...Before i start,let me clarify that this blog is regarding my opinions and i am entitled to mistakes if i make any and i do not have any direct responsibility.....It stems from my growing up environment and my convictions and academic level...Hence if i tend to leave any major issue out of the discussion or undermine or overemphasise on any topic,i can always try to improve on it..So i'd welcome any constructive criticism but not ones based on blind faiths or personal convictions.Thank you.
I'd like to start off with the problems that the present manipur faces.Since i am concerned with the people level i will try to see all problems from the common man's perspective and not political or other unofficial authority's eyes.There are other problems like the state border problem with neighbouring states and racial kinds of problems which i have ignored as i am concerned with only those problems which hamper progress.
The grievances basically in all cases is of
(a)a condition of political unstability
(b)fear of official and unofficial violence
(c)unstable and insecure platform for business development and education
(d)illiteracy and ignorance
(e)drugs and diseases problem
(f)flow of finance to unprofitable hands both within and outside the state
(g)lack of enough infrastructure(communication,transport etc.)
(h)corruption
for ease we will broadly group it into two sections:
1.Youths(students and non-students)
2.Adults(earning or unemployed adults)
1.YOUTHS(STUDENTS and non-students)
from birth to class 12th,from 12th to completion of further studies(graduation,post graduation,training,even those pursuing no further studies)
Why are more and more parents preferring to educate their children and relatives outside the state when we have a state board and state university both with potential to produce competitive youths?...Yes,it happens in all other states too and countries if we say that people want to pursue better education even if it is outside the state or country but in Manipur's case,this is merely simplifying the issue.There is a major reason for it i.e.unstable environment.Every parent fears for their children..who knows the innocent ones would go out never to return...anything can happen here!...This is such a huge reason blocking the path to education.Thus those who have the resources send their youngs to 1.a place with better educational facilities and infrastructure and 2.a "safer" place.Those who don't have the resources look at all means to follow suit but if they can't,they settle for a home education under strict guidance and scrutiny.
There is one more important reason to be added to these two reasons for sending the wards outside 3.drugs and diseases problem.Can u tell me what kinds of leisure facilities
and personality development activities do we have here?..Sure there are lots of them if we carefully look but we are not the ones who should be looking but the youths.....Most of the youths turn to drugs,music and sex as the main recreational activities.All the parents are terrified of this..and this leads to a moral degeneration of the base of tomorrows society.I can elaborate a lot more but it suffices to say that all the youths are aspiring to a rock n roll lifestyle...The youths aren't entirely to blame..We should look at the root to this problem which is lack of enough awareness,enough guidance,lack of healthy recreational opportunities...There is nothing wrong with wanting to have fun while they are young but it should be healthy and not degenerative and decaying.
Thus this three reasons moves families to send off their kids.But merely packing off students isnt the solution.as there is no guarantee that studying in a better educational place will give results,sure they might be safer but the question of their kids staying off drugs,sex and diseases is still present.
Ask me whats the problem if this is the condition.You can say that it happens everywhere and that families all over the world sends off kids.So whats the big deal?
well look at the outflow of resources....and the corresponding returns...Imagine if people start sending off their kids just for the safety reason,how many returns qualified and how many gets employment opportunities in manipur......the ones who come back,if they are lucky and have connections and resources get absorbed in employment...while others becomes a part of the burgeoning unemployeds.The rest who dont return and finds employment abroad do little to send resource returns to their home state.
Hence outflow>inflow
(and also the loss of respect in Indian peoples eyes..A lot of students gets asked all the times if their state don't have a decent enough university or schools.and u can guess what their replies must be)
Sometimes i start to think that the
Indian government is interested in keeping all this current conditions the same way it is..as this reason and others combined ensures a good flow of finances back to the centre.But lets not waste time on speculation.Instead lets focus on facts.
I have tried to brief up the youth problem.
the next is the
2.Adults(earning or unemployed adults)
I will admit i fall below the required knowledge to fully describe this part,so i will try to give the viewpoints of youths regarding the problems of the adults.From the preceded paragraph it is clear that parents are constantly worried for their
children's safety and well being in a state rife with violence.This can at times hamper their
professional performance and output.
Business matters are very conservative in
Manipur as there is less infrastructure and a lack of safe and peaceful environment.There is little opportunities for investments.As such there is few big industries in
manipur and also lack of private investments from outside due to loss of finances to the demands of "
naharols" or the self-acclaimed fighters of
Manipurs freedom.This has caught
Manipur in a dilemma as to
what constitutes real progress...is it freedom from the Indian mainland which means becoming a separate country
or does progress equals freedom from the naharols which can mean private investments and a sure end of the dreaded armed forces special powers act?.....But one day or the other we have to make a stand.Realizing this,lets look at the two scenarios in front of manipur to progress.... Lets work our way to the assumption that progress means separation from the mainland.....An own motherland would be awesome to say the least but how many thinks that this is going to happen anytime soon or ever at all?..........Does anyone imagine
Manipur defeating India just like that?sure Japan beat
Russia and china in the earlier centuries but that was after they first strengthened themselves...so if we have to beat India why not first
strenghthen ourselves too....economic
development is a must....Yes it does mean that inside and outside capital investments for big industries should be encouraged....and also that the demands for money from them must be stopped or lessened.....but it wont mean that
naharols will be
fundless and
resourceless...they can invest in the industries themselves....for example in the current scene they can invest in the only better faring industry i.e. the
Manipuri film industry...this way they can have their desired censorship of cultural issues etc. also.So the brief analysis can be concluded by saying that if we believe in pursuing our own motherland...lets build ourselves first....so that we become strong enough to fight the India.
In the second scenario,the path to progress is sought by elimination of all unofficial groups.This too is not a scene very likely to happen soon.Elimination is just an easy way of saying it.So lets focus on what is practical and what is not.I believe the
naharols are not the only obstacles to growth...However they do constitute a big reason in keeping it from developing.just eliminating them also wont bring about progress...they are a part of the system and we have to change the whole system....What is practical however is to reach an agreement with them for they will surely be reasonable....an agreement not to interfere in their work but for them to contribute in any way they can to both moral progress (which they are doing) and also to economic progress.They should be encouraged to invest into industries as the
Daimyos and the Samurai warriors of japan did for their motherland.
Thus,practically
analysing,we can see that......separation from motherland or elimination of
naharols isn't an immediate or practical solution.Neither
naharols nor state and central forces are doing much....We may not be able to do much about the centre but we can encourage our
naharol brethens to play a big part in making
Manipur strong economically and morally......................
In the same way that the
Japanese did with their ambition of building up their economy so that it could become equal or more with its western counterparts.
This move will automatically lead to a better understanding of each others
grievances in society and water down to bring improvements in other problems too.For example,infrastructure can develop if
business develops...leading to employment opportunities...and then betterment of educational facilities to decreased outflow of students and income and brain drain.Japan too sent its students outside for various technical and other specialization but the students returned to work for their country...therein lies the difference.....thus we have to ensure the huge population of
Manipuri students outside can consider returning to their homeland by providing good employment opportunities...............The other problems of corruption....drugs...AIDS.....etc.has to be dealt separately and a separate effective and
aggressive department for each must be established.The issue of obstacles in economic progress is yet incomplete.....i will
further keep publishing my opinion on various matters in following blogs.
So the above was a brief opinion on the path to realizing a new
Manipur.a revolution in its far reaching effects......and a dawn of new strong fearless
Manipur.