SOJOURN IN ZODAWN:

On 15th April 2010, I ventured with my grandpa in his car deep down in Zodawn upto near Mizoram boarder in Guite Road for some family business. Then on 21 May 2010 to Behiang and on 24 May to some Ug;s designated campi in Hausapi ranges. In this sojourn to Zodawn i came across many signs which pop out my head or shed in many villages. WELCOME TO....khonuam:..Nuam, read the sign at the entrance of most of the villages as we pass them on our way to destination. whether or not the irony of these registers on the users, it seems like an ominous reminder that here, more than any other place, most people have been struggling long, that the poverty of Zodawn had reached such phenominal depths that most people were living just at the subssistence level.

There was hardly any surplus stocks of foodgrains, to sustain the people against economic or crop failures. These Zodawn people living standard can be compare to those of the people lining in the recurrent famines in India during the British era. With Manipur government policy of least relief or developmental measures, the suffering become acute. And with their NREGS wages 10 percent or 20 percent deducted by some ultra;s, there was a little or some money in the hands of most of zodawn people to purchase food at a higher price or from a distant place.

It take more than four hours to reach our destination. on the ways the deplorable condition of these people make me keep thining. their deplorable economic condition have less impact on the rest of the state;s mind than does a mosquitoes- killing virus. As far as anyone outside Zodawn is concerned, these Zodawn people have, in fact, become nothing more than a voter list or a statistics. We sit far away here in Delhi or in other metropolitan city, safe and sound from the political chaos, and the nightmare living condition in Zodawn. When some curious young mind wrote something about Zodawn socio-economic condition we shake our head over another shameful stories of our hometown and then move on to the next articles or news item. Mautam...WHAT/ Mautam, crop failures, school drop out, disturbed area acts, neglected, corruptions... What does it matter? We no longer stop to think. Or Care. But you can't ignore it when you are there, in the middle of these people, looking at their shabby dress or rickety house, almost non-existent infrastructure and feeling what it must be like to be those people we only hears in some write-ups.

When someone talkes about Zodawn condition, we have a notion ready in minds for all politicians(MLA's) are corrupt to the core, and it is the result of these corruption that zodawn condition is worsening. We the Zou's are expert in generalising. Perhaps that is not a swapping statesment. The tendency of us, zou to view every politician(MLA), as corrupt and a Money Machine is not only false in every sense of the word. But is also indicative of a very narrow and parochial mindset and outlook. it not only highlight the fact that we the Zou's want our politicians to be the way but also exibits our tendency of not wanting to do anything to change the present scenerio. The incident of Ngasuanlei in 2008 show our parochial mindset and outlook on the people and Zodawn, and also that Zou educated prefer to blame the politician instead of going out and do the required of them. we usually do nothing and then we criticise the authority for being neglecting our land.

Along the way one got to see the little sign-post announcing the effort of the local MLA's, "Primary health centre, PMGY, IAY etc..". The present MLA within in his capacity tackled the issue upto some extent. He had been effective in monitoring the judicious use of funds arriving from the state and centre. But it is the middle men between the MLA and local people- The contractor and the government beaurecracy, who corrupted the fund and diverted for their personal gain. It's here, that we, the more educated peoples in the towns and cities, have a place, to fight for the people of Zodawn. We gave too much emphasies to the government for development.

It is time to change our outlook towards Zodawn and our politician. the government would not make us developed, educated and income Zodawn income. it is ourselves who can make Zodawn growth in all sphere. And it is the Zou educted who can fight those corrupt contractors and government beaurecrate, to make Zodawn economic condition a balanced economy of agriculture and a self sufficient villages community.