Can anyone here with enough background throw some light on the Meitei cultural resurgence?
As I understand they chose to revive the old Meitei script by throwing out the Bengali one. Is there an undercurrent from the religion's perspective as well? --- Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Umesh, > > >I wonder why would there be attack on newcomers > ISKCON in the state and > not on foerign >Christian missionaries over the > decades. Who is attacking > whom? > > Why should there be an attack on anybody? Does it > matter if they are > Christian missionaries or ISKCON? The stark reality > is that for gun-toting > hooligans everything is fair game. > > --Ram da > > > > On 8/24/06, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > I wonder why would there be attack on newcomers > ISKCON in the state and > > not on foerign Christian missionaries over the > decades. Who is attacking > > whom? > > > > Umesh > > > > > > *Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>* wrote: > > > > Bikash Sarmah makes some very good points and has > been able to > > differentiate between an 'insurgent' and a > 'terrorist'. > > ** > > ** > > ** > > *Given This Brand of Insurgency > > THE REALITY MIRROR > > Bikash Sarmah > > *T he grenade attack on the International Society > for > > Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in > > Imphal last Wednesday when ISKCON devotees > > were celebrating Janmasthami, is yet another > reminder of the changing face > > of terrorism in the Northeast. There are > discerning observers and > > commentators in the Northeast who are averse to > using the word ''terrorism'' > > to describe the militias in the region. They would > rather call it > > ''insurgency'', theorizing pretty convincingly > too the conflict in the > > region as the one that stems from a sense of > alienation of the people from > > the Indian mainstream, a sense of a ''colonial'' > India exploiting the > > innocent masses here, a sense of history that > would narrate the romanticized > > tales of freedom of the past that seems to be lost > now, and, of course, a > > deep sense of fear of the gradual loss of ethnic > and indigenous identities. > > There are columnists who argue that since what is > being witnessed in the > > Northeast is not terrorism but insurgency, the > only way out is political > > solution, not a military one. True, the country's > armed forces, who > > otherwise defend the borders and become martyrs, > fighting valiantly the > > enemies of the nation, should not be seen fighting > and killing their own > > countrymen. But it is also equally true that > 'insurgents' are not expected > > to kill their own civilian brethren as randomly > and bestially as the > > savage terrorist would do. They, as 'liberators' > and 'revolutionaries', are > > not expected to extort money from the ones who > earn money of sheer hard > > work, and to run an industry of sorts, quite > lucrative, quite easy because > > it is so easy to threaten unarmed civilians to > loot them and hence quite > > sustainable. Surely, then, our 'insurgents' are > not expected to cross that > > thin line of difference between insurgency and > terrorism in their own whims > > and fancies just because it suits them so to be > insurgents when they > > invoke history, to be terrorists when they want to > make their presence felt. > > > > This long introduction to this column is deemed > necessary because, over > > the time, some self-styled experts on insurgency > and conflict resolution > > have grown and 'matured' in this region, who would > not acknowledge the > > impossibility of conflict resolution at a time > when the contours of the very > > conflict seem to be ever-changing, > ever-stretching, and quite arbitrarily at > > that. There have to be better theories to tackle > the menace, let alone solve > > the so-called problem or issue. My considered > opinion is that there cannot > > be a political solution to attacks like the one at > the ISKCON temple in > > Imphal; there can still be a political solution, > but if and only if the > > framework that would yield a political formula is > so worked on that there > > may be scope to call our insurgents sheer > terrorists as and when they become > > terrorists. The theory is refreshingly simple: > when an insurgent throws > > grenade at a place of worship or a busy market > place or buses and trains, he > > instantly becomes a terrorist cowardly. When he > kills women and children, > > he is a terrorist whose cowardice knows no lower > bound. But when an > > insurgent fights open battles with the state its > armed forces because > > his insurgency is against the state and its > machinery, he remains an > > insurgent. The fight has to be open it is > meaningless to talk of even > > guerrilla warfare. So how many insurgents do you > have here? > > The All Manipuri Students' Union (AMSU) did well > by calling the ISKCON > > attack ''an act of terrorism''. It could not be > otherwise. The most > > interesting thing to have happened in the wake of > the attack was some > > prominent Manipuri militant outfits coming out > with statements denying their > > role in the attack and condemning it. The first to > have done so was the > > Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) the political > wing of the People's > > Liberation Army (PLA). According to reports, an > RPF spokesman told the media > > that his outfit considered such attacks > ''thoughtless and cowardly''. The > > United National Liberation Front (UNLF) also > denied its hand in the attack. > > Later, even the ones against whom fingers were > being pointed, such as the > > People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak > (PREPAK) and the Kanglei Yawol > > Kanba Lup (KYKL), denied their involvement. These > denials are interesting > > because they show how restless the militant > outfits in the region become > > when the occasion comes to them to prove their > insurgency characteristics. > > They also know it well that such occasions are > rare, and that one needs to > > perfect the art of identifying the best occasion. > For, these are the > > occasions when public anger runs high even > against insurgency. These are > > the occasions when an alert and active civil > society as Manipur's (remember > > those elderly Manipuri women stripping naked in > full public view to protest > > Thangjam Manorama's brutal rape and murder by > Assam Rifles jawans in 2004?) > > would question the very basis of militant violence > in much the same way as > > they would question state violence. It is quite > natural, then, that > > following the ISKCON temple attack, blogs on the > internet surfaced, with > > ''challenge'' to the militants involved in the > dastardly act, asking them to > > reveal their identity and ''fight man-to-man''. It > surely cannot be a > > response to insurgency or any liberation movement. > It is a response to > > terrorism. And 'insurgents' find it hard to accept > such response of the > > civil society. > > There is another theory doing the rounds. It is > that the attack on the > > ISKCON temple is an outburst of the Meitei > frustration at the growing > > ''Indianization'' of Manipuri culture and > tradition. In the wake of the > > attack, some internet blogs had messages that > glorified the attack as the > > one that would protect the indigenousness of the > Manipuris. Such messages > > must have emboldened outfits like the KYKL that > calls === message truncated ===> _______________________________________________ > assam mailing list > [email protected] > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
