Meltdown

Despite Marxist derision, in spite of liberal aversion and in forms communitarians would not extend any regard or accord respect, identity and forms of politics it can spawn is alive and, as it were, parading its casualties in Manipur. More than a month has passed since violence broke out in Manipur between Meiteis and Kukis. Before surprise could be expressed over its scale and spread, terror and shock shot up and shoot at sight orders were issued, Biren Singh’s elected government stands in suspension and a unified command is in charge. Both warring parties of conflict are expressing two views that are similar ;  first both are finding all actors, authorities, agencies, powers and opinions as partisan and secondly both are talking about massacre and genocide of ‘their people’ ,  and state level involvement in the planning and execution of the violent events. As is the wont of areas designated as disturbed and under the AFSPA, the death count, disappearances and accountability...

A herd is not a clan and surname recounts this aspect of human history along with our name. A herd can have owners and they may be shepherded but humans belong to a clan?  Surname indicates 'who are your own'( who owns you, if you are a women) among resemblances. Surname marks the long history of the leader of a clan. The metropolitan and cosmopolitan urges and rural and rustic moorings relish surnames. Stuff with which orders are built, negotiated, sustained and reproduced. Scott, Tehranian, Mathias relate permanent family surname to state-making and state-naming practices as a clear attempt to get past vernacular variety and ineligibility to introduce synoptic, aggregate and standardised orders. Surname is about lineage. Title, entitlements and estates were historically connected and materially fixed in land-holdings and continue to harvest the advantages that accrue with them. The distribution of power, prestige and honour are hinged with surnames. What a name can tell is al...