Bandh, blockade, public curfew Don’t hold the future to ransom

Bandh, blockade, public curfew. These are all terms which have been synonymous with the place for long and if no serious thought is given to the ground reality here, then one can only look forward to a bleak future. Can Manipur really afford all these ? This is the age of competition where there is just not enough space for the average to make a mark for oneself. And yet people keep talking about the future of the youngsters who will one day steer the course of the land and the people. The competition that one talks about here should be understood in the bigger context. Global village should be understood in its correct perspective for this also means that competition amongst the youngsters will not be local competition but competition across the country and the world. Has the right ambience been created for the youngsters to let their mind wander and learn new things ? Are they allowed to pursue their academic studies sans disturbances ? A look at the reality should hammer home the point. No wonder many students from Manipur make a beeline for destinations outside the State, with the parents bearing the burden. Time to seriously start thinking along this line, for disturbing the academic pursuit of the young kids amounts to fiddling with the future of the land.
Just as the past should not hold the present a prisoner, the present too should not hold the future to ransom. Looking at what has been happening in Manipur for long, one may say that the present is toying with the future of the land and the people and the time is more than right to seriously study the situation and see how a better future for the youngsters may be created. Sure the Government has a big role to play here, but it is society as a whole which should rise to the occasion and shoulder its share of responsibility. Make Education a Free Zone has been the slogan of quite a number of organisations for long and it is only right to study why such a catch line should have been scripted in the first place. Looking at the political and social reality, one may predict that more stormy days are ahead but let all take the solemn pledge that while the adults may pursue their own course of action, the academic pursuit of the young students will not be disturbed. This is the least that one may do for the youngsters for remember they will be competing with their counterparts not only from across the country but the whole world and the future of the land belongs to them.