Post # 27 # On Black Laws and Dark Views

Irom Sharmila has been on a
protest fast since Nov 2000

For long we have been complaining that we are not getting enough attention from mainland India. This is not about Narcissus and things like that, but a wretched tale of a neglected part of India. Neglected is quite a light word if people know the reality in Manipur with regards to the largest democratic country by virtue of its ignorance about condoms and contraceptive pills. A controversial front newspaper story in the Telegraph, a leading daily in the eastern part of the country however, has had a lot of stories to tell us.

The news which was published a couple of days ago is nothing unusual, but about the love affair between the star campaigner, Irom Sharmila and his boyfriend. Let’s put the records straight first: Sharmila has been on a fast since Nov 2000 (that’s more than ten years ago!) against the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act; all along the national media has been willingly or unwillingly ignorant about her; for ten years nothing substantial was printed or published but this ‘insubstantial’ side-story on an important front page; now a powerful group of civil organisations in Manipur has banned the newspaper and several others are pouring in their condemnation.

This whole issue of newspaper-published-shits-and-gets-banned looks like a passing event, though without no reason. So many people are getting killed and injured because of this controversial martial law. In the process, we have also become too intolerant to accommodate others’ views. But why is it that the mainland people, the mainstream newspapers always suck a big time?

In a broader aspect, India sees in us as a buffer zone. It does not matter how people are eating bullets and drinking bloods as long as its vested interests are safeguarded. Otherwise, there could have been a lasting peace in our region, where anyone will be bowled over by its natural beauty. These things apart, the march will continue. India must know we are not voiceless. India must know if the shits continue all the time, there will come a time it has to eat the shits more than it can chew one day.