Hijam Irabot

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Hijam Irabot Singh

Hijam Irabot Singh (30 September 1896-26 September 1951), also known as Jana Neta Hijam Irabot, [1] was a freedom fighter, politician and social activist from Manipur. He was one of the founder leaders of Communist Party of India (CPI) in Manipur. He wrote journals and poetry, as well as plays in which he also acted. He was also a sportsman. He chaired the 4th Session of the Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha.[2] He showed leadership against social injustices during the Second Nupilal, 1939. [2] In the June/ July 1948 election to the Manipur Assembly, Irabot won from the Utlou Constituency.
Contents
[hide]

1 Early life

2 Political life,

1934-1938

3 Political life,

1939-1951

4 References

[edit]Early

life

Irabot was born to Hijam Ibungohal Singh and Chongtham Ningol Thambalngambi at Hijam Leikai which has now been replaced by the 1st Manipur Rifles. [clarification needed] After his father's death, he moved with his mother to stay with his aunt at Moirangkhom Sawaijam. He studied at Johnstone Higher Secondary School, Imphal, Manipur (still existing, located at western side of Kangla Fort), till Class 7 and founded two student bodies, Bal Sangha and Chatra Sanmelan. In 1913, he went to Dhaka with his cousin, Sawaijam Somorendro and got admitted at Pugoj High School to study till Class 9. In 1915, he dropped out due to shortage of money and went to Agartala. Later that year, when he came back to Manipur, he found that his mother had died. He stayed with a friend in Wangkhei called Maibam Shamden who worked in the court of King Churachand. It was then that he came in good relations with the royal family. He got married to the king's elder brother's daughter Khomdonsana. He was then appointed a member of the Sadar panchayat
[edit]Political

life, 1934-1938

For more details on Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha, see Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha. Originally known as the Nikhil Manipuri Hindu Mahasabha, the Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha was founded under the patronage of Maharaja Churachand Singh who was the president of the organization. All works were carried out by Hijam Irabot who was the vice-president. Under Irabot's guidance, 4 sessions were held. In the last one at Chinga, during Maharaja Churachand's absence, Irabot changed the name of the sabha by dropping Hindu off the original name. He also changed it into a political party. Maharaja Churachand sent a warning to Irabot on the events taking place in his absence. Irabot and Elangbam Tompok, a clerk at the revenue department resigned from the Sadar Panchayat. They outlined a legislature which was submitted to the king and the Manipur State Durbar. It was rejected.
[edit]Political

life, 1939-1951

This phase could be termed as the socio-reformer phase. In 1939, when the 2nd Nupilal broke out in Manipur, a section of the NMM called the Praja Sanmelani split off the original party to join the Nupilal. Irabot headed this party and gave a speech at the Police lane in 1940. He was arrested and deported to the Silhet Jail. At the jail, he met Indian communist leaders like Hemanga Biswas and Jyotirmoy Nandi. He was greatly influenced by them.[3] Irabot was released from the Sylhet jail on 20 March 1943. But he was not permitted to enter Manipur.He stayed in Cachar district to work among the Manipuri peasants and also among the nonManipuri ex teagarden workers. There he joined the Kisan movements. He kept in touch with the communist leaders and attended the first Party congress of the Communist party of India that was held at Bombay from 23 May to 1 June 1943 as a special invitee from Cachar.In Cachar he organized cultural squads known as Swadesh Ganer Dal, which was later on incorporated in the Indian People's Theatre Association. He led a

delegation from Cachar to the All India Kisan Sabha session held at Netra Kona in Mymensing District of Bengal. In March 1844, he went to Bejwada (Katakual Village) to join the Kisan Conference and stayed for sometime at the Bengal Communist Party office. The same year he went to Sylhet to join the annual session of the Surma valley provisional Kisan Sabha. Irabot was detained as a security prisoner in the Silchar District jail with effect from 15 September 1944 on the charge that he was a communist. He was released on 10 January 1945. After more than 5 years of political exile, Irabot was given permission to stay in Manipur for a week (from 2 to 10 September 1945). His request for an extension of his stay in Manipur was denied. He came back to Cachar and carried out peasants' movement. He was appointed General Secretary of the Cachar District Kishan Sabha and President of the Surma Valley Kishan Sabha. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Assam Kisha Sabha, the CPI Assam Provincial Committee, and the Assam Students' Federation. He contested in the 1946 election to the Assam Provincial Legislatures Assembly from the Silchar constituency as a CPI candidate, but lost by a narrow margin. Irabot was finally permitted to enter Manipur in March 1946. In Manipur he organized a new party called the Manipur Praja Mandal in April 1946. He attended two sessions of theNikhil Manipuri Mahasabha before he was expelled from the membership of the Working Committee of the Mahasabha on the charge of being a member of the Communist Party of India. He attended the second congress of the CPI held at Calcutta from 28 Feb to 6 March 1948.[4][5] The first Communist Party of Manipur was formed on 23 August 1948. In the June/ July 1948 election to the Manipur Assembly, Irabot contested and won under from the Utlou Constituency as a Krishak Sabha candidate. Before the inauguration of the Assembly, Irabot on behalf of the Manipur Praja Sangha and Manipur Krishak sabha called a meeting at the M.D.U Hall on 21 September 1948, to protest against the formation of Purbachal Pradesh, composed of Manipur, Tripura, Cachar and Lushai Hills. A scuffle took place at Pungdongbam when the Manipur State Police prevented a group of citizens who came to attend the meeting in which a police officer was killed on the spot. The Manipur state council declared the Manipur Praja Sangha and Manipur Krishak Sabha unlawful. The state officials declined to constitute an Enquiry Committee to investigate the Pungdongbam incident. Irabot could not attend the first meeting of the Manipur Legislative Assembly held on 18 October 1948 because of the warrant against him. Irabot formed an underground Communist Party of Manipur on 29 October 1948 and carried out armed struggle against the government. He died on 26 September 1951 at the foothills of the Anggo Hills.[6]
[edit]References

1.

^ http://www.manipuronline.com/Opinions/August2004/peaceparadigm12_2.htm

2.

^ a b Kanglaonline | Your Gateway to Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim

3.

^ How Irawat became a communist 1

4.

^ http://www.e-pao.net/manipur/images/History/Souvenir_Hijam_Irabot_20100930.pdf

5.

^ Profile Hijam Irabot Souvenir

6.

^ How Irawat became a communist 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijam_Irabot
Hijam Irabot once bloomed in the west ern side of Chinga Hill, which is one of the important historical places of Manipur. Though passed away long time back on the 26th September, 1951, nobody can forget his teachings and ideologies. He was torch bearer of the then Manipur. Still today, he shines as the pole star in the garden of Manipuri literature. During his lifetime, the work of administration of Manipur was in the hands of the British with Manipuri kings reduced to only nominal heads. Nobody dared to speak against the defective administrative system of the then British ruler. Jananeta Hijam Irabot's mind was all the time restless to think of his motherland. He tried to move heaven and earth to awaken up the consciousness of innocent people of Manipur. Through public meetings and discussions, he pointed out to the people of Manipur that we were not goof to remain silent even though we were guided wrongly and imposed taxes unlawfully by the British administrators. He set forth through his journals, pamphlets and books that we, the people of Manipur should adopt non-co-operation movement against the British people. He did not like to use the cloths produced by the British. He wanted to use only the cotton cloths made by the Manipuri women weavers. He wished for the unity and co-operation among the people of Manipur. He even wrote lyrics for the encouragement of the farmers and for the solidarity of the youths of Manipur. When circumstances demanded, he used to call the youths near hi, narrated important stories on the diplomacy of turning out the British people. Sometimes, he made them delighted with his comic speeches. He established many organizations for bringing a new order of society in which people can exist freely and achieve an ideal status in life. He started rebellions against exploitation and injustice in the society. Luckily or unluckily, he was compelled to lead the life of an underground with effect from 21st September, 1948 till the end of his life. He became a true and popular leader of the masses. In 1939, he led the historic Nupilal (Women's War) against economic exploitation. Coming to discussion on his literary contributions, I would like to say something about his collection of poems entitled "Imagi Puja' (Prayer to Mother). This anthology of poems contains altogether 49 poems. First of all, according to me, Hijam Irabot got a special style of writing. Just like a teacher teaching his younger students in the classrooms, we are taught valuable lessons through his poetry. Various experiences are reflected in the minds of the readers. We can collect important information from his poems. He did not express what he wanted directly like the modern poets. We are, firstly, motivated and carried to the land of his imaginative world. We are given rest for some time and then a stream of beautiful words is poured into our ears. For instance, in his poem 'Imagi Puja', he carried us to his land of dream and conveyed his anxiety over seeing and knowing about the situation in his motherland Manipur while staying within the confined of the prison cell. He is a quotation of his beautiful rhyme'Who are you?... Who are you? Calling mother and mother In such a calm night of late hours! Secondly, being a man who stayed long years outside Manipur, Hijam Irabot got various experiences of life. As a writer, he had his own style of comparison. His description of the rising of the sun is different from other poets. In his poem 'Dikhou', Irabot saw the rising of the sun as the bathing of the sun in clear water. It is taken to be similar with the bathing of saints in the holy water. In his poem 'The Sea', Irabot compared the moving and floating of the ship to the movement of ducks on the vast water surface of Loktak Lake. Thirdly, some of his poems have similarity to some of the poems written by English poets. The way of his imagination in the poem 'If I were a bird' reminded us of William Cowper's imagination in the poem 'The solitude of Alexander Selkirk'. Just like Swift and Poe, Irabot was also not afraid of satirising the colonial powers and he used irony to speak out against the feudal monarchical system in Manipur. Like John Donne, one of the famous metaphysical poets in English literature, Irabot used metaphors quite effectively in some of his poems. Like PB Shelly, Irabot used symbols in his poems profusely. These styles of his writing can be seen in the poems like 'Flag of Natshi', 'Can you bear the burden?', 'Civilisation', 'The Smiling of Bone' , 'O! The bank of Dikhou', 'Lizard', etc. Fourthly, being a man frustrated over injustice in the society, Hijam Irabot was very much conscious of the frustrated lives. He could describe vividly the lives of the downtrodens. For instance, in the poem, 'O, They are!', 'Factory' etc, Irabot depicted the shocking and sorrowful living condition of the deprived workers. We feel very much shocked on reading the poem 'Factory' where he described: "Oh, smoke stained heads Smeared their lives with dust ...................................... Oh, World of smoke stained! In the poem 'O, they are!', Irabot described farmers as being accompanying all the times with leeches and insects in the field. Some lines from the said poem are reproduced below "Sunlight makes than bath! Living together with leeches, Accompanying with insects!" Moreover, some of his poems like 'Meiteileima' and' Imagi Puja' were devotional and patriotic in expression. In 'Meiteileima', the poet talked of his longing to sacrifice life for the betterment of his motherland and he emphasised that any kind of obstructions should be overcome for peaceful existence among the people in his native land. Irabot was unbearable to the pang of separation from his motherland. He wished forever to see his motherland even though he was lying behind the tall prison house of Sylhet. Fiftly, as a poet, Irabot never broke the principle of rhyme in writing poems. In some of his poems, we find some loan words like 'Khallashi', 'Jamander', 'Jailor', 'Kripa', etc. He took references from religious books like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Moirang Kangleiron, etc. In the poems like 'Can you bear the burden?', 'So and so', 'Nam Mantra', etc, we came across such references. Lastly, the poet described natural beauties in some of his poems like 'Sharat', 'Sakhangnaba', etc. 'Sakhangnaba' also got romantic elements. From the above discussion, we come to know that Hijam Irabot was not just a versatile and genius poet but also a pioneer who heralded renaissance in Manipuri literature, culture, theatre and social outlooks, etc. To conclude, I present this tribute to the immortal leader of the people: "O Father, Father of Nation It is in the true sense Nobody can deny it Let your soul rest In peace in Heaven forever.">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Courtesy:

Author / Written by:- OinamManibabuSingh

http://www.hueiyenlanpao.com/articles/item/4733-hijam-irabot-and-his-collection-ofpoems

Hijam Irabot: Caught between two shadowy webs

Published by Imphal Free Press on September 27, 2012 | Leave a response
Hijam Irabot: Caught between two shadowy webs

By M C Arun

One of the most controversial personalities in the 20th century Manipur is Hijam Irabot. The puzzlement of historians in locating his space in current history of Manipur is very obvious because of constant debates over his political movement. His ideas, actions and political goals are discussed from two angles: first, by locating him and his ideas in larger communist movement in India; second, by locating him in a political movement of Manipur in decolonization period. Still a minor view is there locating him in a movement for an Independent Manipur in Independent India. He is assessed by many historians with the counts of preWWII activities right from the formation of Nikhil Manipuri Hindu Mahasabha which later changed its name to Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha down to various reformation movements both of political and socio-cultural nature. His underground life was least discussed or not even well documented. The communist movement of 1948-1950 in Manipur was mainly constructed historically with oral history methods. These oral historical accounts are found contradictory among themselves; this led more confusion over the historical position of this great political leader of first half of the 20th century. The personal accounts of his closest colleagues in the underground movements are scanty in number or are well influenced by personal emotions and sentiments. His ideas in his later periods are not fully studied or documented; the scanty materials are interpreted or re-interpreted by many for certain political gains or interests.

Hijam Irabot Courtesy: Manipur Archives

Another way of looking at Hijam Irabot is the dissociation of him from the party under which he led the armed struggle. This way is very common in a set of literature around the later political movement of this great man. The basic issue in such approach to understanding is whether the leader or the party should be given importance in knowing a peoples movement. The associated question is over the person or the process of the movement. The tragedy is that, for any question in hand, there is limited information both oral and documentary evidences. In some writings, it seems that a fact is over blown up so that the interpretation may serve an interest set by the interpreter. For a little mental exercise, we can have a question: Did Hijam Irabot and his party (communist, no doubt) take up arms for a communist Manipur or as a part of larger communist movement seen at the fag end of British colonialism in Indian sub-continent. The resolution of Indian communists to take up arms and the preparations for a larger revolutionary movement are often cited as background of armed communist movement in Manipur. The formation of various peasant associations and their political slogans are explained in the line of Indian communist resolution. The role and decision of other communist leaders who are younger than Hijam Irabot in the party formation and its decision for an armed struggle cannot be overlooked while looking for the nature and extent of the struggle in the most critical period of Manipur history. On the other hand, in the light of self-criticism of Hijam Irabot, a school of thought tries to project this leader as a communist leader of Manipur, independent of Indian communist movement. To this school of thought Marshal Titos line or communist with a sense of nationalism is the key concept and tries to locate Irabots contribution to the emergence of revolutionary nationalism in post-independence period. Only dark areas in the construction are that what and how things had been organized after the Party went underground in 1948. The oral narratives of his followers (many of them were very young at that time) who were interviewed by interested persons make more and more confusions. As there were contradictory statements among them, the political ideology and its manifestation of the Party cannot be ascertained. The narratives of top rank leaders who went underground with him are not only few in number but also are scrutinized by different persons with their subjective bias. This situation of valuation of a historical personality is a great challenge to history writing. The often stated statements about Hijam Irabot Jana Neta or Lamyanba are (i) he was against the formation of Purbalchal Pradesh, (ii) he was so angry when he heard about the merger of Manipur. Hijam Irabot was anti-Purbalchal Pradesh formation, proposed and demanded by Bengalis in Cachar and Tripura. Again, he was also anti-merger. He did not want Manipur to sign the proposed Merger Agreement in 1949. The signing of the Agreement was done after his Party went underground. From these two statements, it would be wrong to conclude either he was Indian communist or anti-Indian. Nothing can be concluded only on the ground of these two statements. It was not only the communists including Hijam Irabot who rejected the proposal of formation of Purbalchal; it was also opposed by a large section of Manipur Congress, Socialists in Manipur and many others. Likewise, the anti-Merger stand may be on various grounds. The ground of his antimerger stand might not be that his movement was for an independent Manipur. The transformation of Indian communists anti-imperialist movement to peoples movement and their ideological stand on the question of Indian Independence may be an alternative answer to his anti-merger attitude. Did he want a communist Manipur in a communist India? Answer may be tricky because objective study on this question demands much more historical information beyond these narratives available so far. These historical facts are interpreted by many in one or other way. His ideas are tried to be reconstructed through his own poems, essays and other literary pieces, too. The political interpretations of various poems in his Imagi Puja show that he did not altogether stand against the Indian Union (communist or liberal democratic). Such an exercise of reconstructing his ideas does not yield a new picture, beyond any doubt. One thing is certain that he thought against the wind of the colonial rule and the breeze around the transfer of power from British to India. It is not always easy to lead a people who cannot think against the existing social ideology; Hijam Irabot might have faced much trouble and difficulties at that time to convince the people who were socialized with a dictum: Ningthou semba yaoganu.

http://kanglaonline.com/columnist/mc-arun-manipur-hijam-irabot-caught-betweentwo-shadowy-webs/