The law of Karma and Manipur

Kongbrailatpam Rajeshwar Sharma
Violence and protests have been the rhythm of life in Manipur. It would not be an exaggeration to say not a single day has passed without reports of arsons, killings, arrests of drug traffickers, economic bloc- kades, sit-in protests and rallies. Newspaper headlines are loud with the wails of widows and mothers that drown the noises of the false promises of the so called Ministers. The crocodile tears of the Ministers and the political leaders can no longer put out the fire of anger and frustration that burns in the heart of every Manipuri.
The brutal killings of the six innocent Nagas and the burning down of houses at Kanto Sabal right under the nose of the security forces and the army suggest that there is no will either on the part of the Government or the perpetrators to end the violence in Manipur. The violent incidents we have seen since the 3rd of May 2023 in Manipur are either due to the decisions of the Government to allow them to happen or the lack of will to stop the violence. It all happened to the contrary of what is expected from the Government as well as the para-military forces that are deployed widely in the State. It is high time the brave jawans realized that they are morally and legally duty bound to protect the lives and properties of the people.
Here one cannot help but wonder why the Government that destroyed terrorist infra-structure in Pakistan immediately after the Pahalgam attack last year remains as a silent spectator in Manipur let alone destroy the terror-network in the hills of Manipur. The Indian armed forces with their vast intelligence network know who is who and their activities in both the hills and valley of Manipur. They are capable of cleansing the State of terrorists provided that the green signal is given from Delhi. Unfortunately Delhi does not even bother to discuss about the violence in Manipur in the Parliament. It is only a matter of choice whether the Government should take decisive action to end the violence in the State or not. Reducing the armed forces to mere scarecrows would be tantamount to making a mockery of them. Let the armed forces prove their mettle in Manipur too.
The present pathetic state of the people in Manipur is the Karmic results of more than five decades of neglect and misrules by Governments of political parties of every hue – palm, cycle, lotus, etc. The mainland media did not even bother to report about the North East. And the so called National leaders were obli- vious of Manipur. “India’s North East remains a peripheral area drawing atten- tion only when violence erupts, when massacres, riots, curfews and agitations spiral out of control”, writes Sanjoy Hazarika in his book Strangers of the Mist. The years of misrules are punctuated by President’s Rules which are no better than the misrules of the Netas and Babus who cannot see beyond their families and friends. The burden of the misrules of several Govts is further exerted upon the people with the heavy, cruel hands of AFSPA that destroyed people like a monster. The Karma of neglect and misrule has been piled up year after year like the volcano that builds up beneath the surface of the earth. And the people of Manipur are not only paying the price for it, but they are also facing the heat of the eruption.
According to Hinduism or rather Vedantic literature, the principle of cause and effect is known as the law of Karma. The word Karma comes from the Sanskrit verb Kr which means to do or to act. It is therefore the Noun form of Kr. In other words, Karma means action. But Karma has a wider meaning. Besides physical action, it also encompasses mental action that can be either thought or intention. Good and bad intentions are Karmic actions. A good Karma is an action which is done with good intention. On the other hand, a bad Karma is performed with bad intention. According to the law of Karma, there are two kinds of action – good action or good Karma and bad action or bad Karma. A good Karma gets good results and a bad Karma gives bad results. This is where the law of Karma is different from Newton’s third law of motion which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. But the law of Karma is exclusively meant for human actions which have good result or bad result rather than equal and opposite reaction or result.
The principle of cause and effect is universal. So is the law of Karma. It can be seen everywhere. Manipur is no exception to it. The violence and turmoil that we face today in Manipur is the Karmic result of the absence of visionary leaders and the misdeeds of political leaders who ruled the State in the second half of the last century. In other words, what one sees today in Manipur is the result of lack of vision among the political leaders and the administrators. They are not far sighted. As for instance, had there been fencing along the Manipur–Myanmar border, there would have been neither illegal immigrants nor drug trafficking.
If every remote corner of Manipur had been connected with a network of roads and railway lines, there would have been vibrant economic activities among all the communities in the State. As a result they would have realized how inter-dependent they are. Instead of annihilating each other, they would have cooperated in order to grow their business, for economic cooperation not only brings progress and development but it also brings peace. It also unites people because no business partners kill each other but they help each other. Moreover they reach out to the people in order to expand their market.
If schools, colleges and universities of high standards were there in Manipur, there would be no political turmoil or social unrest. Barring a few students, mass copying at every school and college examination has been a normal practice in the State. Thus colleges and universities have become factories that produce worthless degrees. As a result of the absence of quality education, mediocrity runs the show in Manipur. Mediocrity kills meritocracy and breeds unemployment and corruption. If meritocracy had been allowed to prevail across the State, corruption and nepotism could not have shown their ugly, shameless faces. These two shameless faces are the mother of all crises in the State–unemployment, militancy and extortion. Lack of vision among the political leaders is the result of mediocrity. So is the misuse of power which is manifested in the forms of bribery, nepotism and favo-ritism. These have made the people pay a heavy price as a Karmic result of bad Karma of their leaders.
A political leader is like the captain of a ship or an airliner. His action or Kar-ma depends on his choice or decision he takes through his own free will. His Kar-mic actions have far rea- ching impact on the lives of millions of people in his State or country. And the burden of responsibility and accountability of his action or bad Karma always lies on him.
As every one of us is trapped in the cycle of birth and death according to his Karma, political leaders are also bound to the Karmic results of their own acts of omission and commission. Sooner or later the political leaders as well as the bureaucrats (including army and para-military officers) will also be caught up by the Karmic results of their past bad or good Karma as the age-old proverb says “As you sow, so shall you reap”. Time not only heals the wounds but it also rewards the good and pu- nishes the wrong doers no matter how powerful they are. This is what the Hindus call the law of Karma.