When communities choose peace : A constructive path toward lasting peace

Chongboi Haokip, MCIHort
Something extraordinary happened in Manipur recently. In the face of violence that could have rekindled communal unrest, communities made a different choice. They chose restraint over retaliation. They chose unity over division, and dialogue over destruction. This wasn’t weakness — it was strength. It marked a turning point in a State that has known too much suffering.
Our case study - Leaders from the Meitei community and Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) showed responsible leadership through dialogue. They proved their care for our land, our people, and future generations means sitting down to talk, even when emotions run high. For sure, in a civilised society, especially in the modern era, dialogue isn’t just preferable–it’s essential for normal people but shouldn’t be taken for granted. How lovely to see the community leaders’ actions affirm rejection of violence, strengthen fragile trust, and reduce space for division!
When communities refuse provocation and choose dialogue, restraint, and collective care, they open the door to peace. And peace is what this torn State desperately needs.
The Transformative Power of Dialogue
Something profound happens when leaders from different communities sit together with good intentions. The ‘other’ becomes a neighbour, a friend and a brother. Threats dissolve into shared concerns. The recent dialogue between Meitei and Thadou leadership proves that even when faced with provocations designed to restart violence, human beings retain the remarkable capacity to choose understanding over animosity.
This choice carries immense weight. Every conversation held prevents a potential confrontation. Every agreement reached saves lives. Every handshake offered across ethnic lines becomes a model for the next generation. Children who watch their elders choose dialogue learn a powerful lesson : conflict need not be permanent. Solutions exist beyond violence.
The recent meeting in Imphal required exceptional courage. It took place against a backdrop of violence specifically engineered to derail peace efforts. Those who orchestrated this violence calculated that fear would override reason, that dialogue would become impossible. They were wrong. Their violent gambit backfired spectacularly. The dialogue between leaders brought calmness and reassurance to peace-loving people throughout Manipur, strengthening public confidence in peace efforts.
We grow more considerate toward others-if we have time to ponder deeply on the value of peace. A fundamental truth in Mahatma Gandhi’s quote “There is no way to peace; peace is the way.” We have a choice to choose peace as the path to safeguard us in our daily lives, and that also through dialogue. Peace is made in countless small moments of choosing connection over conflict.
Justice and Healing - Honouring Every Life Lost
Would you agree with me – this conflict has caused devastating loss across all communities ? Every life matters, irrespective of the ethnic lines that a person belongs to. It is an honour to a precious human life whom God has created in His own image, not merely a symbol or statistic, as there is a big emptiness for the families who lost their loved ones. Empathy across ethnic lines is humane. Many thoughtful people share grief regardless of community affiliation, as they understand that life is precious, that every loss matters equally, and that all grief is valid.
Healing is a complex process. Justice contributes to consolation and closure. Let us be clear that every victim deserves justice, not revenge - as it is not positive. Genuine justice rests on truth, accountability and closure, and we should move on, as life is too short to dwell in misery. Justice should support healing across communities and reject revenge. Revenge offers no positive closure and restores nothing.
Some think I don’t feel the pain of those who died horribly in this conflict. That’s their opinion, one I cannot change. But let me share my own experience. My family and I lost our home and everything inside it, reduced to ashes. Through my personal loss, I clearly witnessed that revenge brings no joy and restores nothing. I have forgiven those responsible and pray for them instead. Through this process, I have found positive closure and moved forward, regaining my joy again. I pray they shun violence, seek genuine repentance, begin new lives and share their personal testimonies, impacting lives positively.
In Manipur, we need courage, accountability, and commitment to truth, justice, and empathy - to achieve lasting peace. Healing depends on dialogue and mutual compassion across ethnic lines – it is achievable with a positive mindset!
Aspirations Without Violence - Building the Future Our Children Deserve
Everyone, or any ethnic community or the community as a whole, can have valid aspirations for dignity and progress. If these goals are achieved through democratic means, dialogue, and peaceful approaches, it can be a meaningful one within the law. However, the very future we seek and isolate ourselves from the broader community, when it is through violence.
Terror brings nothing but suffering. The most affected ones are usually the innocent lives, traumatising people, especially children. Livelihoods are sabotaged, and neighbours are turned into enemies. Retaliation is easily done without any second thoughts and creates cycles of violence that consume generations. Communities that accept terror harm their own people. They silence good voices and risk being blamed as a whole. Short-term tactics cost children their future and fail to create lasting solutions.
Let us celebrate life, reject terror in all its forms, and value peace during conflict. Protecting children from trauma, supporting safe communities, sustainable livelihoods, and dialogue is paramount. We need to condemn violence without exception.
As Gandhi’s timeless wisdom quote reminds us, ‘Non-violence is a weapon of the strong’ it takes no courage to attack the defenceless with bombs or bullets whatsoever. True strength lies in choosing restraint when anger burns hot, in extending dialogue when provocation tempts retaliation, and in protecting neighbours when violence would be easier.
From Understanding to Action - A Practical Pathway Forward
The understanding between the Meitei and Thadou communities deserves appreciation from all peace-loving citizens. It’s an honourable development on humane grounds. Achieving lasting peace requires both understanding and concrete action.
Priority actions - regular dialogue between leaders, joint committees to investigate incidents transparently, and truth and reconciliation forums to provide platforms for victims to share their experiences and seek justice.
Shared action focused on calm, verification, and unified messaging is important for responding to violence. Show empathy for all victims across ethnic lines on humanitarian grounds. We should deny space to those who exploit events to create division and terror in society, as they bring harm to our society.
Let us encourage cultural exchange and community dialogue to build trust. Support victims through counselling, economic aid, and public recognition without ethnic bias.
We need responsible media that reports honestly, community early warning systems and fair justice that serves everyone equally. We should invest in shared neighbourhoods and permanent interethnic institutions that benefit all of Manipuri society. Let us promote inclusive economic growth, so every community advances through peace, not conflict.
Every Citizen a Peacebuilder - Our Collective Responsibility
Leaders don’t build peace alone. The public’s restrained response to recent provocative violence demonstrates this truth powerfully. Every decent Manipuri plays a role in creating peace.
Parents shape peace by teaching children to see humanity before ethnicity, to empathise with suffering regardless of its source. Business owners shape peace by hiring across community lines. Religious leaders shape peace by emphasising shared values and honouring all victims equally. Journalists shape peace by reporting honestly about violence from all sides, without bias.
The Thadou community leaders and their Meitei counterparts demonstrate what citizen-level peacebuilding looks like. This is the way forward on humane grounds !
Reflection and Resolve - What Manipur Has Shown Us
Manipur holds deep wounds. Every victim deserves justice and remembrance. Every community deserves truth. Honest reckoning supports lasting peace. We seek healing not just for present well-being but for future generations, so children inherit closure and hope instead of cycles of revenge. Manipur deserves an end to this conflict. The meeting between Meitei and Thadou leaders, held despite violence, demonstrates that peaceful alternatives exist. The calm public response reflects a collective choice for wisdom over rage.
Children in Manipur deserve education, not survival. Families need economic opportunity beyond ethnic lines. Calm responses under provocation show the strength of non-violence.
Peace grows through daily choices to reject violence, honour all victims, pursue fair justice, and protect one another. Manipur has started this path - the future depends on peace, empathy, justice, and unity!
As Scripture reminds us ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NIV). God works in mysterious ways, and His timing is always perfect. Let us continue to pray for peace and harmony in Manipur, and let us act in ways that answer those prayers.
Statement: I do not support illicit poppy cultivation. I support sustainable alternatives that strengthen society and help affected farmers in Manipur. I stand firmly behind the Manipur Government’s  ‘War on Drugs’ campaign. As a strong, united community, we must work alongside government agencies that are helping farmers abandon illegal poppy farming. We, the people of Manipur, can eliminate unlawful poppy cultivation through collective effort. I call upon the entire Manipur community to unite as one team in this fight against illegal cultivation of poppy, working together to create sustainable livelihoods and a healthier future for all.
About the author: Chongboi Haokip, MCIHort, is an international development consul- tant specialising in agriculture, horticulture, trade facilitation and sustainable development. Join me on X @ChongboiUK and on Instagram @chongboiuk.