Ethnic strife in Manipur - The reality we all endure so far
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Dr Ranbir Laishram
Amid ongoing ethnic strife for months
What one sees today -
Strife -torn deserted villages and ghost towns
Buffer zones guarded by armed forces
Hilltops decorated by bunkers and guerrillas
Whereas, a lonely dog stands and whines all night in a buffer zone in search of his master
Amid humanitarian crisis and combined forces brutality
And chaos in every sphere of life
We see relief camps and pre-fabricated houses sheltering thousands of people
Who are displaced in their own homeland
With untold stories of grief and deficiencies
And people and indomitable 'Meira Paibis' safeguarding the integrity of our Homeland
Gone are the days of co-existence
Mistrust,hatred,greed and hunger for power
Claiming the Earth as their own
And usurped power from the rest
Are the qualities of some people
The state's lifelines are no more lifeline
The nine hill ranges don't protect us
No more green forest decorates the hills
A different flower blooms at the hill slopes
Once a peaceful land with scenic beauty
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru coined the word 'Jewel of India' for Manipur
Decades of living together in peace and harmony
No more a fast-flowing river, or glittering lake now
We can't protect the green valley
We can't preserve the paddy fields
Can't preserve the lake, wetland and river
Can't preserve the holy shrines and the reserved forest areas
Despite gunshots and evidences of gratuitous hatred everyday
Our political elders say -
Peace has returned to our homeland
Do we have a leader now
With a different mindset and vision ?
Amid ongoing ethnic strife for months
What one sees today -
Strife -torn deserted villages and ghost towns
Buffer zones guarded by armed forces
Hilltops decorated by bunkers and guerrillas
Whereas, a lonely dog stands and whines all night in a buffer zone in search of his master
Amid humanitarian crisis and combined forces brutality
And chaos in every sphere of life
We see relief camps and pre-fabricated houses sheltering thousands of people
Who are displaced in their own homeland
With untold stories of grief and deficiencies
And people and indomitable 'Meira Paibis' safeguarding the integrity of our Homeland
Gone are the days of co-existence
Mistrust,hatred,greed and hunger for power
Claiming the Earth as their own
And usurped power from the rest
Are the qualities of some people
The state's lifelines are no more lifeline
The nine hill ranges don't protect us
No more green forest decorates the hills
A different flower blooms at the hill slopes
Once a peaceful land with scenic beauty
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru coined the word 'Jewel of India' for Manipur
Decades of living together in peace and harmony
No more a fast-flowing river, or glittering lake now
We can't protect the green valley
We can't preserve the paddy fields
Can't preserve the lake, wetland and river
Can't preserve the holy shrines and the reserved forest areas
Despite gunshots and evidences of gratuitous hatred everyday
Our political elders say -
Peace has returned to our homeland
Do we have a leader now
With a different mindset and vision ?