Langmei VA
IMPHAL, May 24: The Langmei (Ritiang/Chiang) VA has decided to take step against any threat to DIET, Tamei Headquarters. A statement issued by the chairman of Langmei VA, P Lungpadbow also appealed the DIET, Tamei and the students to discharge their duty .....
Govt signs MoU with UPPK
IMPHAL, May 24: A home-coming ceremony of UPPK leaders and cadres was held today at 1st MR banquet hall during which a tripartite Me-morandum of Understanding was signed between the outfit, Government of Manipur and Government of India. Chief Minister .....
Muivah states stand to titular king
IMPHAL, May 24: “Nagas and Meiteis should decide for their own future and our future will be the outcome of this de-cision”, stated NSCN-IM Ato Kilonser Thuingaleng Muivah during a meeting with titular king Leishemba Sanajaoba at Hebron, Dimapur. .....
N/East Mt Everest Expedition ends
IMPHAL, May 24: With the successful summit to Mt Eve-rest by Manish Deka from Assam today at 5.45am, the record setting 1st NE India Mt Everest Expedition came to an end. The total number of successful Everesters from the expedition team stands at 11......
Ukhrul protest
UKHRUL, May 24: More than 1500 Anganwadi Workers and Helpers staged sit in protest at Ukhrul Mini Secretariat Complex today demand- ing payment of their pending twelve months honorarium. Later in the afternoon, a memorandum addressed to the Minister o.....
Flaws in Govt's Agri policy
IMPHAL, May 24: At a time when the Government of India is putting in serious effort to develop agriculture and allied sectors by pumping in additional fund, the State Government is currently pain-ting a contrasting picture. According to an official sou.....
KNF officer shot dead
IMPHAL, May 24: Comman-ding officer of KNF’s Ebenezer Camp HS Shanty Kipgen was shot dead by some unidentified persons at around 10 pm of May 23. Some 7/8 unidentified persons came to the house one Bimola located just beside Fo-rest Beat Office near.....
Fund boost to Mary's goal
NEW DELHI, May 24: The sports ministry has given in-principle approval for a grant of Rs 309.56 lakh to Olympic medallist Mary Kom's Regional Boxing Foundation at Imphal for construction of a gymnasium hall and procurement of equipments. The grant, to .....
Parents' body
IMPHAL, May 24: Close on the heels of 15 school children collapsing inside an overcrowded school van yesterday, All Manipur Guardian Stuents Organisation (AMSGO) has demanded that strict instruction be given by Education Minister to van drivers not to cra.....
Cultural prog
IMPHAL, May 24: A one day cultural and musical exchange programme was held today at Senapati Public Ground under the aegis of Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) and Kuki Students’ Organisa-tion, Sadar Hills (KSO-SH). The programme held .....
Centre naive on NH protection force plan
IMPHAL, May 24: Despite continuous demand from va-rious sections for deployment of highway protection force (HPF) to ensure safe passage of vehicle operators and pas-sengers along the national highways connecting Manipur to other parts of the country, the.....
Screening for Cervical Cancer
By Dr BabinaThangjam When Ashangbi Devi (name changed) started having regular bouts of back pain and watery vaginal discharge, she instinctively knew something was not right.She started experiencing all thesemany years after her menopause and at first, s.....
“Go for gospel music”
By Rev L Simon Raomai Rock music is in the air virtually everywhere today. It is a captivate music culture which originated from western world. It is popularized from packed sports arena to advertisements that peddle everything from movie sound tracks an.....
Traditional healing methods with special reference to Manipur
By Dr K Paochunbou (Contd from previous issue) But Scientists know that the bitter taste is caused by a toxin- “tetracyclic trieterpenoid cucurbitacin compound” and such toxin can cause vomiting of blood, severe diarrhoea, severe ulcers, fatal, st.....
School vans : Packed like sardines The wake up call
It did not end in a disaster. A providential escape ? Whatever, the warning cannot and should not be ignored. Packed like sardines in a can. This is perhaps the closest description of school vans all over Imphal and the other towns of Manipur, like Churac.....
KKSDDA warns
IMPHAL, May 24: Highlighting the scores of inconveniences faced by the people of Kasom Khullen Subdivision due to prolonged absence of responsible SDO/BDO and delayed in inauguration of the new office building, the Kasom Khullen Subdivision Development As.....
Successful candidates congratulated
IMPHAL, May 24: The Thoubal Police has congratulated Kshetrimayum Thoithoinganba Meitei s/o Ksh Rajen Singh and Sougrakpam (N) Ksh (O) Nonibala Devi of Thoubal Nongangkhong who secured the 8th position in the HSLC Exam 2013 conducted by the BSEM. A sta.....
KSO reprimands Cdl NRHM
IMPHAL, May 24: Expressing discontentment over the conduct of perfunctory three-day health mela at Joupi village in Khengjoy subdivision from May 17-19 by the NRHM Chandel, the Kuki Students' Organisation played down the health mela saying it was done onl.....
Two UG cadres nabbed
IMPHAL, May 24: A PREPAK cadre reportedly with several criminal records was arrested by a combined team of Thoubal police commandos and 6 Dogra today around 4.10 pm while conducting a search operation at Pallel Bazar. Identifying the arrested PREPAK ca.....
AITSA for change of leadership in Govt
IMPHAL, May 24: The All India Tribal Students’ Association Delhi (AITSA) and the Mongoloid Peoples Forum (MPF), Delhi, expressing apprehension on the virtual lack of sensitivity and the decaying secular character of the State Government, urged the Con.....
Manipur Masala
By : Sanatombi Angomcha
Never too late to stop racism
I do not deny that racism exists in every corner of India; I do not even deny the very fact that in Loitam Richard’s case, the college authorities and the concerned department are tackling the issue with a racial attitude. However, my counter question is why they should have the will to resolve the case when our State Government is least bothered about it? We were shocked to read that our Government had contacted their Karnataka counterparts and their diabolical lies. How can we dare to blame others when our own Government is careless, unreliable and grossly irresponsible? Richard’s case is just another mundane murder case that can be left safely covered up, so the Government think. Is the notoriously-short public memory the government’s best weapon? The fight for justice has been reduced to a pathetic farce. The Government is supposedly prepared to lose more Richards in the future. But we should not give them the chance.
Now, can our collective voice against racism fight this cause? We pray – racism or not – Richard’s murderers must be sent to jail and must be given the most fitting punishment. But what do we want to prove when we admit the existence of racism everywhere? Will there be an anti-racism law, especially for the Northeast? In any case, will it give solace to Richard’s departed soul? Will it really end the era of racial discrimination and profiling against the Northeast people? These are a few open questions that are more bewildering than the law against racism, which some scholars have pointed out that it has taken an institutional form.
Our first priority is to drag our State Government out of its Delhi-dreaming slumber and ask them to get involved in this issue. Let there be more pressure groups. Let there be a one-goal focus from all corners. This is one way to fight the justice for Richard. And in general cases, we should not let our crummy egos and arrogance interfere in our fight against racism and injustice. And yes, we should also stop being mute spectators and mere commentators affluent with free comments. If you feed the troll, it gets more energy of trolling people around it. Let us first stop feeding the trolls. Let us also be a little bit more practical. It would take many years, for example, to pass an anti-racism Bill in this country. We should not waste our time feeding racism and making it a redundant topic that the public memory would get the better of. There is also a bigger problem in us having a facial look which is un-India in a country where the society is structured on caste system. Then we have a larger mission to fight the prejudices of the mainland people against us without negative emotions.
If we accept racism in this country, we become the law un-abiding citizens, because we are admitting to a view, which the government does not. If we deny it, we are nevertheless not different. If you want your voices to be heard, have the guts to drag out your own MLAs or political leaders from your very kendra. Ask them to join the fight in a politically-correct, though restless approach. Seek suggestions from the law makers and keepers. Yelling on social networking sites as keyboard warriors, hammering keyboards to discuss issues, displaying our arrogant badges to others – all of these are so damn pestering. Most importantly we should leave our attitude at home and flush it down somewhere before we commit ourselves to a cause. We should not take the advantage of playing the lead roles of a particular cause, if not in some extreme conditions. One may fathom himself/herself as the hero for a cause, but the ugly truth is s/he often gets tagged as a zero in other’s view. Precisely this is a textbook case of the utter failure of leaders and the lack of real leaders in Manipur.
We should not accept racism, in its raw toleration, because by accepting it we are indirectly providing legitimacy to its very practice in the society. But we should accept it and know the problems inherent in this barbaric social mores. Especially in a not so fascinating country like ours, there are many grave issues that need our attention. As compared to mainlanders, we the people from the Northeast have many things to be proud of. This statement is not about claiming superiority, but that we have a reason which the mainland people should know, we are not the children of lesser god, and that we have a lesson to teach the insensitive India. It is never too late to give up prejudices.
ibomcha
ur writing is so pointed that i pierces my heart n hope so will do to others who are sleeping with their eyes opening wide.
Anonymous
The author's take is different and the message is sharp too.
