The majority of the population in Manipur is of the Meiteis who are Hindu Vaishnavites. But beyond this, there are several tribes living in the five hill districts with each calling one of these districts their 'homeland'.
OF ALL the Indian states reeling under terrorism and violence today, Manipur perhaps has the most curious case. For, this is one state with the most complex ethnic geography. The majority of the population is of the Meiteis, who are Hindu Vaishnavites. But beyond this, there are several tribes living in the five hill districts with each calling one of these districts their ‘homeland’. There is a Meitei insurgent outfit, calling for a sovereign Manipur today, while the tribes are fighting, albeit separately, for an independent state of their own.
Achungmei Kamei comes from Tamenglong district of Manipur. But she belongs to Rongmei Naga tribe. For decades, National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has been fighting for independence. The outfit has a vision of their ‘independent’ home which they call ‘Greater Nagaland’. ‘Greater Nagaland’, demands NSCN should have entire Nagaland, as well as Naga-dominated areas in Manipur. As expected, this demand, which would see breaking of Manipur, has put the Nagas at loggerheads with the Meiteis
Achungmei’s family has always lived in Manipur. She speaks Meitei for all official communication. Outside the state, she is a ‘Manipuri’. Inside the state, however, for the Meiteis, she is an outsider. And for other tribes of Manipur, she is a Naga, a troublemaker who would one day run away with the land they live in.
In Achungmmei’s words – I don’t know how I should view myself. As a Naga, I support the Naga people’s movement. But I don’t know if NSCN is fighting for me or not. I don’t know if it is serious about Nagas outside 14 districts of Nagaland. What I know is that every time NSCN talks about Greater Nagaland, Manipuris react violently. And we, the Rongmeis are immediately seen as enemies of the state.
Labeling the entire tribe as conspirators against the state has resulted in the entire district being at the bottom of the government’s priority list. Development in Tamenglong is always an afterthought and vanishing of forest and land raise little concern in the official circuit.
Manipur government has been building a dam at Tipaimukh for several years. There are nearly one lakh Rongmei families living in Tamenglong and dam has already displaced hundreds of them. We have no other occupation except Jum (slash and burn) cultivation and with our land being lost, we are threatened with starvation. We have no rehabilitation package. In fact, we don’t even exist for the officials.
That she is not exaggerating, became clear when I tried to find data on displacement of tribals in Tamenglong. There is no mention of a single Rongmei family being displaced.
Achungmei is one of the 31people to have joined India Unheard as community correspondents. So what kind of ‘unheard’ stories she plans to bring forth?
Her answer is straight. The only identity her community has had so far is a highly political one. “We are either identified as conspirators, or partisans. Nobody sees us as a normal group of people with normal needs. We need food, land, electricity, education. We need our land, our forest. This is what I want to tell the world.”
The world is waiting Achungmei, to hear you!