Time, life and self-reflection: A bicentennial reflection for Manipur

Dr Abul Khair Choudhury (Moijing Mayum)
Time is often misunderstood as a mere sequence of hours and days, a mechanical ticking of the clock that pushes us from one calendar year to the next. However, the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” This profound wisdom reminds us that time is not just a measurement; it is a witness to our constant evolution.
As we step into 2026, we are not merely flipping a page on the calendar. We are standing at a profound historical intersection. For the people of Manipur, this year holds a silent but powerful resonance. It marks exactly two centuries since the conclusion of the Chahi Taret Khuntakpa (The Seven Years Devastation), which ended in 1826.
If history is a teacher, then 1826 was the year our ancestors—Meiteis, Pan-gals, and hill communities alike— emerged from the darkness of dispersion. Today, 200 years later, the wheel of time has turned full circle. We find ourselves asking the same existential questions. As the poet Rumi once said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” We must ask: Will this current crisis be the wound that destroys us, or the one that lets the light of wisdom enter ?
The Philosophy of Introspection
In the rush to embrace the New Year, we often indulge in celebration but neglect introspection. Socrates, the father of philosophy, declared that “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Yet, we rarely hold a mirror to our own souls. We are quick to analyze the politics of the land and the faults of our neighbors, but we ignore the erosion of our own moral compass.
The great tragedy of our current times is not just the conflict around us, but the stagnation within us. A society that stops looking inward ceases to grow; it merely ages. If our time is spent in nurturing grievances rather than cultivating wisdom, we are in a state of loss.
Resilience: The Lesson from ‘Thainagi Leirang’
However, there is hope. The Meitei civilization has weathered storms far more ferocious than the one we witness today. History stands testimony that this community has endured existential crises, yet every time, it has risen like a phoenix.
The legendary Manipuri poet Khwairakpam Chaoba Singh, in his quest for the ‘Thainagi Leirang’ (The Ancient Flower), once lamented the fading of our past glory. Yet, his poetry was never about despair; it was a call to revive that lost fragrance. It was the profound depth of the Meitei civilization—rooted in traditional education, elevated consciousness, and an ethos of love—that reconstructed Kangleipak into a beacon of the region in the past.
Historian Arnold J Toynbee noted that civilizations rise not by resting, but by responding to challenges. This land is sacred; it is a soil where humanism has historically always triumphed over hatred.
A ‘Manipur First’ Future
We harbor a profound hope that the inclusive philosophy of “Manipur First” will emerge as the true gift of this New Year. By embracing this policy, we can defeat the rigid ideologies of radicalism. As Martin Luther King Jr said, “Darkness cannot drive out dark- ness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” The resilience that rebuilt this land before is the same force that will ensure a prosperous, united future again.
Conclusion
A philosophical approach to the New Year demands that we view the “Future” not as a place we are going to, but as a place we are creating. The children of Manipur do not inherit the land; they inherit the consequences of our choices.
As 2026 begins, let us move beyond superficial greetings. Let this bicen- tennial of our survival be the year we decide that the cycle of devastation ends with us. Time will pass, indifferent to our struggles. The sun will rise over the Kangla and set over the Barak regardless of our strife. But it is up to us to decide whether the time given to us will be remembered as an era of lost opportunities or the age of a Great Healing. Let us stop trying to conquer time, and instead, try to conquer the animosity within ourselves.