstrate whether the Indian state sees these shows of dissents as merely problems of law and order breaches or else radical political dissents arising out of historical and structural inconsistencies between the idea of the India and those who see themselves at its margin or else outside its fold. A lot of future resolutions the problem of insurgency in the Northeast as elsewhere in other parts of the country may indeed come to pivot around this case. Here is a case of an insurgent leader arrested in Bangladesh though officially unacknowledged, and two months after his arrest and illegal detention, surfaced allegedly in Bihar, and according to the official version, arrested while he was trying to cross into Indian territory from Nepal. There was a genuine worry at the time the arrested UNLF leader remained missing that he would be made to disappear without a trace, but this did not happen, indicating already the intent of his captors that he is better alive than dead. If it was otherwise, there ordinarily would have been no way to prove he had been arrested, much less executed. Quite obviously his captors knew this more than anybody else, but they did not do what had become a popular feared.

The arrested insurgent leader is now being charge sheeted. The charges against him can also be guessed. At its most grand, it would be waging war against the nation. The penalty for this, if proven, would be understandably tough. From all indications the arrested leader is also not shirking away from his role in the ideology he has been pursuing, or the fact that he had been the leader of an organisation outlawed under Indian law, his only caveat being that he was not waging war against India but defending an erstwhile sovereign kingdom’s right to self determination. In past cases of such arrests, the modus operandi had been far too often of the arrested leaders claiming, obviously on the advice of their lawyers, that they had nothing to do with the organisation they were accused of heading or had no knowledge of the offences against the law slapped against them, and in the absence of conclusive proof or witness evidences, eventually getting bail, which they then jumped. They get to be free again and continue their fight, but such moves morally demeaned the struggle they headed. In the present case, the table is being turned. With the same conviction that he fought his war, the UNLF leader is now defending the reason why he fought the war.

What the legal response would be is predictable and understandable. It can only go by the statute book. But what is to be watched here is the political response, or the statesmanship with which the Indian state would handle the situation. Would it too simply go by the statute book or look beyond and discover the larger picture. On the larger canvas of peace building and resolution to the various insurgencies in the Northeast, the Indian state’s attitude and decision on the UNLF leader case would have a profound bearing. It would also answer the million rupees question of whether resolving insurgency in the Northeast is a military responsibility or a political and statesmanship enterprise. In this way, we see the unfolding case to be an important litmus test. It will also determine whether the establishment is looking for a victory in a battle or thinking of winning the war. We do hope it is the latter. We do hope the arrested UNLF leader, for the very reason that has chosen to stand by his conviction, is not treated as a common law offender but a political prisoner with all entitled dignity accorded to him, even if he is ultimately rewarded the severest penalty for waging war against the nation. This is important, for it is now more than clear that the familiar tactics of delegitimizing insurgency by labelling it as criminal has not brought the intended result in all these decades. It only embittered the constituencies that threw up these defiant challenges to the establishment. It is now time to give these phenomena the legitimacy they always deserved, and then tackle it from this vantage. The trial of the UNLF leader R.K. Sanayaima in this regard can be the benchmark of a new and enlightened approach to resolving the question of insurgency not just in Manipur, but the entire Northeast and even beyond.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/crucial-case/