By Wangkheimayum Bhupendra Singh
Every society needs a hero or heroes. And for a society as diverse as ours, the need seems much more and it is more intense than others. Here, there is need for a genuine hero who can be both hard and soft according to the situation, someone who could lead from the front. A hero should not only be a Hero but a leader too, he should not only be praised for his actions and bravery but should be able to inspire and lead the others towards realising society’s aspiration and hopes. If we consult some of the dictionaries, the common definition of a ‘leader’ could be summed up as one who leads or shows the way to others. Though the definition of a leader remains unchanged at all places and at all times, its characteristics have to mould into different forms and local adjustments have to be made according to the aspirations of the general masses. In our Manipuri context, a heroic leader should be able to see the aspirations of the general public, kindle the spirit of struggle among the masses and inspire them with his deeds and bravery. He should at the same time manage to maintain the unique identity of the society. Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle in his work “ON HEROES, HERO-WORSHIP, AND THE HEROIC IN HISTORY”, had said, “One comfort is, that Great Men, taken up in any way, are profitable company. We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man, without gaining something by him. He is the living light-fountain, which it is good and pleasant to be near”. As it is, a heroic leader should have the qualities to inspire and profit the others just from their acquaintance. They should be able to simplify the things which the general public aspires to do and help them practically realize their dreams and hopes.
Considering our present context we may very well acknowledge the presence of several individuals in the top echelons of our society today who are experienced in the art of corruption that they may in fact be put on a pedestal and worship as Gods of Corruption. This is where the society needs to be awfully concerned in choosing their leaders and heroes. Corruption runs rampant in our society today as is evident after reading the local dailies and from the local grapevine. However, corruption is not the only ill of our society today. Our society has a clarion of issues at hand which seem to have bogged down our society to move at a snail’s pace if at all it is moving. Our leaders need to get up and clear away the scepticisms, the uncertainties in our society today. In the absence of capable and responsible leaders, our society seem to be leaning more and more towards mob culture which by any standard is not a positive development. While it is everyone’s guess where our so called political leaders are, our people seem to be more interested in following the angry mob culture. Manipuris had celebrated Lamyanba Hijam Irabot just recently. People from all walks of life had celebrated the leader of the state throughout the month of September in the state. Throughout the month there were clarion calls to observe and follow the ideals of the leader for a better future, however soon after the end of the month, our society seem to be so engrossed in its daily survival routine that we have no time for the leader or his ideals. Whatever his ideals or ways of dealing with the issues back then were, he was and is still a hero for the people of the state and countless numbers of Manipuris who are now settled in other parts of the world. Now we need another leader who could again ignite the imagination of the people and influence them to a better and a more complete society.