‘You know what, today is the flag hoisting ceremony of our kendra’s candidate who is also a family relative.’—this is what I got to hear when I mundanely called up my married sister on her Nupamayumgi phone number to inform her that I have booked my ticket for Yaoshang and that I will be home. I was remotely amused by the excitement in her voice. I heard the sound of speakers loudly playing ‘Maikei asomda leibiriba ekai khumnabada matik charaba ahal laman lai guru...’ and all those nonsense stuffs. I made an excuse to call her up later as the noise was disturbing too much. The next moment I found myself satirically smirking and an interior monologue started playing on my mind, ‘Is this one of the syndromes of Election Fever 2012’?
I called up another childhood friend, and no need to guess anything, but there she was also busy attending a feast with some of her Leikai friends. (Of course! The kind of feasts sponsored by the election through the agents!) I could not endure the same pestering noise so I had a brief talk with her and hung up. The next step was pretty obvious. I switched off my mobile phone, fetched myself a coffee cup and parked myself in my work station (in a delusive state of mind). ‘Oh this is really what they often call the election fever’— I consoled myself later, gulping the last sip of coffee. Phew!!!
With just a few days away, the election fever is perhaps spreading fast at each and every corner and kendra. Forget the monthly salaries, the pending exam schedules, the thika-bills. Forget the electricity, forget the roads in rubbles, forget the highway 53, forget everything. Even the half-baked breads are waiting to be baked for the D-day on January 28. ‘Vote loiraga taarey’— I have often heard people telling one another in the past (and I am sure this is the most common assurance given among people at present too). Only the wisest fools would believe in such a stupid assurance. Has anyone ever introspected why everything is election-centric in Manipur since the last few weeks? What’s the big deal about this election? Why are our people easily lured by the seasoned tricks and tactics of those self-styled political parties and candidates? Why is the election fever given much hype in the state? Let the wrong or the right ones come to power. They are not the ideal demagogues in the state who can promise us a new Manipur. Their manifestos are all sheets of wasted paper with never meant to be implemented bullshits as the contents. We suffered, we lamented and yet we are electing them again. Oh, the dearest morons! Just shoot yourselves with a cheap gun instead of fooling yourselves over and over again.
If personally questioned, I am so freaking happy to admit that I have never cast a single vote during any of the elections held in Manipur. I self-boycotted them, I boycott it now and I will always boycott it in the future until and unless the deserving candidate is contesting for the election in my kendra. But as far as the scenarios in Manipur are concerned, the existence of the deserving candidate is just a myth. Everyone becomes corrupted. Everyone plays politics and everyone is so well-versed in giving excuses or explanations. One of the stupid excuses ever heard from the intellectual class in our society on politics is ‘You either become a part of it or become a prey of it’. Is there no third option?
It’s better to waste the vote than to cast it for the wrong candidate. In this regard, I have no regrets of wasting my vote in the past. I will keep wasting it every election. This is perhaps a pie of freedom and liberty I have enjoyed as an individual and this liberty is pretty precious to me. No one can ever bribe me on this. I bet that.
Nonetheless, I have some special messages for everyone out there. My first message goes out to that voter who cast the vote in the past or is going to cast the vote as my proxy, ‘Hey there, may your soul be dysentric and may you never find a single packet of ORS’. My second message goes out to all the election fans (especially to the so called khongbaan chenba parties) out there, let the fever continue. You guys do not need paracetamol tablets for this fever. Enjoy the chaaklems, yoorems and remain meerems forever. Your votes are cheap, your votes are misused, and your votes are never meant to bring a change in the society. Stop lamenting on further bomb blasts, stop forming JACs and no more rallies or protests in the future.
To the rest of the masses, let us heartily thank Sidhaba Mapu or Ema Laimaren Sidhabi that Child births, Nature calls, Dev-Karmas etc. are luckily not succumbed to the election fever. The get well soon cards will anyway be parceled for every patient but without any bomb attached with it. Take Care.
I called up another childhood friend, and no need to guess anything, but there she was also busy attending a feast with some of her Leikai friends. (Of course! The kind of feasts sponsored by the election through the agents!) I could not endure the same pestering noise so I had a brief talk with her and hung up. The next step was pretty obvious. I switched off my mobile phone, fetched myself a coffee cup and parked myself in my work station (in a delusive state of mind). ‘Oh this is really what they often call the election fever’— I consoled myself later, gulping the last sip of coffee. Phew!!!
With just a few days away, the election fever is perhaps spreading fast at each and every corner and kendra. Forget the monthly salaries, the pending exam schedules, the thika-bills. Forget the electricity, forget the roads in rubbles, forget the highway 53, forget everything. Even the half-baked breads are waiting to be baked for the D-day on January 28. ‘Vote loiraga taarey’— I have often heard people telling one another in the past (and I am sure this is the most common assurance given among people at present too). Only the wisest fools would believe in such a stupid assurance. Has anyone ever introspected why everything is election-centric in Manipur since the last few weeks? What’s the big deal about this election? Why are our people easily lured by the seasoned tricks and tactics of those self-styled political parties and candidates? Why is the election fever given much hype in the state? Let the wrong or the right ones come to power. They are not the ideal demagogues in the state who can promise us a new Manipur. Their manifestos are all sheets of wasted paper with never meant to be implemented bullshits as the contents. We suffered, we lamented and yet we are electing them again. Oh, the dearest morons! Just shoot yourselves with a cheap gun instead of fooling yourselves over and over again.
If personally questioned, I am so freaking happy to admit that I have never cast a single vote during any of the elections held in Manipur. I self-boycotted them, I boycott it now and I will always boycott it in the future until and unless the deserving candidate is contesting for the election in my kendra. But as far as the scenarios in Manipur are concerned, the existence of the deserving candidate is just a myth. Everyone becomes corrupted. Everyone plays politics and everyone is so well-versed in giving excuses or explanations. One of the stupid excuses ever heard from the intellectual class in our society on politics is ‘You either become a part of it or become a prey of it’. Is there no third option?
It’s better to waste the vote than to cast it for the wrong candidate. In this regard, I have no regrets of wasting my vote in the past. I will keep wasting it every election. This is perhaps a pie of freedom and liberty I have enjoyed as an individual and this liberty is pretty precious to me. No one can ever bribe me on this. I bet that.
Nonetheless, I have some special messages for everyone out there. My first message goes out to that voter who cast the vote in the past or is going to cast the vote as my proxy, ‘Hey there, may your soul be dysentric and may you never find a single packet of ORS’. My second message goes out to all the election fans (especially to the so called khongbaan chenba parties) out there, let the fever continue. You guys do not need paracetamol tablets for this fever. Enjoy the chaaklems, yoorems and remain meerems forever. Your votes are cheap, your votes are misused, and your votes are never meant to bring a change in the society. Stop lamenting on further bomb blasts, stop forming JACs and no more rallies or protests in the future.
To the rest of the masses, let us heartily thank Sidhaba Mapu or Ema Laimaren Sidhabi that Child births, Nature calls, Dev-Karmas etc. are luckily not succumbed to the election fever. The get well soon cards will anyway be parceled for every patient but without any bomb attached with it. Take Care.
This article was published on 22 Jan 2011
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