Manipur

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মনিপুর
Manipur

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IndiaManipur.png

Formed	21 January 1972
Language	Meithei
Religion	Hinduism 58%; Christianity 34%; Islam 7%
Capital	Imphal
Governor	Shivinder Singh Sidhu
Chief minister	Okram Ibobi Singh
Area	22,327 km²
Population - Total (2001) - Density	2,388,664 107/km²
Literacy: - Total - Male - Female	68.9% 77.9% 59.7%
Urbanization	23.88% (2001)
Timezone	UTC +5.5
Internet TLD	.IN
List of country calling codes	91 40

Manipur (মনিপুর) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west; it also borders the country of Myanmar to the east.

The Meiteis from the valley region form the major ethnic group. Their language is Meithei (also known Meiteilon or Manipuri) which is also the lingua franca in the state. It was recognized as a national Indian language in 1992.

Manipur is considered a sensitive border state. Foreigners entering Manipur (including foreign citizens born in Manipur) must possess a Restricted Area Permit which can be obtained from the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office in the "metros" (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata) or certain other state government offices. Permits are valid for only 10 days, and visitors must travel only on tours arranged by authorised travel agents, in groups of four. Furthermore, they may come to Imphal only by air and will not be permitted to travel outside the capital.

Contents

1 Other Interesting but Little Known Facts

1 History
2 Problems Facing Manipur
3 Politics
4 External links

Other Interesting but Little Known Facts

Game polo originated in Manipur. British soldiers and planters took it back to England, modified the rules and made it popular around the world.

Rosa macrocarpa, the beautiful species of rose, was discovered by Sir George Watt in Manipur in 1888.

Lord Irwin described Manipur as the "Switzerland of India".

Sarit Sarak, a relatively unknown and unique Martial Art, comes from Manipur.

Manipur is famous for its classical and folk dances, including the graceful and soft Ras Lila, the acrobatic Pung cholom among others.

Kaibul Lamjao National Park in Loktak lake is the natural habitat of the rare and endangered Brow antlered Deer (Cervus eldi eldi). Locally known as Sangai, it is one of three species of Elds deer in the world confined to South east Asia.

The Siroi Lily (Lilium Macklinae Sealy) is a beautiful lily found only in the upper reaches of the Siroi Hills in Manipur's Ukhrul District.

The Indian National Army (INA), led by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, planted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil in Moirang, Manipur.

Manipur has 3 representatives in the Indian Union: 2 in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and 1 in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House).

History

Manipur and Assam became involved in the disputes between Thailand and Burma, and Manipur took advantage of a Burmese invasion of Thailand to raid deep into its western frontier. This triggered the Burmese invasion of Manipur and Assam, which sucked in the British, ruling neighbouring Bengal. The British, to safeguard their position against the Burmese, intervened, defeated Burma and took over Assam, and brought Manipur under British paramountcy in 1891.

During the Second World War, Manipur was the scene of many fierce battles between the Japanese and Allied forces. The Japanese swept over East Asia and came up to Manipur. They were beaten back before they could enter Imphal and this proved to be one of the turning points of the War.

There are two cemeteries maintained by the British War Graves Commission in Manipur, which are the final resting places of several Indian and allied soldiers who died here.

In 1947, with British Parliament's repeal of British Paramountcy, in preparation for Indian independence, Manipur became an independent kingdom once again.

The King, Maharaja Prabodhchandra, began a process of democratisation of the state, enacting the Manipur Constitution Act, 1947, which established a democratic form of government with the Maharaja as the Executive Head and an elected legislature.

In 1949, the King Prabodhchandra was summoned to Shillong, capital of the Indian province of Assam to sign a Treaty of Accession merging the kingdom into India.

Once Manipur became part of the Indian Union, India dissolved the State's Constitution Assembly in October, 1949, and made it into a union territory from 1956 onwards.

In 1972, Manipur was elevated to the status of an autonomous state (or province).

Problems Facing Manipur

One of the biggest problems facing Manipuri society today is drug addiction. The effects of being geographically close to the Golden Triangle are being felt now. Hundreds of youth in their prime have been laid unproductive because of the drug scourge. They have become a burden to the society. Related to this evil is the spread of AIDS. Sharing of syringes among addicts is the most common reason for the spread of this disease. Now Manipur has one of the highest per capita HIV positive patients in India.

Though many deny it, racial tension threatens the very fabric of Manipuri society. The Meiteis had lived peacefully with the other minorities for ages. But times have changed; people from different ethnic groups interact in all walks of life, competing for land, food and other resources, which are becoming scarce. The population has increased drastically in the state with no comparable increase in the number of jobs. The state, which even had a Muslim Chief minister, faced racial riots for the first time a few years back. The hills have not been spared either. The blood of Kukis and Nagas, (the two main tribal groups of Manipur) have coloured the green hills red and the wounds will take years to heal. In fact, most of the families who can afford to do so, send away their sons and daughters to other states.

However the biggest problem, which Manipur faces today is the armed insurgency. The place where the Indian National Army (INA), led by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, planted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil, is now wracked by separatist violence. Rarely a day goes by without someone falling to bullets. The separatist movement or insurgency in Manipur started years ago just after independence from the British. These separatists are known by various names- terrorists, freedom fighters, militants, insurgents and so on, depending on whose side you are.

Years of neglect by the Government of India have not helped either. Due to the Mongoloid features of the natives, their unique culture, language and customs, Indians in other states find it quite difficult to believe that Manipuris are also Indians. Many Manipuris who studied outside the state had a hard time explaining that Manipur was inside India and not somewhere near Thailand. Some people looked down on the Meiteis because they thought that they had got their University seats and jobs due to the reservation policy for scheduled tribes and scheduled castes (similar to the Affirmative Action policy in the US). In fact, the majority of Meiteis belong to the 'General' category and have to compete equally with other Indians in the same category. These incidents led to a feeling of alienation.

For the hundreds of unemployed youth, joining a separatist group is sometimes the only option open to them. Today there are more than 10 separatist groups in Manipur.

List of Separatist groups in Manipur (from GlobalSecurity.org)

HPC Hmar People's Convention (Also known as HRF - Hmar Revolutionary Front)
KNF Kuki National Front
NSCN (I-M) National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M)
PLA Peoples' Liberation Army
PREPAK People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak
UNLF United National Liberation Front
CKRF Chin Kuki Revolutionary Front
HPC(D) Hmar People's Convention (Democratic)
IKL Iripak Kanba Lup
INF Islamic National Front
IPRA Indigenous People's Revolutionary Alliance
IRF Islamic Revolutionary Front
KCP Kangleipak Communist Party
KDF Kuki Defence Force
KIA Kuki Independent Army
KIF Kuki International Force
KKK Kangleipak Kanba Kanglup
KLF Kuki Liberation Front
KLO Kangleipak Liberation Organisation
KNA Kuki National Army
KNF(P) Kuki National Front (?)
KNV Kuki National Volunteers
KRF Kuki Revolutionary Front
KRPC Kom Rem People's Convention
KSF Kuki Security Force
KYKL(O) Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (Oken)
KYKL(T) Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (Toijamba)
MLTA Manipur Liberation Tiger Army
MPA Manipur People's Army
MPLF Manipur People's Liberation Front (Unified platform of UNLF, PLA and PREPAK)
PRA People's Republican Army
PULF People's United Liberation Front
RPF Revolutionary People's Front
UKLF United Kuki Liberation Front
ZRA Zomi Revolutionary Army
ZRV Zomi Revolutionary Volunteers

Payments of monthly dues to these groups have become routine, that it is taken as normal today. They say that the money collected is being used to fight for freedom.

One issue which is likely to become a headache in the future is that of border disputes. There have been some minor border disputes with Myanmar (formerly Burma). Manipur is also involved in a border dispute with Nagaland.

Some steps have been taken by the Central government to appease the Manipuris. The long-standing demand to include the Manipuri language in the 8th schedule was finally granted (by the 71st amendment of the constitution in 1992). Today Manipur has its own TV station.

November 20 2004 was a landmark date in the history of Manipur when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh fulfilled a long-standing demand of the Manipuri people. He officially handed over the historic Kangla Fort to Manipur state government, which soon issued an ordinance taking over the administration and control. It had been headquarters of the paramilitary force, the Assam Rifles since 1915. It was finally opened to the general public after 113 years 7 months and 24 days.

The PM also upgraded the Manipur University into a Central University and laid the foundation stone for a 97.9 km long Jiribam - Imphal new broad gauge rail line project. The line ends at Tupul, 25 km away from Imphal.

However, it is very hard to quench a fire once it has started. The Indian Government has to regain the confidence of the population, which is no easy task. These are small steps but in the right direction. Creating employment would be a more effective way. Sending in troops would not solve the problems.