Grass is greener on the other
side. That applies to Manipur also. Wait, what or where is Manipur?
"That's a state in the north eastern India." "Ah, I know till
West Bengal, and Bangladesh next to it, and then it is all northeast India."
That's familiar, isn't it? For most of us, we can name all the states except
the northeastern states, and even if we could name them, we don't know their
capitals. And for us, Northeast India is so beautiful filled with hills and
valleys! Even Google
Maps' Earth view of North East India shows the place beautifully filled
with mountains and valleys. In our imagination, it is an ideal destination that
we only yearn to be going for a vacation!
But, wait a moment! Did we
ever imagine that the people in this part of India do not live happily as we
imagine? That's what @anubhabhonsle
attempts to tell us all through “Mother, Where’s My Country?” Anubha’s nine
years of hard work presented in these ~240 pages will help you get a thorough
understanding of the problem these people go through. AFSPA may be a simple
five letter acronym to us, but the torment that our brothers and sisters are
suffering for more than five decades cannot be described that easily. The author
brings out how our politicians played a nasty role ignoring Manipur and its
people’s welfare and more interested only in integrating it as a state. She
also brings out the rampant corruption that exists in the state that is already
fighting the atrocities of insurgents and the human rights violations because
of AFSPA. It takes immense courage to talk to the insurgent groups! The chapter
“The Price of Peace” makes us wonder and understand the reality &
complexities underlying the state’s issue. Presented with lots of history, facts
and data, this chapter stands tall over all the others.
We all have heard about Irom
Sharmila and our brains could, in a blink, easily associate her with Manipur.
But, how many of us know in detail, her story, and what she is really fighting
for. The author brings our Sharmila’s story through Chandramani and Malom that
will touch our hearts. It will also make us realize that our daily complaints
of power cuts, traffic jam & potholed roads are nothing compared to her
emotional struggle (if, for a moment, we forget the physical pain that she goes
through because of force feeding). How many of us will sacrifice our youth for
a cause? It is very unfortunate that we as a country are letting her down.
The back cover of the book
makes us think that the book is all about Sharmila, but only a few pages into
the book, we realize that this is not only about Sharmila, but bringing out the
problems that this state faces from multiple dimensions. Kudos to Anubha for
this excellent piece of work! I am sure this book will remain a feather in her
cap all throughout her career!
It is time we work out a
solution that brings peace, security and more importantly freedom to the people
of Manipur. We have in our national pledge that “All Indians are my brothers
and sisters!” Let us hope this All includes the so called “northeast
people” also in spirit, soon!
Personal Suggestion: Please
keep Google Maps open & zoomed to Manipur and Nagaland when you read this
book. It will help you to at least understand the state and its places, if not
help you appreciate the magnitude of the problems that this state & its
people face.
To buy the book from Flipkart, click here
