(WRITER INTRO)Nongthongbam Kunjamohan is a short story writer, translator as well as travelogue writer. “Ine Leipaklei” was first published in Meiteilon as “Ine Leipaklei.” He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1974 for Ilisha Amagee Mahao. His major works include Chenkhidraba Echei, Thawanmichak Amana Kenkhiba,Ilisha Amagee Mahao and GDR. A teacher by profession, he retired as the secretary of the State Coouncil of higher Education, Manipur. He is presently the president of the Sahitya Parishad, Manipur. (LAND HISTORY,POLITICAL)“Ine Leipaklei” is a short story based on the socio-political condition of Manipur. Manipur is a state in Northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the South and Assam to the West; it also borders Myanmar to the East. It covers an area of 22,347 sq kms. Manipur like the rest of North East india, was not annexed by any of the previous Indian empires, this has led to a sharp differences in culture and traditions in Manipur and the rest of India. During the Second World War, Manipur was scene of many fierce battles between the Japanese and the Allied forces. The Japanese were beaten back before they could enter Imphal, and this proved to be one of the turning points of the war. Democratically elected government is governing Manipur since Independence. It got the status of “Union Territory in 1956 and full-fledged statehood on January 21, 1972.”1 “Manipur literally means a jewel-land”2 but for a last few decades the glamour of this culturally linked isolated corner of India too fell in the web of insurgency. A separatist insurgency began in 1964, although momentum to a more violent phase did not occurs until 1978. The insurgency in like others states of northeast began with an ideology for restoration of the pre-British politico-ethnic supremacy of the Meiteis, later turned into ethnic conflict and finally entered into a cross-current of socio-political whirlpool due to individualized interest of the multiplying leaders of its respective insurgent groups. There are three major ethnic groups in Manipur, its insurgency is also primarily divided into insurgent groups of “Meitei, Naga and Kuki”3. While the Meitei insurgents’ prime objective is to free their pre-British territorial boundary from Indian occupation, the Naga insurgents of Manipur support the demand of sovereign “Nagalim”4Greater Nagaland) comprising of Nagaland along with the Naga majority areas of Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Burma (Myanmar). The Kukis on the other hand support the demand of separate Kukiland for which Kukis of Burma are also fighting. The Naga and the Kukis of Manipur initially remained indifferent to the Meitei rebels to their obsession to respective ethnic politics. Assertion of ethnic identity and the accompanying political unrest is rooted often in fears among minority groups of losing their historical and culturally acquired identities. But such assertions may have several dimensions as seen in Manipur where for long several groups have agitated against the centre and state government’s perceived neglect of their needs in which the established and the poor clash for power. Manipur in India’s North-East has long been driven by conflicts among the people on the issues of equal rights, dominance and integration. (STORY POLITICAL)In “Ine Leipaklei” Nongthombam told us how political turmoil had entered into the life of common people especially the poor people. Ine Leipaklei who become a victim of this social injustice and later become social worker leader. In social and economic transition it particularly effects the life of the poor people. Nongthombam clearly depict the miserable plight of the exploited class, in which they are dominated by the established or the rich people who won the government. In this kind of situation the exploited class had to fight very hard even for their daily existent, the humble, innocent could turn to rebellion and unfear the to protest the corrupted government and fight for the right. Due to the injustice practice by the government it transformed the women into a social activist and rebels against the established government. In an outrage, the poor social worker counter reaction against the government. “A group of people rallying along Assembly Road turned violent around dusk today. Police personnel had to resort to lathi charge and tear gas to control the mob. A number of people, including police personnel, are reported to have sustained injuries.”pg.149. The opposition had led a big public demonstration against price hikes, unemployment, corruption and random allotment of public plots in the hearth of the people. Members of the opposition had out in the midst of the ongoing session to meet the demonstrators outside. The demonstrators’ demand to meet the chief minister was rejected. Some of the younger lot were obviously furious and jump over the outer wall of the Assembly Compound. The mob broke through the Assembly gate, compelling the police to use tear gas shells, and even bullets. In this incident Ine herself was participate and demonstrate the rally and was seriously injured. Ine Leipaklei is the victim of social injustice and she is taken to the hospital but the management of hospital is corrupt. The poor victim were very neglected and Ine Leipaklei is given only ATS injection, stitching, discrotine injection, that’s all. “What on earth is wrong with this hospital. Today no film, tomorrow no power, the day after the machine would have some problem.”pg.152 Even the officialdom were concern only for themselves and for the rich, the poor people in this growing society had to live a very hard life. “Why vent my anger on this poor nurse for the loopholes and wants in the hospital…it’s not you I’m angry with, but those self-styled experts in the management, those big shots of the hospital.”pg.152 (NEW VS OLD)(CORRUPTION)In the socio-political field both the good and bad effects of the modernization have been felt. Unfortunately, the process has not been harmonized and past values and systems are in conflict with the forces of modernization. The impact of modernization have a very bad consequences among the poor people making the rich to a higher level in the society and then the society live only for the rich. But on seeing Tamo’s (Dactor) serious concern for Ine in the hospital, the others doctors and nurse began to treat her a bit seriously. They searched high and low for those medicines which were normally denied to other patients on the pretent of nonavailability. As a result of this collective caring, Ine Leipaklei recovered in no time. With the socio-economic fast changing with many new building coming up the poor were deprived of their place and live a life in misery. Ine’s tea stall had also altered immensely. A grand new building, a big signboard flashing the words- modern hotel and restaurant had been cropped up. “Are you going to reconstruct the tea stall, Ine?... What a far cry from reality, Ibungo…didn’t you hear that I have been evicted?”pg.155. In the face of changing conditions, poor people are not able to live. Ine Leipaklei who had been running her tea stall for fourteen years also deprived of her land, “forget my fourteen, fifteen years, Inamma Ibecha who has been sitting at the foot of the banyan tree for the last twenty four, twenty five years…even she has been evicted.”pg.156 It clearly depicts how circumstances and changes in the name of development by the government let disaster to the poor. The society is in transition, to meet the demand of the high society people in the modern period are very corrupt. Literacy, awareness and modern political system has been accompanied by corrupt administration both civil and political, mounting economic bankruptcy and unemployment, which has proved fertile ground for exploitation by both corrupt political set up and insurgents. The established government is very corrupted and exists only for the rich, to give job to the rich , to increase the earnings of the rich, to safeguard the properties of the rich. “What was the use, anyway? He complete his B.A with great hardship, evenforgoing meals at times. For three or four years he tried hard to get a job, no matter how small. Nothing works without the oblitony to the ministers.”pg.159 This kind of corrupt officialdom can be seen in the work of Wan Kharkrang’s “The Adventure of Bah Ta En” in which Bah Ta En heard that the government and banks were advancing loans to landowners interested in agricultural expansion, he decided that he would also applied. Through his adventure we see that the government exist only for the rich, the poor people with no education like Bah Ta En have no chance to get this loan. Without giving a little ‘tea money’ the process of his loan could not go well and for that is the custom. “Nowadays it is not enough to just say, Thank you very much.”pg.164 Also Wan Kharkrang give us a real picture of the polluted corrupted urban areas and the innocence and ignorance of the rural people. The political leaders of the state irrespective of their political affiliation due to individualized interests are more bothered to share political power than to find out peaceful solution to the problems of the need of people. They are interested in power politics than to have a lasting solution to the problem, which has perhaps left the people in disarray. The poor people have no choice then to join the demonstrations. The government which is supposed to listen to them never cares to lend a ear upon them. “ you and people like you may be able to keep your distance, but not us. Forget keeping my distance… poor people like us are not able to live…if starvation is death, so is death by joining demonstrators.”pg.158 The situation caused lot of inconvenience to common people and lawless violence prevailed, it not merely disrupted the socio-political development of the people but also pushed them to the economic backwardness. This further gave rise to compounding unemployment problem leading to involvement of youth to public demonstrations. Even the narrator, the doctor himself was a self activist during his school day and even jailed for campaigning. The life of common people have been neglected by the officialdom even the narrator himself after getting doctor degree his political zeal has slumbered so long only in the end of the story he has been revived by the cry of the slogan. “Goosebumps covered my entire body. My thinking, which slumbered for so long, was finally resurrected by the cry from long ago which, as a student, I had so lovingly voiced. Inquilaab Zindabaad!”pg.161 The very word of Ine Leipaklei shows us that the corrupt government will soon be overcome by them, “…it won’t be for long… the poor masses, unable to bear it any longer, will rise up as one, against this government of rich. That day is not far off…no one can keep them under their feet any longer. Be it tomorrow or the day after, the leipaklei will bloom, its petals widespread, and fill the courtyard.”pg.159 The story of “Ine Leipaklei” reflects the socio-political and economic conditions of Manipur. Nongthongbam has cleverly and skillfully highlight the brief events that strike us, things that has deep meaning and rooted than it look simple. It reflect the corruption of the officialdom and the down trodden of the lower class in which the poor are victimize to a lower status.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 07:30:51 +0000
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