AS I WENT to see a football match one morning, I was in deep thought about the need for us to be “United Manipur versus Illegal Poppy.” We need to fight as a team. Everyone has a role to play in a team. In the hills of Manipur, where morning mists cling to mountain slopes and rivers carve, a battle is being waged. It is not fought with weapons, but with courage; not with force alone, but with compassion. It is the battle of a people against illegal poppy—a crop that promised prosperity but delivered devastation, that offered quick wealth but extracted everything in return.
For many years, illegal poppy farming has ravaged Manipur’s hill communities, shattered lives, and torn families apart. What started as a means of survival in isolated villages evolved into a widespread social breakdown that destroyed the fabric of entire communities. Yes, I mean survival, as that’s how these isolated farmers view it. They’re not convinced to try out alternative means, perhaps because they have been disappointed in the past. We have a moral responsibility to compassionately persuade them to make the right decision. I want to make it clear: I don’t recommend illegal poppy for survival.
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Fields once covered in bright poppies became emblems of hopelessness. Unfortunately, young children were taught to grow the crop and process opium. The illegal poppy didn’t just take root in soil—it embedded itself in the social fabric, poisoning relationships, corrupting leadership, and turning neighbours into competitors and families into enablers of destruction.
Manipur stands at a turning point. Across the communities, many people unite to say enough to illegal poppy. It is not only a fight against cultivation but also a movement to restore dignity and heal communities long trapped in addiction and despair.
Understanding the Enemy Within
To defeat the illegal poppy, we must first understand how it gained such devastating power. In many remote hill communities where roads disappeared during monsoons, where a bag of rice required hours to walk to market, and where government support could not penetrate as it should have due to circumstances, the poppy offered cruel salvation—quick cash in regions starved of economic opportunity. Simple cultivation in areas where infrastructure made conventional farming nearly impossible. The opium economy didn’t just provide income; it created dependencies that extended far beyond economics into community identity and survival itself.
The actual cost, however, has been catastrophic beyond measure. The community system, once the core part of our society, breaks down. The devastation rippled through every layer of society, leaving virtually no family untouched.
Illegal poppy destroyed more than lives. It tore apart the social fabric that once held communities together. Hardworking hands turned toward destruction. Songs of joy were replaced by silence and grief. Villages once united now stand divided.
Sadly, young people who should have been shaping their futures became trapped in cycles of growing and using drugs.
A Voice Calling from the Heart
At this pivotal moment, Manipur needs united voices that speak with compassion, voices that understand the struggle from the inside. Those who know me reasonably can assure you that what I say is what I mean. “My message is clear and direct—stop cultivating illegal poppies in the hills. Replace them with sustainable, honourable livelihoods.” These words carry weight because they emerge from someone who knows Manipur from both the valley and the hills, understands horticulture from both scientific and community development perspectives, and comprehends human suffering. I share my thoughts as a native daughter pleading for restoration!
Honestly speaking, “When people told me that Manipur is burning, I felt helpless. I could not cry out, but my heart cried within me. Manipur is my native home. No matter where I am, I remain connected to it. The pain of Manipur is my pain and your pain. The healing of Manipur is my hope and your hope.”
This sentiment captures what United Manipur must embody—not a government program or external intervention, but a movement rising from within, nurtured by those who have suffered most and who now refuse to let the illegal poppy define their collective future. I understand; it must be hard for many to accept the ground reality, as people can have different views.
The triggering point for me to pour out my heart for writing these pieces on poppy-related issues in Manipur is the loss of youth and the second major flood in the state this year.
The Path Forward: Compassion with Conviction
Yes, United Manipur’s mission is clear – end illegal poppy cultivation completely. But no family should be left behind in hardship. This mission requires compassion anchored in firm resolve.
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The path forward demands understanding why people grew poppies and then convincing them, through demonstration, support, and solidarity, to pursue alternative livelihoods that offer not just survival but dignity.
Believe me or not, enforcement alone will fail. Destroying crops without alternatives only deepens poverty or moves cultivation deeper into the hills. Lasting change needs a complete approach that tackles both economic needs and human suffering.
Simultaneously, the addiction crisis demands comprehensive carefrom detoxification through long-term recovery support, all embedded in community contexts. Often, community-run rehabilitation centres, led by former addicts who know the struggle firsthand, offer culturally aware care. Peer groups, family counselling, and livelihood support help prevent relapse. When communities support rather than reject those in recovery, true healing begins!
Every Citizen an Agent of Transformation
Indeed, I am viewing Manipur from an empathetic lens, and I see Manipuri communities as one united family, like a bond that illegal poppy cannot break due to their close connection. The government alone, one charismatic leader, or a single ethnic community’s efforts cannot win against our opponent, the illegal poppy. United Manipur means precisely that every citizen becomes an agent of transformation. Those in valleys must support those in hills and vice versa, not with judgment but with partnership. Everyone must contribute to weaving the social fabric that the illegal poppy tore apart.
Like a football team, each person has a role in this vital mission. We need to take moral responsibility in spreading awareness against narcotic drugs in homes and communities, supporting those who want to quit without stigma or shame. Helping farmers find alternatives through investments, knowledge-sharing, and market connections, guiding young people toward meaningful futures, and staying connected to the truth even when lies seem easier are essential goals. These everyday acts of solidarity, repeated across thousands of families and hundreds of villages/localities, create the unstoppable momentum of genuine transformation.
A United Stand for Dignity
Absolutely, this mission is United Manipur versus the illegal poppy. The people/communities will triumph when we stand together with shared purpose, when hearts align toward healing rather than harm, when hands join to build rather than destroy. Manipur will rise again, not through anger but through unity, not through force but through renewal. Communities themselves are writing this quiet non-violent revolution. Then the illegal poppies’ reign is ending. Hope is the most potent weapon we have. Manipur’s restoration has begun!
As Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Manipur’s silence must end now. Its voice must rise as one. Every citizen must take action. Together, we will eliminate the illegal poppy and restore Manipur’s dignity as “United Manipur”.
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Clarification: I do not support illegal poppy cultivation. I support sustainable alternatives that strengthen society and help affected farmers in Manipur. I stand firmly behind the “War on Drugs” initiative launched in 2018 under former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, and it has been continued till today by the current administration. It remains one of India’s most substantial efforts to stop drug cultivation at its source. The Manipur government’s Horticulture and Soil Conservation Department, along with associated agencies, is undertaking vital efforts to help farmers move away from illegal poppy cultivation – a mission that requires strong community cooperation. We, as the united Manipur team, can, via collective action, beat illegal poppy. I call upon the entire Manipur community to unite as one team in this fight against illegal cultivation of poppy, working together to create sustainable livelihoods and a healthier future for all.
(The author is an international development consultant specialising in agriculture, horticulture, and trade facilitation. She can be reached at chongboi4community@gmail.com.)
(The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ukhrul Times. Ukhrul Times values and encourages diverse perspectives.)