'Hope Manipur Finds Peace Soon'

'My one recommendation would be to first quell the violence and then encourage dialogue and build the trust among the different communities.'

'This is not easy but necessary, for violence cannot be the way forward.'

A riveting excerpt from Najma Heptulla's In Pursuit of Democracy: Beyond Party Lines.

When Prime Minister Modi asked me to take over as governor of Manipur, I was a little apprehensive.

I took oath in August 2016 in Imphal. The Raj Bhavan was under repair so I moved into the guest house normally reserved for visiting dignitaries.

The early months were depressing and lonely since I did not know anybody.

I did not know the local language and the position itself seemed very ceremonial, especially after my hectic Delhi life in active politics.

I was assigned Z security cover, which meant whenever I went out, I had to move in a bulletproof vehicle, secured with dark panes, while a convoy of 15 cars, with commandos surrounding my car, accompanied me all the time.

This isolated me from the local people -- something I was not used to.

The state, however, was hardly serene when I became governor. Though far from its current bloodshed and destruction, strikes and blockades were a constant feature of everyday life.

This was largely due to conflicts between the ethnic groups, with each fighting for their own demands, over complex issues of their identity, history and land rights in the valleys and the forests.

To add to it, the porous border with Myanmar facilitated the illicit flow of high-value contraband items into India, then as now, especially drugs, arms and ammunition.

The border posts of Moreh and Churachandpur, the fulcrum of violence in Manipur in recent times -- had been major hubs of India-Myanmar drug trafficking for long.

I found a Manipur where life had come to a standstill. Anxiety ran high about a possible intrusion upon the integrity of the state by the Indo-Naga peace process under the interlocutor R N Ravi, then governor of Nagaland.

Protests erupted, businesses shut down, and fear stalked the streets.

After 8 pm, no one came out of their homes. The basic necessities of life -- vegetables, grains, pulses, bread -- were not available, because markets were not allowed to operate and goods could not enter the state.

I used to carry all these from Delhi whenever I travelled for work. Fuel was very expensive. And one had to wait in queue for hours to get a limited amount.

I decided that I needed to do something about the situation.

For me, as always, diplomacy, communication and engagement were key to understanding and addressing any problem. I had learnt that diplomacy triumphs over aggression, violence and high-handedness.

I decided to call the Naga, Kuki and Meitei leaders separately and told them that their blockades and protests were putting businesses and communities in major jeopardy.

My question to them was, 'Who is losing? Who does this benefit?' I pointed out to them that the prime losers were their own communities and implored them to sit across the table and talk to each other to find common ground.

I offered them the use of the Raj Bhavan as a neutral and safe place for them to confer to thrash out their problems.

I said it was not a government office but my residence. And I would not interfere. Somehow, with my persuasion and persistence, things gradually settled down.

A few months later, the assembly elections took place in 2017. No party had the majority. A BJP-led coalition, under the leadership of N Biren Singh was sworn in, with him as chief minister.

The first sign of normalcy was the opening of the markets on a regular basis, availability of everyday essential goods, and the normal flow of traffic in the city and on the highways.

There were also signs of revival of the real estate and construction industries.

I decided that I needed to travel around the capital and the state to engage with the people on a one-on-one basis.

When I started to travel, it created a flutter among my security staff. I tried to assuage their fears that I would not interfere with the security protocols and that it was not my intention to put them in harm's way.

It was just that, as governor of the state, it was important for me to engage with the people and understand their problems.

I was not there to be a silent spectator; I made up my mind to participate.

One day, in June 2017, I decided to go to the Nupi Keithel or the Ima Market -- the world's largest women's market, where over 12,000 women work in a huge building.

The women sell everything -- from clothes, groceries and vegetables to other articles.

Mary Kom, the internationally renowned boxer, who I first met in Manipur and who later became a friend, had gifted me a phanek -- the traditional wrap-around skirt worn by Manipuri women, with a blouse and a scarf. I wore it and went to the Ima Market.

Word spread that the governor was at the market. Immediately, shops started to shut and women came running towards me, much to the chagrin of my security staff. Women -- young, old and the elderly -- surrounded me.

I went to every stall with them and bought something small as a token. They insisted that I change my current phanek.

I was embarrassed, I had no intention of undressing in public. Within minutes, however, a new phanek was stitched to size.

The women enclosed me in a circle, removed the old phanek and wrapped the new one around my waist.

Then it was time for selfies, thousands of those, with the women smiling and laughing into the cameras with me.

My first public outreach was a grand success. Wearing a phanek publicly became a habit.

I wore different phaneks -- of the Kuki, Naga or Meitei traditions -- depending on the community I was meeting. It used to make the people happy.

Similarly, I started attending different sporting events. When I first attended the famous Governor's Cup boat race (which earlier governors rarely attended), my security staff panicked again.

I reassured them that no one was going to kill me and asked them not worry. I went and enjoyed the race as well as the interactions.

I used to go for all the football and polo matches. And I used to walk around freely in the stadium.

Wherever I went, women used to come and hug me.

They listened to me when I encouraged them to participate in the Thursday street market.

While I was helping the bigger group of entrepreneurs, I tried to help and encourage as many individuals as I could.

I realised that the biggest hindrance to the Northeast integrating with the Indian mainland was the lack of direct connectivity.

The only way to get to Manipur directly was via air and that route was quite limited in scope.

For that reason, tourism could not really be developed on a large scale, despite the beauty of the Northeast.

I decided that something had to be done about it. It was absolutely imperative that Manipur be connected to the rest of the country, and not just via Guwahati or Kolkata.

I talked to Jayant Sinha, the son of my good friend Yashwant Sinha. Jayant was Minister of State for Civil Aviation at the Centre.

I explained the problem the Northeast faced. As governor of Manipur, my priority was to get Imphal connected to the rest of the country, especially to Delhi.

Jayant understood and asked the Air India officials to meet me. I made sure I followed up with him and the officials he had got me connected to.

Finally, Air India started a direct flight between Delhi and Imphal, every alternate day, just a three-and-half hour flight.

Jayant came down to Imphal to inaugurate this flight and I remember him quipping in his speech that my persistent and unrelenting pursuance of this direct connectivity had motivated him to speed up the process.

I think what he really meant was that I would finally stop bothering him at all hours of the day, all the days of the week till he relented.

Additionally, I also communicated with the authorities of all the private airlines and explained that Manipur had an international airport with all the facilities to support additional traffic and to taxi planes overnight.

I argued that Imphal had the capability to support an increase in passenger traffic, both of locals going back and forth and increased tourists, nationally and internationally.

This could prove to be very profitable for them. IndiGo, too, started a direct flight between Delhi and Imphal.

Between Air India and IndiGo, Imphal was connected to Delhi at least five to six days a week. Since then, more direct flights from other airlines connecting Imphal to Delhi were started.

During my tenure as governor of Manipur, the state had become so peaceful that my friends and family, colleagues and peers not only from India but from all over the world felt safe to visit and travel within Manipur.

They did not have Z security, in fact they had no security, but were safe.

Today, when I hear about the unrest in Manipur, I feel dismayed and sad. My one recommendation would be to first quell the violence and then encourage dialogue and build the trust among the different communities.

This is not easy but necessary, for violence cannot be the way forward.

I fervently hope that the beautiful people of the bejewelled land find their peace soon. And, perhaps, remember my time with them with a smile and a nod.

Excerpted from In Pursuit of Democracy: Beyond Party Lines by Najma Heptulla with the kind permission of Rupa, the publishers.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com