“Beyond the hills of Ang-go,
On the outskirts of the twin village
Tangbo and Shwedo
There stands a memorial stone,
And on it eternally inscribed,
COMRADE I. SINGH
DIED ON 26TH SEPT. 1951″
The above excerpt is from the Freedom Fighters Records in the Manipur State Archives, Govt of Manipur, 1986. Yes, our beloved leader, the Son of the Soil, Hijam Irawat Singh, has left us a long long time ago but his legend has continued to inspire and mesmerise us even today. I am reminded of him in the midst of the present social turmoil of Manipur: a clear indication of the lack of a true and selfless leader like him.
Hijam Irawat Singh was born to Hijam Ibungohal and Chongtham Chanu Thambalngambi on Wednesday, the 30th of September, 1896 at Pishumthong, Oinam Leikai in Imphal, Manipur. He lost his father while he was still a little child and his mother had to shift to Moirangkhom Sougaijam Leikai and took shelter there with her only little boy. He studied up to class VII (1913) at Johnstone School (present Johnstone Hr Sec. School). From there on he accompanied his cousin and went to Dacca (in Bangladesh) to stay with his well-off relatives. There he did manual labour to earn and support his education and studied upto class IX. He could not finish his matriculation though owing to his extremely poor financial condition. Irawat unfortunately lost his mother around this time (1915) and became an orphan at the young age of 19. He gave up his studies and went to stay at Tripura with some of his relatives. After some time, he returned to Manipur and stayed at a former classmate and friend’s house whose father’s name was Maibam Shamdem at Wangkhei Pukhri Mapan.
Though he became an orphan at an age when many of our youths today are still dependent on their parents for their daily needs, Irawat did not stray or become emotionally downtrodden. He was a brave young man who had a charming personality. He was always soft-spoken, modest, helpful and ever smiling with a limitless fund of humour as recalled by one of his colleague artiste. Had such a child been born today into a poor family, raised by a single mother and orphaned at a young age, we would have predicted that he will be emotionally disturbed and lost.
But Irawat’s life – the person that he grew up to be, the personality that he carried and the leadership style with which he swayed the people proves beyond doubt what the humanistic psychologists have emphasised – that we are all born with free will and it is up to us to decide to be the best person we can be and that we all have this choice no matter what the external or internal forces or circumstances might be.
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Irawat’s life has a big message for our youth today – to make the best choice in life and not to be disheartened by the unfavourable circumstances of life but to soar like an eagle and live for the people. Unlike our present society where youths have only one-sided development, Irawat spent his youthful days in the pursuit of games and sports, dance, drama, music and in writing. He played Kang, a traditional Manipuri game, and was said to be one of the best player of Wangkhei Kangkhut (Wangkhei Kang Club). He also played football, hockey and cricket. He was also very skilled at Sarit-Sarak (Manipuri Martial Arts). He was one of the founders of Town club which emphasized on sports in 1922.
He started Sahitya Sanmelan, Manipur Dramatic Union and Manipuri Sahitya Parishad in 1932 along with his distinguished colleague Khawirakpam Chaoba who became the convenor. Upon my research on Irawat, I came to know that he had contributed a lot to Manipuri literature as well. He was, in fact, one of the pioneers of the Manipuri literature and journalism. He edited the first Manipuri journal, ‘Meitei Chanu’ in 1922. Irawat contributed to the journal ‘Yakairol’ and others published in the 1930s. He published a handwritten and cyclostyled weekly called ‘Anouba Yug’ which was edited by himself.
Hijam Irawat was a close associate of Manipuri poets during the Renaissance of Manipuri Literature. He composed a collection of poems known as ‘Sheidam Sheireng’ dealing with nature, morals, stories from the Ramayana such as killing of Jatayu by Ravana, Rama’s waiting when Ravana abducted Sita and questions of right and wrong. This was used as a textbook of class VII during 1940s. He wrote a biography ‘Lokmanya Tilak’ of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the freedom fighter from Maharastra.
He had authored ‘Mandalay Khongpham’- a travelogue based on his Mandalay visit and other essays as well. His first novel ‘Muhini’ was serialised in the journal ‘Yakairol’ in 1931. He also wrote a play, ‘Gomati’ and translated Bankim chandra’s ‘Krishna Kanta’s Will” into Manipuri. He had also written a number of poems while in jail but these didn’t see the light of the day while he was alive. They were published only in 1987 by Irabat Lairik Phongba Lup, Imphal under the title, ‘Imagi Pujah’.
Irawat was also a lyricist. He had a deep faith in the revolutionary potential of the toiling masses and his ideas affected the thoughts and feelings of every progressive Manipuris of the time. His poems and songs called on the people to unite, to free the country from the colonial yoke. He also translated into Manipuri songs like ‘Thangol Adu Maya Thangu Thouna, Hey Lou- uba’ and ‘Houro Awaba Ahingi’ which were originally composed in Bengali by his artiste colleague Hemango Biswas whom he met in Sylhet jail.
Irawat even acted in Bengali plays (1915-20) and played the role of ‘Kumud’ in the first historical play in Manipuri, ‘Nara Singh’, in the year 1925. His participation in modern Manipuri theatre as an artiste both in male and female roles was highly appreciated. Another memorable role that he played was that of Chandra Singh in the social play of S. Lalit Singh, ‘Areppa Marup’ (inseparable friend). In the Manipuri version of the play, ‘Devala Devi’, he played the role of Baladeva. Besides these, he acted in other plays like Sati Khongnaang, Birmangal, etc. It is said that he identified himself with the character so completely with superb acting that the audience would forget it was a play and get deeply engrossed. Such was his charisma as an artiste! The true reflections of his internal feeling was manifested for the first time in the symbol of ‘Manipur Dramatic Union’-‘two ploughs kept across’ which was innovated by himself.
As recalled by Hemango Biswas, in 1944 District Kisan Sabha Conference, Irawat was seated at the presidential chair. There was a cultural programme at the end of the conference wherein the tea labourers of ‘Atharatila’ were presenting a Jhumur dance. He recalled that at the peak of the dance, Irawat left the presidential chair and joined the dancers, making no mistakes in step and rhythm and continued till the end. Indeed, it is no wonder that later in life he was actively involved in the movement of Indians’ Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA) in many parts of Assam and Tripura.
Irawat’s versatile personality and his growing popularity caught the attention of the royal family of Manipur. He was given Rajkumari Khomdonsana Devi, the daughter of Chandrahas, the elder brother of Maharaja Churachand in a pompous wedding. He was appointed to the post of a member of the then Sadar Panchayat, the highest criminal court of the time, by the Maharaja and gave him some land and other facilities. In 1924, he attended a meeting in Calcutta just after Mahatma’s release which maybe said to be his first contact with the national movement. He pledged himself to work for and serve his people. Remembering his hard days in school as a youth, he devoted to the spread of education in Manipur.
Primary schools sprang up all over the hills despite the unsympathetic attitude of the state officials. He worked hard to learn the laws and was always anxious to reform them so that the inequalities might be eliminated. Though holding a high post as a member of the Panchayat, he mingled around with the common people and started getting acquainted with the malpractices and exploitations under the feudal system.
He was unhappy with some serious practices of those days like the practice of holy and unholy (amang asheng), unbearable taxes levied upon the common man like Chandon Senkhai (tax on applying chandan), Khewa, Matu and other oppressive practices such as Peon Chakthak (feeding of petty officials without compensation), Dolaising ( palanquin carrying duty ), Yarek Sentry, Patsen Mashul (catching fishes in the fields and lakes without the permission of the middlemen or the contractors), taxes on crossing bridges,etc.
Right from his youth, Irawat could not stand any injustice. During his school days at Johnstone, he was against punishment and canning of students. One day a teacher of the school flogged one of his class-mates roughly and kicked him. He could not bear such ill treatment meted out to students by teachers and stood up against it when nobody dared to. Irawat immediately organised a strike in protest against the inhuman and cruel practice and demanded to ban such practices. This incident maybe said to be the first students’ strike in the state.
He revolted against inhumane torture and exploitation, an act which is differentiated from the hooliganism of the present day which are fuelled by politics to an extent. Irawat carried this spirit of fighting against oppression even while holding a high post at the Sadar Panchayat. He couldn’t bear the tyrannical practices meted out upon the common people and so he emerged as the leader of the oppressed classes. He didn’t lose time to stand up and formed the Manipur Seba Committee and established as ‘Praja Mandal’ to fight against the corrupted and oppressive feudal rule of the time.
The practice of Amang Asheng (Mangba Shengba or Ritual Cleanliness) which was carried out by the Maharaja and the Brahmo Sabha required the people to pay certain amount of money (Rupee) for the revocation of excommunication. The value of Rupee was very high those days and many couldn’t afford it. An excommunicated person could not even be cremated according to Hindu rites. Irawat organised a social service group called the Seba Committee and dug out the mortal remains and cremated them under his leadership with all the rites and rituals. Would any of our present leaders even dare to think of doing this? He led the people to resist and fight against such malpractices and injustice and it invited the wrath of the higher and orthodox authorities upon him.
The ‘Nikhil Hindu Manipuri Mahasabha’ was initially established in 1934 as a countermeasure to Christian missionary influence with Maharaja Churachand as the president. Irawat was made the vice president. This may be said to be a diplomatic tact to distract Irawat by the Maharaja. In its first session on May 30,1934, which was held at the palace, the Maharaja presided the meeting and delegates from Bengal, Tripura, Burma and Manipur attended. The second session was held at Silchar in 1936, the third session at Mandalay in Feb/ Mar, 1937 which was attended by Lalit Madhab Sharma, Bankabihari Sharma and Irawat. The third session made a call to the Manipuris to get acquainted with the Meitei script. This call has been accomplished with the first matric exam on Meitei Mayek conducted in 2016.
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Truly a visionary he was! In the fourth session which was held at Chinga, Imphal in 1938, the Maharaja didn’t attend and Irawat presided over it and the word ‘Hindu’ was omitted from the name of the organisation for the first time. It thus became a political organisation under the name ‘Nikhil Manipur Mahasabha’ and it adopted many political resolutions for the first time like asking the British to quit Manipur State Darbar, full responsible government in Manipur based on Adult Franchise, release of Rani Gaidinliu from prison, abolition of Manipur State Darbar, etc. When these resolutions of democratic nature and against feudal levies were sent to the Darbar, it expectedly debarred state employees from being its member.
Irawat resigned his membership from the Sadar Panchayat Court along with one Elangbam Tompok Singh, a clerk in the Revenue Department. Undoubtedly, these two were the real heroes who stood the test of the time and sacrificed personal comforts to carry out the works of the organisation for social cause. Thus, Irawat became the president of the Mahasabha with Tompok as the General Secretary. That was the turning point of Irawat as a full-fledged political worker and an organiser.
In the cold winter of December 1939, a man- made famine broke out in Manipur due to the indiscriminate export of rice and price rise. Starvation was prevalent everywhere and compelled the women-folk from all over to gherao the Khwairamband Bazaar and agitate against export of rice. This is now known as the second Nupi Lal of December, 1939 in the history of Manipur. Even after the agitation, the export of rice was not banned. So, on the following day of December 12, 1939, the women-folk again gathered around the bazaar in agitation and this time they seized all the cartloads of rice and paddy kept for sale to the Marwaris and were taken to the Police station. The women folk carried out all these not in ease though for they were charged with lathis, butts and bayonets by the armed sepoys. Several women were injured, six of them very seriously.
Irawat was not in Manipur when the incident took place. He was in Tripura and was asked immediately to return and lead the mass movement against which the 4th Assam Rifles had been let loosed. He came back as soon as possible and went straight to the hospital and met the wounded. His presence motivated and encouraged the people giving a new ray of hope. He soon organised 4000 volunteers for picketing trunk-roads out of Manipur to stop the rice exports. Finally, the government was forced to ban the export of rice and all the then eighteen rice mills in Manipur were closed down.
The agitation was widespread and a civil disobedience followed wherein the people stopped paying all feudal levies and revenue. Irawat led the masses and addressed public meetings with inspiring and strongly worded speeches. It was the dawn of a new political party called Praja Sammelani with Irawat as its president. At a meeting held at Police Bazaar on the 7th of January, 1940, some radical members of the Mahasabha led by Irawat formed the new political party Praja Sanmelani. He also formed the Mahila Sanmilani, the women’s wing. Apart from banning rice export, the struggle for the constitutional changes was carried out with Vande Mataram on their lips which were part of Manipur’s contribution for India’s Independence (Poorna Swaraj).
On this day, Irawat delivered a speech condemning the government’s atrocities and called out the people to join together and resist such oppressions. He was accused by the government that his speech was of seditious in nature and thus he was arrested from his house and sentenced to three years in jail in March 1940 under section 124 (a) of the Indian Penal Code. In Manipur jail, Irawat organised a movement for better treatment as the jail conditions were bad and primitive and won many demands of the prisoners. Due to his popularity in the jail and the situation prevailing outside, sensing the danger, the authorities ultimately transferred him to Sylhet Jail.
It was during his stay in the jail that Irawat came into contact with many communists and communist literatures. For the first time, he came in touch with communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism. He was greatly attracted by the ideology as he himself had always stood up for the oppressed classes and was against the feudal oppression even while he was in Manipur. So, Irawat soon applied for membership to the Assam province committee and became a member while still in the jail. He truly believed that socialism was the only means to cure all social, political and economic ills, and for the genuine emancipation of the toiling masses.
During that time with the onward march of Fascism, he became restless and when the Japanese reached the borders of Manipur, he gave out a call for the defence of the Motherland against the aggressor. In fact, he wrote a letter to the Maharaja of Manipur stating his concerns and requested to give him free scope to mobilise people in support of anti-fascist war and to let him and other political prisoners free from the jail. In his own words he expressed, “Even from behind the prison bars, I feel that if fascism be victorious today the world civilisation and culture would be at stake, the freedom movements of the people of all lands would die forever, smaller nations and minorities will suffer the most under the vile yoke of fascist regime.” He was against any sort of collaboration with the Japanese and the INA, perhaps, because he was a new convert to Marxism-Leninism.
Irawat was influenced by the Soviet-CPI propaganda that the war was a “People’s War” to rescue the ‘Fatherland of Socialism’ i.e., the Soviet Union from the wicked Fascists. He saw the Japanese only as Fascists and the INA as the Fascists’ collaborators. So Irawat didn’t seize the War as a golden opportunity to end the British Raj in Manipur. Nevertheless, the British authorities saw in him and the Praja Sanmelani a threat to their war efforts. Irawat was released from the jail in the latter half of 1943 but as he was detained from entering Manipur and even after the war ended, he stayed in Cachar. He started organising the party and Kishan Sabha in Assam and Tripura. He also attended the ninth Kisan Conference at Netrakona as a delegate from Assam in 1945.
With India’s independence and the overthrow of the British Raj there was a fresh breath of air and this had reached Manipur too. Finally, Irawat was able to return to Manipur. Upon his arrival, he started organising a number of mass organisations like the Praja Sangh, Krishak Sabha and also the communist Party.
In order to unify the struggle of the hills and plains people, Irawat called a meeting of representatives of nine parties and associations of the tribal people on 30th November, 1947, which came to a common understanding about their various demands. This I would say is the act of a true son of the soil, a selfless leader unlike our many present generation leaders fuelled by their selfish drives and greed trying to take advantage of the various diversities we have in our state.The first Great Patriots’ Award for the year 1986 was posthumously awarded to Irawat on the Patriots’ Day, the 13th August 1987 for his supreme sacrifices for the greater cause of our people and Motherland with the spirit of patriotism and peaceful co-existence.
Irawat won the first election held in Manipur in 1948 conducted under the Constitution Act of 1947. He was among the five candidates who won out of 23 candidates put up by the Manipur Krishak Sabha party. He contested from the Utlou Assembly constituency. It was around this time that Sardar Patel was going ahead with the proposal of forming a north-eastern frontier province under the name ‘Purvanchal Pradesh’ including Manipur, Cachar, Lushai Hills and Tripura. There was a strong protest in the state against this and thus the government banned all meetings. A protest meeting was organised by Irawat and his followers on 21st of Sept 1948 at Manipur Dramatic Union Hall, Yaiskul. People from all over the state started coming there. The police attacked the procession where several members of Krishak Sabha and Praja Sangha from the eastern part of Imphal Valley were proceeding on foot to the reach the venue of the meeting.
One such clash took place at Pungdongbam wherein a police officer was killed. Irawat was at his residence preparing to go for the meeting when all this happened. On the pretext of this incident, ban orders were passed and arrest warrants were issued against Irawat and many other leaders of Krishak Sabha. Hence, Irawat and other leaders went underground.
Despite the government’s announcement for a cash reward of Rs. 10,000 on Irawat’s head, he couldn’t be arrested and he continued his work from underground. It is said that when the British paramouncy was about to lapse in India, one Reginald Coupland, Professor of Constitutional History of India at Oxford University, had written to the Political Agent of Manipur to keep the hill regions of Manipur as British Territory like Hong kong under colonial rule, and to this Irawat vehemently protested and stood for the territorial integrity of Manipur comprising both the valley and the Hills as an independent state.
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During his underground period, under the influence of sectarian line followed by the party, many armed struggles were going on even in other states including Manipur. Thereby, the government set up police camps in all the villages. Irawat in order to get help to this movement was sent to Burma to contact the guerrillas functioning there. He started his journey in the hot summer of May, 1950, and stayed there for almost a year doing works for liberation for his motherland. He tried to seek help for his cause. At that time Civil War was going on in Burma (now Myanmar).
The Communist Party of Burma under Thakin Than Tun, the Burmese Communist Party under ThakinSoe, the People’s Comrade Party, the Karens, Mons, Shans, Arakanese, and a host of other armed groups were fighting among themselves and against the reactionary regime of U Nu. There he met all the revolutionary leaders and convinced them to unite against the common enemy and a tripartite unity conference of the CPB, BCP and PCP was held in June, 1951.Irawat convinced them to materially help and support the Manipur’s Struggle. After his mission in Burma, Irawat decided to return to Manipur to his parent unit. But unfortunately, he was attacked by Typhoid fever when he reached the twin Burmese village of Tangbo-Shwedo and died on 26th September, 1951 after a short illness of just five days. Irawat was no doubt given a funeral with military honours by the Burmese guerrillas.
Hemango Biswas (Irawat’s colleague and friend) recalled that when he went to a village nearly 8 km away from Imphal to attend a rural cultural gathering in 1955 which was organised by the Kisan Sabha, none believed that Irawat was dead, “Irawat will come”, was the general feeling. Hemango said he was moved to tears when he heard a song on Irawat sung by a soprano in the traditional KhullangIshei in a doleful tune.
Irawat, our beloved leader
Manipur wants you to come back
You have sacrificed everything for us
You have suffered for us
Oh! You come back.
It is said, ‘You are not rich enough until you have something which money can’t buy.’ Hijam Irawat Singh our versatile leader, the son of the soil, the visionary leader of Manipur might not have accumulated wealth and properties like the leaders of our present day, but he would be the richest man because he got something which money can’t buy and that is the love, respect and admiration of his people. His deeds and sacrifices will be remembered for ages to come. He will live forever in the hearts and minds of his children, his people. He is a legend and legend never dies.
(First published in 2016)
References:-
- Irawat –Sentinel of the East
- Immortal Heroes, Lives of Communist Leaders
- Souvenir of Birth centenary celebration of Jananeta Irabat Singh,1996
- Resistance Tuesday October 5, 1976
- Select Documents of Jananeta Hijam Irawat vol-1, Manipur State Archives
- Freedom Fighters Records in the Manipur State Archives, 1986
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