Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Ethnic quagmire: On the Manipur violence

Ethnic quagmire: On the Manipur violence

Violence in Manipur could have been avoided had the government stayed above the fray

The concept of “unity in diversity (विविधता)” is not an abstract (अमूर्त, सैद्धांतिक) one. In a multi-ethnic national or provincial (प्रांतीय, क्षेत्रीय) setting, the accommodation (आवास, समायोजन) of differences in a way that bestows (प्रदान करना, अनुदान) socio-cultural recognition of identities while striving for (के लिए प्रयास) constitutional unity and equality through governance is a must for progress. The conditions for a conflict arise when identities tighten (make stricter, make more rigorous, make more stringent, stiffen, toughen) up and become exclusivist (अलगाववादी), leading to (नेतृत्व करने के लिए) grievances (शिकायत, विपत्ति) over perceived (कथित) neglect (उपेक्षा) of one group. But good governance that focuses on accommodation and dialogue (talks, discussion, discourse, debate, negotiation, deliberation, consultation) helps stem the possibilities of a deterioration (बिगड़ना) of such conditions into violence. The spurt (sudden increase, rise, surge) of violence in Manipur that led to mass displacement (विस्थापन), the loss of lives, vandalisation (harm, injury, destruction) of houses, churches, temples besides arson (an act of setting fire intentionally to damage/destroy public properties, particularly buildings) across five districts, might have been a consequence of a long-standing (lasting, long-term, continuous, constant, non-stop) hill-valley identity (पहचान) divide (division, separation, difference) in the State, but it was also avoidable. The trigger (cause) was a rally called by the All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur, on Wednesday, protesting the move (action, step, measure) to concede (cede, relinquish, yield, give up, forgo) a demand for ST status, following a High Court order, to the Meiteis, the majority group. The tribal groups are opposed to this demand which is not uniformly endorsed (approve, validate, uphold, support) by all sections of the Meiteis. While the grievance that according ST status would eat into (damage, spoil, destroy; use up, consume) the reservation (a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics) pie (a share of something) for the hill tribal communities seems to be somewhat valid, their raging (extreme, severe, strong) concern that this will compromise (weaken, impair, undermine) traditional land ownership is not entirely born out of (occurring as the result of something; because of, due to, owing to) reason and has been used by tribal leaders to whip up (excite, evoke/provoke, stimulate, encourage (strong emotions in someone intentionally); it also means to prepare something (specifically food) very quickly) hysteric anti-valley sentiments. The conflagration (flames, blaze, fire, firestorm, inferno) was also the consequence of brewing (developing, looming, impending, fuming, simmering, smouldering (of something bad/unpleasant situation)) discontent (disappointment, dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, resentment, grievances, unhappiness, displeasure) against what tribal groups perceived as the State government’s biased (partial, one-sided, discriminative) actions.

If the State’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led government had acted with alacrity (eagerness, readiness, promptness, willingness, swiftness) and removed the perception (understanding, discernment, recognition/realization; interpretation) that it was biased towards one dominant section, this situation would not have come to pass (happen, occur, take place, transpire, come about, befall). In its over-zealousness (excessive enthusiasm/eagerness; intense passion/fervour) in a “war against drugs”, the government had indulged in (become involved in something) eviction drives (campaign, push, movement) which included one that had affected a Kuki village in March and had prompted some of the BJP’s tribal MLAs to raise this issue of a perceived bias in governance and seek (aim, try, attempt; ask for, request, demand) a change in the party’s State leadership. Evictions (expulsion, banishment, ousting/removal) ostensibly (in a way that something appears or is officially stated to be true/real, but it might not be; apparently, seemingly, allegedly, professedly, supposedly, purportedly) done for forest protection and in the name of (for the sake of) removing “outsiders” tend to cause passions to rile up (cause a feeling of anger or annoyance; exasperate, anger, irritate, annoy) among people dependent upon the hills for a livelihood (means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income); doing so without recourse (option, choice, possibility/way out, hope, remedy) to resettlement and compensation only heightens a sense of injustice among those affected. With the Union government taking charge of security, a tamping down of the violence should follow, but for the grievances to melt down, the faltering (delaying, uncertain, unsteady/weak, precarious, irresolute, hesitant) State government must convene an all-party mechanism (apparatus, medium, agency, instrument, channel) to reach out (contact someone to obtain/offer help/assistance/cooperation) to the people across ethnic divides.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.quagmire (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दलदल
English Meaning - unfortunate situation, muddle, mix-up.

2.diversity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विविधता
English Meaning - existence/presence of different people (from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives ranging from race to age to gender to hometown to educational experience) within group; variety, variance, difference.

3.abstract (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अमूर्त, सैद्धांतिक
English Meaning - theoretical, conceptual, notional, philosophical.

4.provincial (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रांतीय, क्षेत्रीय
English Meaning - regional, territorial.

5.accommodation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आवास, समायोजन
English Meaning - adjustment, adaptation, attunement.

6.bestow (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रदान करना, अनुदान
English Meaning - grant, confer, present/give.

7.identity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पहचान
English Meaning - identification, recognition; individuality, originality.

8.strive for (verb)

Hindi Meaning - के लिए प्रयास
English Meaning - work towards, aim for, wish for, aspire to, achieve.

9.exclusivist (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अलगाववादी
English Meaning - relating to the doctrine/belief that only one particular belief or system is true.

10.lead to (verb)

Hindi Meaning - नेतृत्व करने के लिए
English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, give rise to.

11.grievance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शिकायत, विपत्ति
English Meaning - complaint, protestation, protest, criticism, problem, objection.

12.perceived (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कथित
English Meaning - discernable, noticeable, recognizable; supposed, regarded, considered.

13.neglect (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपेक्षा
English Meaning - lack of care/concern, negligence, carelessness, unconcern, laxity.

14.deterioration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बिगड़ना
English Meaning - degradation, degeneration, decline; worsening, decline, collapse, breakdown.

15.displacement (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विस्थापन
English Meaning - a forced removal/departure of people from their homes, mainly due to war/natural disaster/persecution.

16.ethnic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a population subgroup (cultural, national, traditional/folk) with a common national or cultural tradition.

17.fray (noun)

English Meaning - competition, contest.

18.above the fray (phrase)

English Meaning - not involved in a difficult argument or struggle.

19.identity (noun)

English Meaning - a social category, a set of persons marked by a label and distinguished by rules deciding membership and (alleged) characteristic features or attributes; individuality, character, originality.

20.tighten (verb)

English Meaning - make stricter, make more rigorous, make more stringent, stiffen, toughen.

21.dialogue (noun)

English Meaning - talks, discussion, discourse, debate, negotiation, deliberation, consultation.

22.stem (verb)

English Meaning - stop, check, block, curb.

23.spurt (noun)

English Meaning - sudden increase, rise, surge.

24.vandalisation (noun)

English Meaning - harm, injury, destruction.

25.arson (noun)

English Meaning - an act of setting fire intentionally to damage/destroy public properties, particularly buildings.

26.long-standing (adjective)

English Meaning - lasting, long-term, continuous, constant, non-stop.

27.valley (noun)

English Meaning - a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it.

28.divide (noun)

English Meaning - division, separation, difference.

29.trigger (noun)

English Meaning - cause.

30.move (noun)

English Meaning - action, step, measure.

31.concede (verb)

English Meaning - cede, relinquish, yield, give up, forgo.

32.Meitei/Manipuri people (noun)

English Meaning - an ethnic group native to the state of Manipur in northeastern India. Meitei people also called Manipuri, dominant population of Manipur in northeastern India.

33.endorse (verb)

English Meaning - approve, validate, uphold, support .

34.eat into (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - damage, spoil, destroy; use up, consume.

35.reservation (noun)

English Meaning - a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics.

36.pie (noun)

English Meaning - a share of something.

37.raging (adjective)

English Meaning - extreme, severe, strong.

38.compromise (verb)

English Meaning - weaken, impair, undermine.

39.born out of (phrase)

English Meaning - occurring as the result of something; because of, due to, owing to.

40.whip up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - excite, evoke/provoke, stimulate, encourage (strong emotions in someone intentionally); it also means to prepare something (specifically food) very quickly.

41.hysteric/hysterical (adjective)

English Meaning - overwrought, emotional, uncontrolled, frenzied.

42.conflagration (noun)

English Meaning - flames, blaze, fire, firestorm, inferno.

43.brewing (adjective)

English Meaning - developing, looming, impending, fuming, simmering, smouldering (of something bad/unpleasant situation).

44.discontent (noun)

English Meaning - disappointment, dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, resentment, grievances, unhappiness, displeasure.

45.biased (verb)

English Meaning - partial, one-sided, discriminative.

46.alacrity (noun)

English Meaning - eagerness, readiness, promptness, willingness, swiftness.

47.perception (noun)

English Meaning - understanding, discernment, recognition/realization; interpretation.

48.come to pass (phrase)

English Meaning - happen, occur, take place, transpire, come about, befall.

49.over-zealousness (noun)

English Meaning - excessive enthusiasm/eagerness; intense passion/fervour.

50.indulge in (verb)

English Meaning - become involved in something.

51.eviction (noun)

English Meaning - expulsion, banishment, ousting/removal.

52.drive (noun)

English Meaning - campaign, push, movement.

53.bias (noun)

English Meaning - prejudice, partiality, favouritism, unfairness, discrimination.

54.seek (verb)

English Meaning - aim, try, attempt; ask for, request, demand.

55.ostensibly (adverb)

English Meaning - in a way that something appears or is officially stated to be true/real, but it might not be; apparently, seemingly, allegedly, professedly, supposedly, purportedly

56.in the name of (phrase)

English Meaning - for the sake of.

57.rile up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cause a feeling of anger or annoyance; exasperate, anger, irritate, annoy.

58.livelihood (noun)

English Meaning - means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income.

59.recourse (noun)

English Meaning - option, choice, possibility/way out, hope, remedy.

60.tamp down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - reduce, lessen, decrease, diminish (the intensity of something).

61.faltering (adjective)

English Meaning - delaying, uncertain, unsteady/weak, precarious, irresolute, hesitant.

62.mechanism (noun)

English Meaning - apparatus, medium, agency, instrument, channel.

63.reach out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - contact someone to obtain/offer help/assistance/cooperation.