Zodawn Shining: Dawn of a New Age

Home coming, for me, is a bittersweet idea - the sweet memories of past years faced off against the nagging fear that the outcome could be the total erasure of those very memories. Pleasant memories.

It was November the 3rd, 2006. Our bus slowly crawled, gentle in its motion, up the rough, bumpy Tedim Road, spewing clouds of dust behind. As I stared out the window, I was appalled to see the dreary condition of the surrounding land. The place looked so forlorn and desolate. All I could see was the detritus of poverty. No more fresh green vegetation. Small huts, made of thatches and bamboos dotted along the dirt tracks. Dirty children, dressed in rags, waved at us with pigs and dogs. Then I paused for a while, trying to inhale the fresh and fragrant Zolei breeze that I had longed for. But all I could inhale was the rough scent of dry dirt lingering in the air.

As we rode on, I began to ponder: what had become of us, of our land? A couple of years had gone by since I was away from home. Nothing had changed. In fact, the land just got poorer, much poorer than when I last seen it. The condition of the road was simply horrendous. How the hell did they drive here? Electric wires hanged loose from the poles. When was the last time these carried current up here? Some women passed by, carrying pots of water on their heads. Their faces bore a haggard look, their skin weathered from hard work.

A co-passenger said, "Is there any government here?" But I was too tired, then, to respond.

I think it's about time, now for every responsible citizen to answer that question. Elections are coming up. And they offer the only opportunity to interrogate our representatives. It is the responsibility of the new generations to expose and question the wrongs committed by our leaders. That is the little mite we can give back to the society - and poor Zoland - that has nurtured us.

It is now time to ban the shameful custom of receiving red shawls from our MLAs. That was a historical symbol of our colonial subjugation and oppression under the British rule. Britishers tricked our tribal chiefs by giving them red shawls. And now our MLAs still wish to perpetuate this shameful legacy. It is time to educate public opinion on such issues. Our people no longer need red shawls and empty promises. What we need is any explanation for misgovernance -or rather non-governance.

The paralyzing spirit of cynicism is very annoying in present Manipur, where the bandh addict public and corrupt politicians out perform each other in pulling down the fabric of development. The colonial-style of power equation and feudal system of local government chain our people while the rest of India is flying.

However, we are not entirely doomed. I am very optimistic about our future. If history of the West has a lesson for us today, the surging tide of India's roaring economy will eventually lift up everyone. And I hope it wouldn't spare us either. I don't think that government will improve overnight. Anyway, the success story of the new India is created not by the government. It is private entrepreneurs and market forces which are guiding our country to new heights. For example, the entry of market-driven players like Airtel and Aircel in Lamka qualitatively improves even the sarkari BSNL. And now, they are making their way up the Tedim Road and Guite Road, to Singngat and the hill horizon beyond.

The most existing development in 2007 will be the entry of foreign Retailers in India . They may eventually arrive in Manipur with some time gap. Then to Lamka. And it will generate new jobs while changing the expectations of consumers by cutting cost and adding value to products.

The only obstacle is our political dinosaurs and outdated Left "intellectuals". These people had vested interest in poverty as their vote bank. They can't digest the idea of transforming India into a country of a rich or (at least) middle class consumers. But that process is happening right under our own nose. Our corrupt politicans will do their best to slow the process; but they will no longer be able to stop the wheels of change. Beware, the genie of market reform is out of the bottle!

Our MLAs have an illusion that they can go on cheating voters and stealing funds. But common citizens will sooner or later learn how to use the recent Right to Information Act (RTI). This will be the last nail in the coffin of the stinking of bureaucratic secrecy and political corruption. If our country maintains the current rate of economic growth (around 8%), I believe you and I may be the last generation to witness "absolute poverty".

[With inputs from David Lalpi, Moderator, ZWC]

This piece has also been webcasted on YouTheJournalist, Zogam.com and ZogamOnline.com