I have several acquaintances from the people of Manipur, because of the exposure obtained from college. Having studied in a college with multi-linguistic and vivid regional student representatives, Manipur never felt far from South. All thanks to people who sat next to us in our classrooms.
But saddest part is, it took an atrocity on a woman to realise, how irresponsible and ignorant are we humans, when it is a matter of knowing the well-being of others. All these months, where newspapers and television and online media platforms had everyday reports on the atrocities on people in Manipur and their internal conflict, not a single time did it hit the mind to know ‘what is the condition of people’ whom I had acquaintance with! The scenario is not just limited to me as a human but also to all the Chief Ministers of the states, Prime Minister of the country, and all the people in power and the common citizen of the nation. Our silence is indeed shameful on the humanity. And ultimately the atrocity on women had to make its way, for the entire country to speak up.
During Hitler’s time, Pastor Martin Niemöller had not spoken against the atrocities on Nazis. With gulit which caused as a result of his ignorance, Martin Niemoller expressed,
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
So, his life lesson should become a teaching to each one of us. May we not continue in our comfort zone too much and take the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller a lesson to dissent and be vocal.