On Long Quest

The pillar to post efforts made by the Hmar Women Association (HWA) in the interest of Tipaimukh raped and molested victims remain a ceaseless endeavour. This is a telling tale of Manipur’s extraordinary women who are standing upright for the cause of truth and justice. Irom Sharmila Chanu’s name similarly stands out to represent the same. While the issues they represent differ, the quest is for that undelivered justice that still eludes them. However, what is interesting is their dogged belief in the midst of a system that could only loom large with all its ambiguous characters. What more could the Leviathan mean to them? Like Sharmila, who humbly told the Court in Delhi: “Fasting is my only instrument. I have no other means”, HWA also said the same of the seemingly ceaseless relay race they are made to run. In the process, they were made to confront, if not a post that is bigger than a pillar, then, a pillar that is bigger than any post.

The mathematic calculation would read their efforts to be a zero sum game. But the cause that these dauntless women stood for, represents a win- win battle. They don’t have too many words to say. But they have the undying flame to burn out obstacles that are critically imposed on their paths. They have exercised all possible language to assert their voices. Be it fasting, rally, sit-in protest, petitioning and other old as well as new social movement languages. Languages that they have mastered to realise justice. Consequently, law takes its course, if not to investigate, examine and cross-examined the gravity of truth, then to charge them with an attempt to commit suicide. One never knows how the ambiguity of law would be interpreted and translated to strike them back in the course of their movement. However behind that, the unshakeable truth looms to enhance and enthuse them in their journey, however long it would still be.

Reality showed its grim face when it seems to say that sufferings and truth are not enough. That is when the might and strength for social movements become important than the sufferings or the truth of that. That is when a sophisticated stage like drama becomes a necessity. Like it was said in the Book, “Man does not live by bread alone”, the issue is not going to be addressed as long as it feeds only on the staple truth of sufferings. Shakespeare who, before saying that all men and women are actors, said that the world is a stage. However, the access to that stage becomes not only an expensive affair, but also a bigger problem for the victims and any affected people who are confronting situations in the fringe periphery. That is when issues from those locations, if not negated, remain not merely under-reported but unreported despite all their deservedness. Many serious issues that spilled out of Manipur’s periphery not only failed to get the necessary attention, but also will continue to remain so merely due to our own reality of the centre and periphery divide. Many in Manipur called that as hill and valley divide. The hill districts remain to be the smaller canvas of political battle and social movements. If this continues, Manipur will very soon see more fragmented and compartmentalised issues on the streets that would pitch in more diverse actors, even the impoverished against the privileged. Otherwise, even today several issues have been divided on similar lines. Even if with time, the already excluded are finding a voice beyond the periphery neglect, the strength that it garnered to represent that collectivity remains. Similarly, on the part of the privileged actors from the centre or valley, who are championing languages and other urban advantages, the question of representing the collective need to be answered with the reminding remainder who fits easily into the “exclusion” compartment. Championing an issue for one compartment fails to represent any collectivity even though it is attempted desperately. The unfortunate reality remains to be that little of this is discussed in the deaf and slumber of not only the periphery, but also even the excluded in several sections of the centre.

A week ago, the delegates of HWA who met the President, along with the rape issue, also raised their concern over the unabated plights of the tribals in the hill districts of Manipur. The issue is still alive with the displaced Kukis who are still taking refuge in Manipur’s Moreh. What about the landmines victims? What about artificial limbs for them? These issues remain unaddressed. Do we care if these people were never repatriated? Do we care if their lives are not secured?
A team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) who visited the Moreh displaced people settlement on May 21, 2007 reported that there are 27 pregnant women in the camp, 227 minor girls, 136 children of the age group 0-6 years, and 150 lactating mothers and 306 men. NCW took serious note of the running out of and absence of food, medicine and safe drinking water in the displaced people camp. The humanitarian lifeline for the displaced Kukis is more fragile than one could imagine. How can we develop humanitarian operation when needs are growing while our ability to help is severely curtailed? If one imagines these unwanted realities to affect the population in the centre or the valley, the outcome and the response that it would have sparked would be predictably different. It would be a big relief to the issue as well as the victims to have a backing force in such dire situations that is turning to become grotesque. It is alarming to witness our ability to reach people in need shrinks dangerously low. It would be a grave situation for the State if we could silently sustain this climate.

Today the need is for prioritising the gravity of the issues and not the geography, people or community. On the part of the State, the need is to do away its heavy foot-dragging exercise that it has been successful and popular for. The government is showing little interest in saving lives. On the part of the civil society, individuals as well as groups, the need is for admitting and upholding the universality of human rights. The need is for deconstructing fragmented compartments defined by dialects, language, and potentialities. The need is for looking to one another and conferring to one another. The need is for interdependence. We need to do away with efforts that sapped morale and limits freedom. That would draw the collective reality on demanding issues that remain debated, questioned, ignored, neglected and excluded. Otherwise, be it the pillar to post running, or the sophisticated symbols and languages, our quest will remain longest.