Six-lanes might need a turn of the century to come in the realistic dream of the native people residing here. Forget that, even single lanes are such deprived that one can hardly ply an old age Tata truck! No, its not the set of a RGV flick and I am not any Mozambo reporting from the forests of Kenya!

Delhi to Lucknow takes 12 hours by bus; thanks to the sexy Volvo that ply between the cities. Also, Guwahati to Tinsukia takes the same 12 hours; thanks to Assam State Transport Corporation run B7R VOLVO (how they charge Rs 390 for 550Kms, I don’t know – quite cheap) , here too! Down south, Chennai to Banglore takes nearly 8 hours!

Now imagine, a similar distance, but the terrains are ‘a’ bit different. Even the “police” on the way are in a different set of mindset! “Does they exist actually,” asked a fellow passenger. News from this part of the world only gets Page 1 coverage, as anything that doesn’t find that space, misses the whole paper, thereby the news sense!

Welcome to Manipur – a state, like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and others in India (should I write “of India”?) Manipur gets a special mention here at Life’sPurple because Life there is not that Purple these days; rather months. When rice is sold at Rs 150 a Kg and petrol nowhere to be seen, the royal life definitely takes a beating. It’s not that these stuff are of no use there – it’s the result of the “economic blockage”, a mere term for many.

The Times of India reads, “United Naga Council began its 20-day economic blockade on national highways 39 and 53 in restive Manipur from Wednesday (4^th August, 2010), compounding the woes of the people, who recently faced shortage of essential commodities owing to a similar stir. Supported by UNC, which is spearheading the Naga integration campaign, the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (Ansam), had imposed a 68-day economic blockade on the two highways that ended on June 18. Ansam demanded nullification of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) Amendment Act 2008, saying it deprives the tribals of their rights.”

Can this be possible in a sovereign country like India? Can a similar situation be faced by a state like Bihar or Karnataka? I agree Manipur is landlocked and there remain differences everywhere – in principle and in politics; but why the natives, the locals and the people serving the society had to suffer? Is is not the insensitivity of the Indian government that such contrasting relations can be seen even between two neighbor states of the country – which at some point of time were one? The divide can be seen everywhere – Bihar Vs Gujarat, Bihar Vs Maharashtra, Assam Vs Bihar, Karnataka Vs Tamil Nadu and vice-versa in every aspect.

Is the caste-based politics a reason for that? And what about reservations? To make matter worse, the General Census 2011 (the largest non-sample based survey in the world) will be counting heads according to caste as well! I don’t know ‘what’ caste I belong to; does it mean I should write “outcaste”?

God save the country…

Image courtesy: manipur.org