Invitation
IRABOT DAY OBSERVATION
(Comrade Irabot, His Time, and the Present Condition in Manipur)
Venue: Open Air Theatre, Arts Faculty, University of Delhi (North)
Date: 30 September 2011
Time: 2 pm to 5 pm
PROGRAMME DETAIL
· Assembly
· Welcome Address
· Keynote Address
· Floral Tribute
· Special Numbers & Recitation
· Interaction
· Vote of Thanks
Organised by the Manipur Students’ Association Delhi
For information please contact MSAD at: +9192504446722, +917503689305, +917503873671, and +919911415807
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Dear friends,
30 September has been widely recognised and observed as IRABOT DAY in Manipur to commemorate Hijam Irabot’s birth anniversary.
Comrade Irabot (30 September 1896- 26 September 1951), who had a humble destitute origin as orphan, was a leading figure of the social reform movement and political agitations in Manipur in the 1930s and 1940s. He could not be lured by the prospect of royal prerogatives and official facilities including the prestigious post of membership to the Sadar Panchayat Court that were being offered to him for having married a princess. He resigned from a government job and fought against feudal oppressions and colonial rule. He is considered a pioneer in the fields of sports, literature and journalism, and he was instrumental in the formation of reform organization, cultural organisation, students’ federation, peasant union, women’s organization and political party. By 1943 he was a confirmed communist and was politically active in Assam during six years of exile till late 1946. He was elected to the Manipur Assembly in 1948. He was considered a threat to the State who subsequently declared him a terrorist on 21 September 1948 on false charges before the formal inauguration of the Assembly. He became an underground, carried out an armed struggle and died in the jungle due to malaria in 1951.
Comrade Irabot spearheaded the movement to establish a Manipur that would be free from subjugation, oppression and exploitation. In the decades after 1951, Irabot’s ideological line has not been encouraged nor his ideology adequately studied or promoted; although he has been widely iconographed, honoured and commemorated. This is the period when most of the people in Manipur have been experiencing ideological disillusionment and political confusion as a result of the extensive counter-democratic activities that have been carried out by left-revisionists, right-wing opportunists, communal chauvinists, reactionary militant groups, and the oppressive and exploitative State system.
Against the backdrop of the political crisis, instability and economic decline prevailing in Manipur, MSAD is intended to organise Irabot Day Observation on 30 September 2011 not only to commemorate the achievement of comrade Irabot and his political works, but also to have a discussion focusing on the prevailing conditions in Manipur from the perspective of the ideology and strategy that were upheld by him. We expect to have the discussion with the aim to draw people’s attention towards scientific understanding about Manipur and contribute to the collective initiatives for development, peace and unity. We, therefore, invite you to kindly attend the programme and share your perspective.
Your kind presence is highly solicited.
Sd/-
Beerjurekha Samom,
President,
Manipur Students’ Association Delhi
—
Apunbana Yaipharae
(Unity is Victory)
Manipur Students’ Association Delhi
(Estd. 1971)