‘I Want to be Killed by an Indian Bullet’

Image from the Anonymous ART of Revolution

 

The place

 

INTRODUCTION     This is a reflection on reading a Manipuri poem Bharatki Nongmei Maruda Sijage, originally written by Thangjam Ibopishak and translated as I Want to be Killed by an Indian Bullet by Robin Ngangom.

  

If ever Manipur showed some sign of improving sociopolitical awareness, it was mostly during the Sixties and Seventies. Indeed, one of the principles that guided the growth of organisations harping for the right to self-determination was the utter lack of political consciousness.

 

To put things into context, the state of Manipur has been witnessing an incessant armed movement for national liberation from the union of India for the last six decades or so. In literature on the armed movement, a motif has been the rebels’ argument about the people’s ignorance about political rights. Of course, their main contestation is that this erstwhile kingdom was illegally merged into India and that the merger contravenes several international laws and agreements. Well, that is the background.     

A PEEK INTO THE PAST     A cursory glance shows that the western concept of nation-states was quite alien, as was evident from the highly antiquated economic structure of those years. That was the Forties and Fifties. Manipur was formally merged on 15 October 1949. The insufficiency of idea remains the same to this day. However, reality dictates that it is not possible to get struck in a time warp. It was simply impossible to persist in self-acclaimed self sufficiency, which marks the better part of our historical narrative.

 

Even if we have been making evolutionary footprints in certain areas of sports and performing arts, social growth always demand only the best from the natives, all the time. 

On one hand, globalisation started showing its ugly face with colonialism. The deteriorating condition of the society, as a whole, despite the resurrection plan with dubious plans of the new country (read India) on the other hand, was written all over the social face,. The zeitgeist of the time was apparent nowhere but in rising forms of resistance and protest; if not in these issues, then in the rising number of sleepwalking people. 

 

• Read select works by Laishram Samarendra on this blog.
• More Manipuri poems in English

The poem

A PEN IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A COUNTRY     It was around those years, the social scum gave birth to an art form of social relevance. Previously, it was either a continuation of hollow religious commodities or the romantic creation that developed during the Twenties and Thirties. Then, it was about time, the natives were suffocated by the nagging questions of the society, and unsurprisingly, it was was hard to break free with mild response.

Though we have plunged deeper into the abyss, a poem like I Want to be Killed by an Indian Bullet still re-demonstrates the long journey ahead. Seemingly, a poem is more important than a country. We cannot ignore the question of nationality, thanks to the endeavour of successive governments. We cannot ignore it for the simple reason that this politics shapes our collective life, our economy, our politics.

THE INDIANS BULLETS FLY THICK AND FAST    Coming to the present day, it is absurd people keep debating about the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. A recent attack on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir (on 13 March 2013) has prompted again a democratic talking-shop discussion on this black law, with the army chief picking up the baton and declaring ‘the time is not ripe’ to repeal it. This has been the case all along and it’s not going to end anytime soon.

Thangjam Ibopishak would have written this poem while reflecting on the currents of the time. This poem was written in the Seventies. Still, we can see nowadays, despite the accusing eyes, there is very little to expect from the government or the insurgents. It depends entirely on us. In a way, the people are between the devil and the deep sea. Neither the constitution nor the revolution is giving us any hope,

Regardless of the country, the political parties, the conformists and the world as a whole, it lies entirely on our hand to pick up the real baton of living a dignified life, to further improve the sociopolitical awareness. Presumably, it is not hard to ask, for we are not asking to kill and get killed by the Indian bullet, or not even Chinese- or Thai-made, for that matter. 

 

Here is the poem in English by Robin Ngangom:

 

 

    

• Read: Dystopian Satire in Thangjam Ibopishak’s Poetry by Ph Sanamacha Sharma (International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies).
• More Manipuri poems in English

Thangjam Ibopishak’s poems on this blog

• Eigi Marup Mister Bush | My Buddy, Mr Bush
• Khoodoom Chanba | Control
• Mee Tangkhaigi Leibaak | In the Land of Half-People
• Eini Siriba Nipa Ase | I’m the Dead Man
• Bharatki Nongmei Maruda Sijage | I Want to be Killed by an Indian Bullet
• Letter Box | Letter Box
• Hayingkhongyambi | Of the Housefly
• Angang-gi Eesei | The Children’s Song
• Bhootki Leibak | The Land of Ghost
• Apaiba Thawai | The Flying Soul
• Mang Lallonba Amasoong Kabi | The Poet & the Merchant of Dreams
• Mee Tangkhaigi Leibaak | In the Land of Half-People

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