Shaping a shared destiny for the people of Northeast and Manipur's Role in it

Nongdrei Khuman

The people inhabiting the Northeast region is strategically very important place in ASia. It is to the Southwest of China and Northeast of India, the two bigold civilisations competing for their respective places under the sun following long period of imperial rule and destruction. Encircled by Bangladesh with high density population looking for demographic safety valve on the Western side and billion plus Mayang population
of the rest of the country, Northeast regions's rich biodiversity and environmental conditions is now one of the best place to live in the world. Green Northeast is the way our developmental policy should promote.

From problems created by geopolitical location and the ethnic diversity and so on, this place on earth have no shared vision. And this is the main problem of our people. We have people who can die for their respective tribes/ethnic groups. They want to safeguard their territory (villages inhabited by their fellow tribal) and work for the betterment of their lots. Other groups are running a "Family of Tribes" and have been facing all sorts of problems now trying to make the united stand intact with internal factionalism marring the political aspirations. Those who want to create a better future for their respective tribes/ethnic groups are not necessary the threats to a shared vision and shared destiny of the people in the region. Their interests can go hand in hand by managing well the contradictions from time to time.

Another section of the people inhabiting Northeast is those who are worried about their respective tribes/ethnic groups and at the same time want to shape a better common future for the people living
in this space called northeast (of India). They have to play their constructive role in finding and fighting for a shared destiny by spreading the ideas of a shared vision that awaits us all.

Another section who could think beyond the politics of SoO, Ceasefire or No-talks can see the future that lie ahead for the people of this region taking into consideration the global changes and the forces acting on this place from all the four sides. They are talking in terms of Northeast visa-vis Bangladesh, or ASEAN or China or the rest of India. The last section of the people need to come together to find and chart a way out of the present situation for a better future. They should be able to understand and convince the whole politics driven by narrow thinking which Steve Biko of South Africa termed as 'Tribal Cocoons" in the book 'I write what I like". Those who think of the tribal cocoons are obstacles to finding a shared destiny for the people of this region because of various reasons. But they are having that mindset because of certain factors such as socio-economic development, political awareness etc. They need not be our enemies. Those who long for a "Common Cocoon" for all of us need to manage and coordinate properly with those promoting "tribal Cocoons". The opportunists who are ambitious natives trying to take advantage of the situation in our society for their vested interests are enemies par excellence in this endeavor. They create divisions in our society thus fragmenting the politics of emancipation that is the ultimate way out of the present mess.

Some have been forced to live in their "fools' paradise" thinking that they are the most powerful and their power is absolute. But the running of the family of tribes is a challenging tasks for all. As we need to go up to the higher plane beyond the politics of ceasefire, suspension of Operation or No talks for finding a shared
destiny, we need to convince these sections of people to realise their foolishness. A certain groups of tribes or a particular tribe may have grievances against the designs of a powerful tribe/tribes but this has to be accommodated so that their intersts are taken care of.

Northeast needs people who want to create better future for the Tangkhuls, Khasis or Boros but the need of the hour is those who want to think of a common future for these ethnic groups/tribes. Most importantly those who can work and sacrifice for the common good of the people who are facing the burden of history, geopolitical location etc. While trying to promote and safeguard the interests ofa particular tribe, we should not end up killing another tribe.

Manipur has to play its central role not because those in Manipur are more intelligent. Because we have an ethnic stalemate among the three major groups in the state. This ethnic churning creating complex situation for all of us has to give way to a common destiny one day. Once this is achieved the flame of a common shared destiny will sweep across the neighbouring states of Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal and Tripura as these states have the Nagas, Meeteis and Kuki-Zomi populations. Therfore, Manipur's three ethnic groups churning for diverse political aspirations will make the necessary spark one day to light the flame of our common destiny. And for this to happen, we need more people who can work for the betterment of their respective ethnic groups or tribes and at the same time can sacrifice themselves for the common good. But those who can reach up to the higher plane thus engaging their minds for the future of this place called
Northeast are the real agents of change we need to see today. We all carry the seeds of this shared destiny, but need right time and place to germinate. It should not be imposed on anyone but must come naturally from their own. That spark can shape the future of the Northeast-the way out of the present complexities.
(The views expressed by the author are personal)