What must Ibobi be thinking ?

‘If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.’
Mother Teresa “Anyway”

I read these words. I muse. I ponder. And I get answers to the question, “What must Ibobi be thinking?”

Before we even begin to think about that I must share this petty incident that happened just the other day which made me to think about the plight of the most important man in Manipur, whom I shall call by the name Mr. Chief Minister. I get loads of e-mails from people who read my columns and I regard them as very important as this is the only means of keeping in touch with my readers. Some of them send me their good wishes, some of them ask me questions relating to my article, there are few who want to know more about me, personally, few who want to share with me the vision they have for Manipur and still few who communicate their desire that I begin to write about the core issues in our state, issues which as per their judgment are most important. I try and reply to each e-mail that’s been written to me trying to do justice to the faith people have placed onto me to be able to reply to their different questions. There was one man who lacked the grace and the tact when he tried to dictate what topics I should be writing on! I lost the humour in me which I generally carry everywhere. His language and his arrogance infuriated me. You can call it one of those instances in life where you face aggression and aggression in an area as private as your belief, value system and your choices. And what do you do in that situation- you throw caution into the air, stand up for what you believe in and hope that luck and your god sides you! That’s exactly what I found my self do that day.

I wrote to him, “ Mr. XYZ, it’s most encouraging to get your letter and I feel happy that you have been very clear about what you expect me to write on. However, I must also share with you that I am not a political analyst, a defense strategist or a journalist/reporter that I would want to write on the political topics you have mentioned. I am a story writer, someone, who through her stories want to bring some elements in our thought process-of love, friendship, comradeship, companionship, belief in God, courage and valor, hard work and dedication, success and prosperity, development, the feeling of excelling in your domain among other things.”

I thought that was the end of it.

The mails that ensued were astounding. He wanted to know why I turned out to be just an ordinary girl and not someone who could further their cause through my words! The discussions he started were annoying, baseless, illogical, arrogant and dominating. I stopped all communication as I deemed it ‘pointless’ by then. I refused to toe the line. Since then I have come across several people who try and force me to write on subjects they seem to have decided in their minds are topics I should be writing on!!! They have tried their best to intimidate me. I want to keep the dignity of the person I am and I shy away from any such confrontation. At the end of the day you can’t please everyone, can you? I take life with a pinch of salt. That I suppose is my maturity, my strength, perhaps my upbringing.

I must remember to tell you what this man did. He wrote things about me on a social networking site questioning my integrity, my identity and my intentions. For those who don’t know me as a person might have even gone ahead to believe him. For those who know me, know me. To be honest, I wasn’t a bit annoyed because by that stage, I had transcended to something broader. I was at a point of realization. And I realized that we, the people of Manipur, are the main stumbling block in our own progress. Instead of ripping apart someone counting all the faults and weaknesses in them, of going all out to destroy them, literally or figuratively, it would have been more progressive if we had invested in supporting them, encouraging them, perhaps even following them. This man and what he attempted to do to me is an extension of the undercurrent we carry in our minds.

Can we try and take inspiration from others and do our own bit for the collective progress of our homeland rather than organize collective destructive , negative and offensive vibes. Can we have some grace and humour in the way we see others and overlook weaknesses and shortcomings in our thought leaders, bureaucrats and our politicians and for that matter our immediate bosses at work? Can we for the time being cease to see ourselves as the leader and for once, get up to follow someone? Can we be meek and believe that it takes more courage and insight to follow sometimes than to lead?

I heard many people I know talk about how Mr. CM has developed ‘Thoubal’ and how the roads look like one in Bangalore and how the bazaar has been transformed. I was about to give an exclamation of delight, hearing the kind of development a part of my state was seeing, when I heard the remaining part of the conversation. People say he is just focusing on the development of the Thoubal district because he wants to ensure the ballot. I heard how Mr CM supposedly abandoned his people during the crisis of the economic blockade to go to Japan with his family on a vacation and I heard about the wrath of the people, the curses that flowed and ultimately, the question of his loyalty to his own people. How must it feel for this man, the most important man in Manipur to have newspapers carry articles of his effigies being burnt by people to then go outside the state and brush shoulders with other political leaders in the country and then talk about his plans for the development of the state? Would it not embarrass you and me, had we been in his position? What keeps this man going with just few hours of sleep in a day much lesser than what we enjoy, I am certain? How must it feel to be Mr CM of a ‘thankless’ community? What must motivate this man everyday when he walks into his chamber and sits on his chair and think of the future of his State?

To be honest with you, I respect this man who holds the chair of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of our state not only for the person he is, but also for not being the person he could have been, like the previous Chief Ministers we have seen in the past. I respect him and believe he has been a good Chief Minister for several reasons. He maintains his humility in public (and that’s what should matter), he has been the only CM who has brought some semblance of development in the State and some hope, thirdly he has the courage to face all the problems afflicting the state in the severest circumstances, fourthly, he has developed Thoubal very well and I think no one should mind that because that’s his district and a part of our state. But most of all Mr CM wins my respect for having completed two terms in office. He may have his weak points, but then tell me of a person who doesn’t? A senior government officer tells me that Mr. CM’s daughter got married to a police driver’s son in a simple ceremony which gave me a good impression that he is not one to believe in pomp and show as well as someone who would enter into a marital alliance in political interest.

We lambaste our Chief Minister, we lambaste our government, we lambaste the authority over us, we wish he had done this and done that and not what he did, we wish things had been planned and executed exactly as we believed it would work! If only we knew that building something would have been a lot easier if the brothers in the house were not at ‘lock-horns’ with each other. If only we gave our leadership some understanding, some support and encouragement to do their work and fulfil their responsibilities. Do we really think that corruption was born in just Manipur and that other governments in the country or for that matter in the world don’t have corruption. How do people live there? I believe the solution needn’t necessarily be ‘macro’. I suggest the solution is ‘micro’ when we would attempt to change our own perspective and change from someone who argues and is unagreeable to someone who is supportive and encouraging. Can we stop resisting and instead give way to a new us?

We have tried criticism this long, can we try encouragement now?

I need to get some coffee. It’s been four hours I have been sitting here on my system which needs a break as much as I do. I get up and walk to the kitchen but I have a question before I leave.

What must Ibobi be thinking?

The writer works in an IT Consultancy in Bangalore as a HR Manager and she can be reached at urmila.chanam@gmail.com

15-Jan-2012 / 01:41 AM / Urmila Chanam / 4 Comments