A large section of the Meitei community regards M. Pramot Singh—chief of Meitei Leepun, a radical cultural organisation— as a hero and a philosopher. He has influenced the Meitei youth with the finesse of a Pied Piper. His supporters guard him diligently at his resort-like office atop the Meitei Langhol hill in Imphal. He keeps a loaded gun nearby; occasionally, he gives instructions to his people through a wireless set.
Singh is one of the most controversial figures in Manipur as Kukis accuse him of instigating violence. They say his cadres are embedded with the Manipur police. Many also raise concerns about his proximity to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
Meitei Leepun has amassed a large following, and many of its members are armed. Singh says over a thousand members of his group are trained in handling arms; he calls them “lallois,” a term derived from Manipur’s warrior culture. “We have more than a thousand lallois and around 14,000 paojellois in Imphal. Paojellois serve as evangelists, spreading my message far and wide. Their numbers are increasing by the day,” he says.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Singh says the Meiteis are the true indigenous people of Manipur and that the ongoing war is unavoidable.
Excerpts:
Q/ How can you justify the war when women are being stripped naked, paraded and raped?
Denne historien er fra August 13, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra August 13, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
