Mother, Where's My Country?

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.

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