MANIPUR IN 2025: LOOKING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL

-Lalringsan Hrangchal

Manipur is regarded by many as the state with the most potential. That is why the future is so important for us. To visualize what Manipur would be 23 hence, is at once splendid idea, even though it’s an exercise in totally idle conjecture. The best calculation of men goes wrong, for the future has a tendency to unfold itself in the most unexpected manner. Nevertheless, time decides a long period in an individual’s life but they represent a small span of time in the history of a nation. After all, ours is an age of speed and rapid changes and the experience of the decades since 1947 gives courage to opine that the next generation may also bring in its train equally momentous development and changes.

As we will peer into the third decade of the millennium, we will have by no means solved all our problems- some quite serious. Not all that Manipur had set out to accomplish on the eve of attaining Statehood will have been achieved. However vast changes might have taken place.
If one were to fall asleep today and wakeup in 2025, he would rub his eyes again and again and see that his home state has changed beyond recognition. The rural housewife will have a complete relief from the drudgeries of house keeping. Office and factory will have computing machines of all kinds. Students will receive help of all kinds that their parents never dreamt. Traffic incident will be minimal with the help of radar devices. The nerve wrecking noise will be muffled by scientific use of elastic materials. Imphal, Churachandpur, Senapati, Parbung, etc will shoot skywards and village homes will spreads out in gardens. Tipaimukh Dam will generate 1,500 MW of power, as such there will be no more crying for power failure. Perhaps, four hours toiling will be all that is needed for one’s bread winning job.
There is likely to be a rapid movement towards gender equality in legal, economics and political terms. The language of Imphal Bazaar will determine the language the State speaks. Meitei Mayek will be emerging. Yet, English will be more to be widely used. Newspaper will not be alone in demonstrating and highlighting the selfish interest of politician and the underground outfit. Nepotism and favoritism will become a thing of the past. Advancement and promotion in career will be based on hard work, sincerity and efficiency, so as induction into a new job will be based on merit through competitive examination. And, Manipuri Film Industry will have met Bollywood.
Manipur will still rule India with regard to sports. Cricketer from Manipur will be included in the Indian Team although the captain is likely from Kolkata or Mumbai. Hockey and Polo will be almost extinct in a competitive sense. Manipur athletes will still be struggling to win a medal in the Olympics. Qualification for World Cup will still be elusive for India although great enthusiasm will be generated and Manipur player will dominated Indian football. Manipur will, however, reign supreme in athletics and football.
Perhaps, insurgency, corruption, bribery, kidnapping, etc will be accepted as a problem that won’t go away. SAARC might embrace Myanmar and Iran. Central and West Asian oil will continued to influence Indian economy. There will be a shift from political to economics relationship with U.S, E.U and Japan which will be a great blessing for Manipur.
The importance of IAF and navy will grow steadily and there will be new “Missile Corps” in India. The services may begin to be integrated in a new series of command theatre and, Manipur will be a new centre of this command theatre. There will be no more Armed Forces Special Power Act. Irom Sharmila will take food and, the general people of Manipur will not afraid a White Gypsy.
With 100 % immunization in the near future and advances in molecular biology, it should be possible to eradicate all major communicable diseases. The pressure of forest which has been a burning topic of Manipur owing to the proposed Tipaimukh Dam will begin to decline by 2025 with the provision of alternative sources of fodder and fuel.
Meanwhile, the objective of population stabilization is unlikely to be realized. There will still be too many officials who are not big enough for their boots. Industrialization, urbanization and quality of water will remain major threats to public life. Manipur will still be in no position to fully satisfy the basic needs of its people, what to speak of their aspirations.
Still, Manipur achievements by 2025 will be substantial by any historical standards, especially if we keep in view the level from which it started and how difficult was the terrain along which we had to tread. The advanced made in political, economics, social and scientific spheres and under a democratic framework with many pulls and pushes when taken in its entirely, should give us the faith in our capacity to find solutions to the many remaining problems.
Our greatest achievement will be that we will survive as “free and democratic state”. The political system will acquire unquestioned legitimacy. Tensions due to social churning will not come in the way of further developing the “SENSE and SENTIMENT OF MANIPURI’S, of MANIPUR being ONE PEOPLE”



When Nehru died in 1964, four lines of poetry by Robert Frost were found on his table :
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep”

These lines will seem as appropriate and relevant for Manipur in 2025 as they have seemed to Nehru.