Anthropologists of colonial India suggested in the Legislative Assembly of February 1936 that the tribesmen of India were to be kept in a zoo during the debate on the Excluded areas. Writes Verrier Elwin under the caption, “Do we really want to keep them in a zoo?” in the book - The Tribal People of India - published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, GOI. This was probably the outcome of their years of education and their wish to preserve as specimen the barbaric and uncivilized tribesmen to add to their blessed stock of scientific knowledge. However, God wrought a different story for these so-called barbaric tribesmen and sent people to teach these savages about love – the love of God that simply transforms them from barbarism to cultured and civilized people that puts them on equal footing with people who have legacy of centuries of civilization. This is the history, in brief, also of the blessed stock of people who lives in Lamka as well.
One is often left to wonder what if Christianity had not penetrated. What if our fathers and forefathers had declined and continued with animism. What if Christianity had not brought education and renewed values into the culture. Reminiscing on the if’s of history would not bring any change in it, and neither is the intention here. It is rather the fact that the dice had been cast, and the best part is that it had. Nevertheless, pondering the present scenario stimulates a probe back into the history as people who had been redeemed, not only of spiritual, but also in whichever way one can be – education, culture, status, wealth, you name it! And it is sad to learn that the present Lamka looks everything else, except redeemed! It appears to have got caught in a maze – disarrayed family, pathetic social issues and a melodrama of political merry-go-round. These thoughts give way to a relook into the key institutions that holds our community together to see where and why, the better part of our history – Christ – might be essentially missing. And how may we recapture the better legacy to emerge from the perils and perplexities immediately facing us today.
1. Homes where Christ went missing (Luke 2:43):
The family is the basic unit of the society, and the society is only as strong as its homes.
~Billy Graham
A flip or two back to the pages of history tells us that our fathers and grandfathers subsisted on an agricultural economy and static culture within the confines of each villages. Crimes were rare and much so, an opportunity for progress. With the advent of Christianity and education, economies began to change and the culture becomes more relative. In addition to that, the change in governance from the British rule to acquiesce into Indian Union introduced the simple barely literate folks into a complex administrative system which they were not aware of before. Even as there are hordes of issues to confront at the home front, the few more educated folks join the socio-political bandwagon and pioneered governance and social engineering to transition the community into a different era. The primitive administration clashes with the exhaustive Indian democracy. In all these, as the economy changes from a raw agriculture based to a more affluent service based, the culture of the new generation keeps on shifting with the additional influence of media channelized regime. Changes which took centuries to evolve in other places arrived abruptly and met the simple Lamka folks off guard with all its sophistications. It got caught in a time warp – positively or negatively! Families went haywire! An absentee father, unsatisfied mother and disillusioned offspring are the domestic scene of the day.
Apart from the already established families in the community, there seems to be an alleged confusion on the principles and concept of marriage even. A pack of neo-intellectuals raised doubt on the validity of shifting the marriage style from the customary one to the quasi western church marriage. There are people who opined that church marriage with the western touch is the in-thing and consistent with Christianity, while others stick to the view that the customary style must be revived which still can be remodeled within the gambit of a valid Christian marriage. The trending pattern points to a neo rich culture of lavish celebration while not necessarily subscribing to purity in the prelude to marriage or acknowledgement of the reality of the union and turned it into a superficial show biz. While people of more modest means go for the fast, quick and quiet elopement which align neither to the customary pattern nor the faith practice. No outright condemnation or snap judgment is adjudged to neither of these here. Even then, the answer to the dilemma will neither be in the former nor the later. It will rather be in how - the owner, author and sustainer of marriage – Christ has been glorified. This has left a big question for the new generation to answer and decide how best we model on this.
Moreover, parents of the senior generation comes from a place where crimes were rare and culture static, they were unaware of the changes that their children had gone through. While putting bread on the table - for the father, and maintaining the household, not the home - for the mother, and attending social and church obligations are considered to be the prime responsibility, the children are being discipled by the new gods and demigods of the world. They began to conform to affluent and alien culture with a primitive economy, while some privileged ones are sustained by salaries from reservation and quota jobs of the parents. The imagination runs wild on aping the west, the heart so subtle for the new sophistication, and the hands refused to work. The head crammed with knowledge, the heart void of discernment and the hands so slack to labor. Parents mostly meet and find Christ only at the church on Sundays and prayer meetings. While they are bent on ritual, children slipped away into the jungle of civilization. Worship is religiously done in the Church, while Christ went missing at the home. While attributing respect to the generation before for handling the multi-generational transition from era of manual tools to high end gadgets; still may we question ourselves in the face of this peril of losing the family institution - how best do we glorify Christ in marriage and channelize Him back to our homes? For without Him, we know, family is deprived of its Owner, Author and Sustainer.
2. Churches where Truth is kept hidden (2 Chron 34:14-15):
The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. ~Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
The uniqueness and grandeur of the church is not in its building or the number of members registered, or the status of its denominational affiliation but the fact that it is an organism – has an animating life source. It is not structural; but well organized, no mankind founded or established it; yet no earthly force could stop it. Kingdoms rise and fall, emperors come and go, and most earthly thrones last but only for a brief period of time. However, a movement started by twelve motely groups of people does not decline or waver, but keeps on increasing and expanding till today. Its strength does not lie on the size of members or the budget it is entitled to spend, but in the precepts of the Bible and how well it aligned itself to its truth, in the power of the Holy Spirit, glorifying Christ- its head - and being messenger of Him in establishing the Kingdom of God.
Heralding the gospel is a necessity and mission of the church, and should be done with utmost care and priority. However, looking at a situation like Lamka where it boasts of almost 100 % Christian population, it is noteworthy that six days out of seven days has been spent outside of the church - in the family, society, business or office and marketplace. The general church goers may display a naïve pious behavior in the community owing to the endless teaching on personal ethics and morality Sundays after Sundays, and it is also place where even the vilest sinner and most hardened criminal are aware of the essential steps to new birth. As the church continues to register new-births after new-births, the registry of new-births exceeds that of the official church members. This implies a re-registration of the same person time and again year after year. This may not be the case of preaching an inferior gospel or less skilled or less powerful ministers. But the fact that the new converts were placed back into socio-political systems that does not align or endorse Kingdom principles where all still claimed to be Bible believing and Christ following Christians. While motivation to promote fundraising for mission fields, prayers and evangelism is mandatory and priority, the flock also must be taught with specific instruction on how to behave themselves and respond to the complex social environment, political space and marketplace. For it is in these environments that our most well intentioned witnesses are often betrayed by our responses and behavior. We may not require such a teaching had we been stuck in the situation which we were in one or two generations before.
With the constantly shifting culture – thanks to the exploding influence of media - the economy too keeps changing, politics and governance becomes more complex, and the horizon of learning and education keeps on expanding. Inventing a new Bible or gospel in the situation may not be the antidote; however, teaching the old, classical, infallible and timeless truth of the Bible in answer to, not only the personal ethics, but also to the macro ethics of the society and community is an urgent necessity and mandate of the Church. Otherwise who is going to remedy the pathetic paradoxes that makes daily headline?
A Christian dominated society and media being so judgmental and loud on behavior propelled stealing of cheap household objects while condoning and endorsing in silence the professional thieves and liars who loot the public of their amenities and diverting for their personal gains. Society lauding the riches of smugglers, but loathe the victims. Elections being held violating all democratic norms and no one stood up against it. The community so influenced by a politician who frames developmental policy while being blind to abject poverty next door. Churches ignoring the sacrifice of widows while applauding contributions of corrupt politicians. Corruptors are seating themselves on the front pews without guilt, shame or remorse. Christians enriching themselves with an unsanctioned money-lending with exorbitant interest rate of 60 % or more per annum and claims to love the neighbors. The administration is being complacent to the mushrooming poppy cultivation around, wine vendors, drug peddling while gawky users were victimized. An orphan being beaten to death and justice not met. Claiming to love a land in which 80 % of its connectivity is a highway to hell when its road constructions are done by the persons who claim to be leaders.
The list will be endless if we go on! If the churches will not conscientize its members on these, the world still is going to aggressively take its hold. Then the result will be no less than chaos – market without ethics, society without compassion and politics without morality or principle - which Lamka presently is.
I do agree that the Bible talks nothing of social gospel per se, so also it neither endorses an isolated Christian sans economy, social or political life. It neither does confer a new birth degree without discipleship. Discipleship entails behaving Christ like in every situation, even when one is not engaged in Church activities, witness or evangelism. While the church is busy engaging in its business-as-usual within the four walls, the macro conscience of the market, society and polity are left untouched. I do not intend to promote market analysis or economics education in the church, but that the church teaches the members on how to live the Christian life in the marketplace and do an ethical business. I do not say that the church should preach social gospel, but I’d really pray that the church teaches the members on how to act and respond to the society in a Christ like manner. I do not voice that the church plays politics at all, but desired that the church teaches its members on how to be responsible and principled Christian citizen in the political space and play politics with morality. All these must be done, not apart from the gospel, but upon the gospel rooted in the crucified Christ where redemption and justice had been done in the most expressive and ultimate way – vindicating the victim and convicting the guilty. The crux of the matter is not about skepticism on the prevailing evil around, but whether the church has the answers for these. If it does not, then the Bible is not what it claims to be. If it has, then why should the church be mute on issues where the Bible is explicitly vocal?
3. Leaders/politicians who are blind to the Truth (John 14:16, John 18:38):
Jesus is the vine of human life, and real politics is one of its branches. Life without the vine is vain; a branch without a vine bleeds; and politics without Jesus is a dirty joke!
~Columnist Mensah, Richard Obeng in Politics Without Principles, August 19, 2012.
Normally, emergence and creation of a political identity or nation has always comes from a minimum two factors, external and internal, and has never been from a single factor - oppression from without and revolution from within. Sometimes, these are supplemented by common origin, cultural affinity and provisional opportunity. And it is always gravitated by the hope of a better and unified common future for the people involved, through a visionary and dedicated leader. The problem with Lamka is that we struggle to identify who we are. Consequently we can’t figure out who’s without and who’s within. And sadly, we don’t know whom we are fighting against while still poorly administering governance in the few and hard fought status that we have. And worse still, distinction between the leader and the led is fast diminishing except when it is backed by the million dollar gun barrel.
As Lamka has been moving from its primitive pattern of chieftainship to a more sophisticated form of governance, it has been found to have gone through an interesting and often hilarious process of development. For instance, in the search for identity, the political leaders, by pure choice or circumstantial compulsion, despised the ethnic identity of poetic connotation – Mizo - in the 60’s and even went as far as embracing a name of foreign origin - Chin. An insurrection of the same ethnic identity initiated in the form of political movement – ZNC - in the 70’s & early 80’s had been opposed to the hilt in assertation of a communal identity, even to the point of potential brethren-slaughtering. So says the book of history! The same generation who are responsible for the former two instances adopted the literal connotation of the same ethnic identity – Zomi - as generic name and claims historical veracity as progenitor in the early 90’s, which eventually led to a horrific nightmare of brethren slaughtering in the late 90’s. That too, for a name’s sake!
The only political institution and status achieved so far was the Autonomous District Council (ADC) of Article 371 C provision in the early 70’s which had been boycotted for want of more autonomous governance in the form of Sixth Schedule by wannabe leaders in the 80’s, which the state government gladly withdrew. While the achievers had the dream of improvement through amendment and additional of ordinance through subtle means, the hot headed wannabes pushed for a direct provision of autonomy which eventually fail to bring results. Dejected and disillusioned, the once rejected provision has been revived recently by emerging wannabes in the hope of applying the 70’s wisdom in the present time. The wisdom of 70’s may be right in the scene of the 70’s, but not necessarily here and now.
Legislative assembly members too, are elected time after time: there are some who even dreamt of lofty heights in the state politics. The legislative members are busy job mongering, assigning quota and contracts rather than legislation. It is not surprising to note that a legislation to empower the people is kept pending for a whole generation now even as successive legislators were elected one after another! While our legislators could only make a tongue wagging self-saving defense in real politics without new achievement, ancestral tribal lands are being marked out for resource generation and the people uninformed for a couple or more years of the official agreement of the state. Traditional political and social institutions, sometimes even the churches, are being bought and sold to create vote banks. The people, including the educated ones, continues to get fooled by the same under achievers time and again simply for the lame reason that their God given free choice has been sold to non-performing political morons for a few lakhs of Indian rupees.
Now the mantra is on Article 244 A which has been supposedly claimed to be the balm of the hill and plain contention in Manipur. It will be sane to realize that it still is not a self-contained and comprehensive package. A lot has to be negotiated, even if assented, especially on the protocol between the parent and baby province. The masses of Lamka who could not manage to produce politicians or statesman to negotiate on Article 371 C for the last 40 years is not very likely to produce one who will give a strong representation even under 244 A. The point is not about being pessimistic or skeptical on the provisions or the leaders who ideated it, but realistic deductions based on our recent political odyssey. Having a political demand is normal and has no crime stringed over it, yet policy without introspection still won’t produce the best possible statesman. And without capable statesman, it will still be pouring new wine into old wineskin. And worse still, a demand to constitutional provisions come alongwith agenda from the other end of the table as well, and we have two of these – the central and the state. The agenda are not supposed to be set by the political netas and bureaucratic babus in those big chairs, obviously think tank comprising of subject matter specialists are on the work to set the agenda. The issue here is not how applicable, right or legal our demand is, but rather how well we penetrate those think tanks behind the scene – in Imphal as well as Delhi.
So, where do we go from here? What have we achieved politically in the past 40 years? Is the number of gun barrels we harbor going to define our political destiny? Is the Indian constitutional provision pragmatic enough or is it our end game? Is an armed revolution necessary to unite brethren across nations? Won’t it be economically more cost effective and viable to have a mass movement to demand a constitutional provision than totting guns? Do we have to be so ferocious and defensive of our identity if we claim and are assured of its genuinity? Are we so naïve to differentiate between building an ethnic identity and nation building? These are few of the questions that propped up due to the present political scenario in Lamka. They may lack an answer, and making the right choice may seem hard. Nevertheless, choices have to be made, decisions have to be taken and the confusion needs to be clarified to emerge from the political quagmire. Sadly, but truly, all these symptoms are consequences of myopic vision at best and blindness at worst! And this happens mostly to men who, despite being knowledgeable and powerful, are blind to the most vital and fundamental of vision – vision of the truth about Christ – for it was in this vision, principles and foundation that most powerful nations build and stand. For a change, can Lamka have a leader who knows who he is – in the most fundamental way – knows what he does and assured of where he leads the people without having to fend for his survival every off and on.
As we begin this with a juxtaposition of two strands of Lamka – the world’s way and God’s way - of writing our history. We know that it was in our weakest moment that God intervene to write a better history for us: a history that transforms us in the best possible way within the best possible time. Obviously there have been cases of error in judgment and instances of bad decisions on the part of people who wrought our legacy and history so far. However, it does not entail that the new generation must commit the same mistake or fall prey to the same adversary. It is just a matter of choice of which everyone is entitled without measure. We are responsible to choose our history – the history of sanity or insanity, purity or adulteration, love or hatred, justice or inequity, peace or perplexity, with God or devoid of God. May we choose and rekindle our better history, to create better legacy and history – at home, community and governance. And I believe we can, if we will!
© H. Khatkhawjam Jr., Biak Hangzo Ver 2.0, Build 24 x 11.