A new lens for an old land

Dr Raj Singh
Every society reaches a time when the familiar ways of seeing no longer help us understand the world around us. Manipur is at such a moment. Every day, we wake up to problems that seem old but feel heavier: youth unemployment, ethnic mistrust, political cynicism, crumbling public systems, civic apathy, and a slow erosion in our social ethics. Yet, beneath these visible ailments lies something deeper - an unexplored world of hidden opportunities, human ingenuity, and untapped collective strength.
This weekly column, “Beyond the Obvious,” every Sunday begins with a simple mission: to help us look where we have not looked, to see what we have ignored, and to think beyond what we have been conditioned to accept as normal.
Why Look Beyond the Obvious?
Because the obvious has failed us.
Because the obvious has trapped us.
Because the obvious explains everything and solves nothing.
In Manipur, we have mastered the art of rehearsing problems. We diagnose, debate, blame, defend, and moralize. But rarely do we pause to reinterpret. Rarely do we re-examine the underlying logic of our society. Rarely do we challenge the assumptions that shape our behaviour - from the way our roads function to the way our politics unfolds, from our competitive ethnic imagination to our everyday civic habits.
The columns that follow will delve into the unseen layers beneath the surface, drawing insights from social science, lived experiences, global practices, and the subtle wisdom that comes from paying attention to the ordinary.
The Manipuri Mind at a Crossroads
We Manipuris are proud, passionate, and emotionally invested in identity and homeland. That is our strength - and our weakness. Our patriotism often erupts before our pragmatism. Our emotions speak before our analysis. Our community loyalties overshadow our collective responsibilities. This column does not aim to dilute anyone’s patriotism; rather, it hopes to elevate it.
A truly patriotic society does not glorify its problems; it tackles them. It does not shout at its youths; it prepares them. It does not cling to old explanations; it asks new questions.
Youths today call themselves the “pillars of society.” But pillars must carry weight. Can a society move forward if its strongest pillars lack critical thinking, civic sense, or the mental stamina to question their own biases? Our ethnic divisions, political anxieties, and social disarray need more than passion - they demand clarity, courage, and curiosity.
Peeling the Layers of Our Collective Behaviour
In the coming weeks, this column will probe the patterns of our society - some amusing, some worrying, some deeply revealing. Why do our roads remain chaotic despite educated drivers? Why do our developmental hopes hang on politics rather than planning? Why do intelligent youths invest more energy in arguments than in innovation? Why do we distrust systems even while doing little to improve them? Why does every ethnic group claim victimhood, leaving no room for shared responsibility?
For example, what seems like a simple “traffic disorder” in Imphal may actually reveal deeper truths about public trust, rule internalization, community psychology, and state legitimacy. A wrong-way driver is not merely breaking a rule; he is expressing his relationship with authority, convenience, and societal expectations. Every tiny behaviour is data. Every chaos has a pattern. Every grievance has a hidden root.
“Beyond the Obvious” will unpack these unseen connections - not to accuse, but to reveal.
A Space for Thinkers, Skeptics and Dreamers
This column invites readers from every corner: the political scientist who studies power, the social scientist who studies people, the youth who dreams of a better Manipur, the activist who lives for change, the patriot who worries about the land, and the ordinary citizen who simply wants a decent life.
Here, you will find commentary that is clear yet complex, simple yet deep, provocative yet hopeful. I will not always give you answers. Sometimes I will offer questions that sting. Sometimes I will narrate stories that shake your assumptions. Sometimes I will present global examples that make us look at our own backyard. But always, I will write with one purpose: to push us as a society to think harder, deeper, and more honestly about ourselves.
What This Column Will Not Do
It will not preach from a pedestal.
It will not indulge in political flattery.
It will not repeat what everyone already knows.
It will not trade in easy anger.
This column will not take sides, but it will take positions.
It will not shout, but it will disturb your comfort.
It will not accuse, but it will analyze without fear.
It will not glorify our suffering, but it will reveal what sustains it.
If we want Manipur to change, we must first change the way we look at Manipur.
The Hidden Treasure of Manipur: Our Untapped Minds
We are a small state with a big reservoir of talent. Manipuris succeed across the world - in technology, sports, medicine, fine arts, governance, entrepreneurship, and research. But our land remains underdeveloped not because our people lack brilliance, but because we collectively lack systems that reward brilliance.
Why do we treat merit as a private achievement rather than a shared asset?
Why does our society celebrate talent only after it leaves home?
Why do we fear new ideas unless they come from somewhere else?
Manipur’s greatest resource is not oil beneath the soil or minerals in the hills - it is the thinking mind of its people. Yet this treasure remains underused because we are trapped in old narratives, old grievances, and old mental templates.
“Beyond the Obvious” is a weekly invitation to unlock this treasure.
A Harbinger of Conversations to Come
In the weeks ahead, expect columns that will explore themes such as:
- The psychology behind ethnic mistrust
- Why the brightest youths feel the state has no space for them
- How corruption survives through social acceptance
- How emotional patriotism can transform into civic patriotism
- Why rule-breaking is a cultural habit, not a personal defect
- How our smallness can be our biggest strategic advantage, and more….
Each column will peel one layer of our collective behaviour. Each will challenge something you have taken for granted. Each will widen your intellectual horizon - sometimes gently, sometimes sharply.
In Closing: An Invitation
Manipur needs not just peace, but perspective.
Not just development, but discipline.
Not just identity, but imagination.
Not just opinions, but wisdom.
This is my invitation to you, dear reader: walk with me every Sunday. Bring your doubts, your anger, your curiosity, your disagreements, and your aspirations. Let us probe, argue, learn, reflect, and reimagine together. If Manipur is trapped today, it is not because we lack strength - but because we have not fully used the strength of our minds.
“Beyond the Obvious” is not just a column.
It is a journey towards a new civic consciousness.
A journey to re-understand who we are - and how we can be better.
Let us begin.