Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Festering wounds: On Manipur’s elusive peace

Festering wounds: On Manipur’s elusive peace

Manipur continues to remain on the boil due to ineffective governance (शासन)

More than three months since ethnic (प्रजातीय) violence broke out in Manipur, there are still little or no signs of lasting (स्थायी, टिकाऊ) peace. From competing (प्रतिस्पर्धा) groups imposing (थोपना, लगाना) blockades (नाकाबंदी, अवरोध) of arterial roads (प्रमुख सड़क) to sporadic attacks resulting in (परिणाम) deaths, the conflict (संघर्ष, टकराव) is rife with (full of, filled with, fraught (with), charged with, loaded with, frought) incidents suggesting the breakdown (failure, collapse) of law and order (कानून एवं व्यवस्था). Another indication of the state of affairs (status quo, the present situation, the current state) is the difference in perceptions (understanding, comprehension, interpretation, impression, observation, discernment, recognition, realization) between the police and the paramilitary (अर्द्धसैनिक) Assam Rifles with unedifying (distasteful; unpleasant, undesirable (public event)) acts such as an FIR being lodged by the police against the latter for “obstructing” it from discharging (carry out, perform, conduct, do) its duties. Far from (से दूर) moving away from the ethnic quagmire (unfortunate situation, muddle, mix-up) and in search of a détente (restoration of harmony, agreement, compromise/understanding), the situation is more like a powder keg (a dangerous situation; a volatile situation). That people are still in relief camps and many houses have been destroyed, and anyone seeking peace has been subjected to (का विषय है) violence or threats also attest to (bear witness to, bear testimony to, be evidence of, be proof of, prove, demonstrate, confirm, substantiate, certify, vouch, witness) this unfortunate fact. India’s mainstream (मुख्यधारा) polity had an opportunity to use the monsoon session of Parliament to nudge (encourage, prompt, stimulate/coax) key stakeholders (a person with an interest in something) to work towards reconciliation (restoration of friendly relations, restoration of harmony, agreement, compromise, understanding, peace, an end to hostilities; conciliation, pacification, appeasement). But that opportunity was seemingly lost, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had little to say beyond homilies (lecture, oration, preaching, discourse, talk, speech) on what needs to be done even as the Opposition only sought to pin down (force, constrain, compel, pressure, put pressure on, pressurize) the government for its failures as a means (way, method, approach) to score (get, gain, win, achieve) a political point in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

The events in Manipur so far (until now, up to the present, up to this point) suggest that the ethnic conflict festers ((of a problem) to become worse or more intense due to long time negligence) because of the intractable (unmanageable, uncontrollable, ungovernable) positions by the Meitei and Kuki-Zo leaders. The Meitei (an ethnic group native to the state of Manipur in northeastern India. Valley-dwellers & non-tribals Meitei/Manipuri comminity is the largest & dominant community in Manipur, account for about 53% of the State’s total population of 2.85 million (2011 census)) refuse to acknowledge (accept, recognize, realize) the sense of bias (prejudice, bigotry, intolerance, inequity, discrimination) in the State government’s actions — especially by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh — that have alienated the Kuki-Zo and its representatives (a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); legislator lawmaker), cutting across (transcend, go beyond, rise above (differences/divisions between groups/parties)) party lines. The latter seeks to harp on the idea of a “separate administration (government, regime)”, complicating the fragile (weak, vulnerable, risky, unreliable, insecure) co-existence (The state of two or more different things existing/living together at the same time or in the same place) of ethnic identities in the State which include others such as the Naga community. The refusal of civil society (it is the space outside the family, public sector (government & its branches) and private sector (businesses and corporations). It now signifies a wide range of organised and organic groups including non governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions, social movements, grassroots organisations, online networks and communities, and faith groups) representatives to rise above their ethnic differences (disagreement, lack of agreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, dispute, quarrel) has also exacerbated (intensify, heighten, increase; aggravate, worsen, make worse) the conflict, which has worsened due to the lack of accountability (responsibility, liability, answerability) of the State government and its refusal to change its leadership — a step that seems to be the only clear possibility of bringing forward reconciliation. Manipur is a vital border State and the continuing distrust (mistrust, suspicion, lack of trust) between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo will have a lasting impact on future generations, severely hampering (hold back, hinder, impede, inhibit, obstruct, thwart, block) progress. The Union government’s choices are clear: it can either continue the narrow-minded (intolerant, illiberal, short-sighted, myopic, inward-looking, inflexible, dogmatic; biased, prejudiced, bigoted, discriminatory, one-sided, partisan, unfair) emphasis (importance, significance, priority) on not giving into any critique, even if constructive (useful/helpful, productive, practical/effective/beneficial), and let the situation fester into an uneasy stasis (a situation or period in which there is no change or development; inactivity, stagnation, lethargy, laziness, dullness, equilibrium), or take up the gauntlet and bring about (cause, lead to, result in, bring on, give rise to, produce) substantive (significant, considerable, substantial, sizeable, huge) changes in the State leadership, heralding (signal, indicate, foretell, point to, announce, spell, usher in) steps towards reconciliation.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.governance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शासन
English Meaning - the act of governing something; administration.

2.ethnic (adjective)

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

3.lasting (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्थायी, टिकाऊ
English Meaning - enduring, long-lasting, continuing, persisting, permanent, stable, constant.

4.competing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिस्पर्धा
English Meaning - fighting, clashing, disputing, conflicting.

5.impose (verb)

Hindi Meaning - थोपना, लगाना
English Meaning - apply, enforce, bring into effect.

6.blockade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नाकाबंदी, अवरोध
English Meaning - barrier, roadblock, barricade; obstruction, impediment.

7.arterial road (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रमुख सड़क
English Meaning - an important/principal (road/route).

8.result in (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - परिणाम
English Meaning - cause, lead to, bring on, bring about, produce, give rise to.

9.conflict (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष, टकराव
English Meaning - clash, fight, tussle, quarrel, dispute; discord , hostility, friction, strife.

10.law and order (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कानून एवं व्यवस्था
English Meaning - a condition in which the existing rules, regulations, norms and related legal codes are recognized and observed for the sustenance of peace, orderliness and security of lives and property in society; lawful behaviour, order, lawfulness, discipline, peacefulness. (Under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and therefore, it is the primary duty of the State Governments to prevent, detect, register and investigate crime and prosecute the criminals).

11.paramilitary (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अर्द्धसैनिक
English Meaning - (of semi-militarized force) organized like a military force.

12.first information report (FIR) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पहली सूचना रिपोर्ट
English Meaning - a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offence.

13.far from (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - से दूर
English Meaning - not, not at all; nowhere near, a long way from.

14.subject to (verb)

Hindi Meaning - का विषय है
English Meaning - put through, lay open to, expose to, be vulnerable to, be susceptible to, be liable to, be prone to.

15.mainstream (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मुख्यधारा
English Meaning - accepted, established, recognized.

16.festering (adjective)

English Meaning - simmering, fuming, smouldering, brewing; become worse/intense.

17.wound (noun)

English Meaning - distress, trauma, anguish, pain, suffering.

18.elusive (adjective)

English Meaning - difficult to find, difficult to achieve; intangible.

19.on the boil (phrase)

English Meaning - it refers to a situation which is very strong or active or intense.

20.break out (noun)

English Meaning - (sudden) outbreak, eruption, flare-up, upsurge, outburst, blow-up (of something unwelcome).

21.sporadic (adjective)

English Meaning - occasional, infrequent, irregular, unpredictable.

22.rife with (adjective)

English Meaning - full of, filled with, fraught (with), charged with, loaded with, frought.

23.breakdown (noun)

English Meaning - failure, collapse.

24.state of affairs (noun phrase)

English Meaning - status quo, the present situation, the current state.

25.perception (noun)

English Meaning - understanding, comprehension, interpretation, impression, observation, discernment, recognition, realization.

26.Assam Rifles (AR) (noun)

English Meaning - a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India.

27.unedifying (adjective)

English Meaning - distasteful; unpleasant, undesirable (public event).

28.lodge (verb)

English Meaning - put forward, present (a complaint).

29.discharge (verb)

English Meaning - carry out, perform, conduct, do.

30.quagmire (noun)

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

31.detente (noun)

English Meaning - restoration of harmony, agreement, compromise/understanding.

32.powder keg (noun)

English Meaning - a dangerous situation; a volatile situation.

33.attest to (verb)

English Meaning - bear witness to, bear testimony to, be evidence of, be proof of, prove, demonstrate, confirm, substantiate, certify, vouch, witness.

34.polity (noun)

English Meaning - a politically organized society.

35.nudge (verb)

English Meaning - encourage, prompt, stimulate/coax.

36.stakeholder (noun)

English Meaning - a person with an interest in something.

37.reconciliation (noun)

English Meaning - restoration of friendly relations, restoration of harmony, agreement, compromise, understanding, peace, an end to hostilities; conciliation, pacification, appeasement.

38.seemingly (adverb)

English Meaning - apparently, allegedly, ostensibly, supposedly, purportedly.

39.have little to say (phrase)

English Meaning - have no/minimum opinion, thoughts, or comments to offer on a particular topic.

40.homily (noun)

English Meaning - lecture, oration, preaching, discourse, talk, speech.

41.sought past tense of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt to obtain.

42.pin down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - force, constrain, compel, pressure, put pressure on, pressurize.

43.means (noun)

English Meaning - way, method, approach.

44.score (verb)

English Meaning - get, gain, win, achieve.

45.run-up to (noun)

English Meaning - a period of time just before an important event.

46.so far (phrase)

English Meaning - until now, up to the present, up to this point.

47.fester (verb)

English Meaning - (of a problem) to become worse or more intense due to long time negligence.

48.intractable (adjective)

English Meaning - unmanageable, uncontrollable, ungovernable.

49.Meitei/Manipuri people (noun)

English Meaning - an ethnic group native to the state of Manipur in northeastern India. Valley-dwellers & non-tribals Meitei/Manipuri comminity is the largest & dominant community in Manipur, account for about 53% of the State’s total population of 2.85 million (2011 census).

50.Kuki-Zomi community (noun)

English Meaning -The Kuki (hill tribes) people are an ethnic group native to the state of Manipur and other states in northeastern India. The “Mizo” (poetic version of “Zomi”), people are a ethnic group native to the Indian state of Mizoram and neighbouring regions of Northeast India.

51.acknowledge (verb)

English Meaning - accept, recognize, realize.

52.bias (noun)

English Meaning - prejudice, bigotry, intolerance, inequity, discrimination.

53.alienate (verb)

English Meaning - set apart, isolate, distance, detach, separate, disunite; estrange, make hostile/make unfriendly.

54.(elected) representative (noun)

English Meaning - a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); legislator lawmaker.

55.cut across (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - transcend, go beyond, rise above (differences/divisions between groups/parties).

56.party line (noun)

English Meaning - the policies of a political party (collectively).

57.harp on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to talk/write about something continuously & boringly; keep talking about, dwell on, expound on, speak at length about, write at length about, discuss something at length, nag/badger someone about.

58.administration (noun)

English Meaning - government, regime.

59.fragile (adjective)

English Meaning - weak, vulnerable, risky, unreliable, insecure.

60.co-existence (noun)

English Meaning - The state of two or more different things existing/living together at the same time or in the same place.

61.identity (noun)

English Meaning - identification, recognition; individuality, originality.

62.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.

63.civil society (noun)

English Meaning - it is the space outside the family, public sector (government & its branches) and private sector (businesses and corporations). It now signifies a wide range of organised and organic groups including non governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions, social movements, grassroots organisations, online networks and communities, and faith groups.

64.rise above (phrase)

English Meaning - to tackle a difficult or unpleasant situation successfully. (or) cut across, transcend, go beyond (differences/divisions between groups/parties).

65.difference (noun)

English Meaning - disagreement, lack of agreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, dispute, quarrel.

66.exacerbate (verb)

English Meaning - intensify, heighten, increase; aggravate, worsen, make worse.

67.lack (noun)

English Meaning - absence, unavailability, non-existence.

68.accountability (noun)

English Meaning - responsibility, liability, answerability.

69.bring forward (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - propose, suggest, put forward, posit, present, come up with,

70.distrust (noun)

English Meaning - mistrust, suspicion, lack of trust.

71.hamper (verb)

English Meaning - hold back, hinder, impede, inhibit, obstruct, thwart, block.

72.narrow-minded (adjective)

English Meaning - intolerant, illiberal, short-sighted, myopic, inward-looking, inflexible, dogmatic; biased, prejudiced, bigoted, discriminatory, one-sided, partisan, unfair.

73.emphasis (noun)

English Meaning - importance, significance, priority.

74.give into (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to finally agree to something; admit, acknowledge, submit and accede.

75.critique (noun)

English Meaning - analysis, evaluation, assessment, appraisal, review.

76.constructive (adjective)

English Meaning - useful/helpful, productive, practical/effective/beneficial.

77.stasis (noun)

English Meaning - a situation or period in which there is no change or development; inactivity, stagnation, lethargy, laziness, dullness, equilibrium.

78.pick/take up the gauntlet (phrase)

English Meaning - agree to a challenge (whereas ‘throw down the gauntlet’ means ‘to issue a challenge); (‘gauntlet’ means ‘open challenge’).

79.bring about (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cause, lead to, result in, bring on, give rise to, produce.

80.substantive (adjective)

English Meaning - significant, considerable, substantial, sizeable, huge.

81.herald (verb)

English Meaning - signal, indicate, foretell, point to, announce, spell, usher in.