Every song in this album revolves around the Armed Forces Special Powers’ Act (AFSPA), 1958—the draconian law that has been imposed in Manipur. The act preceded organised mass scale armed resistance movement by the non-state forces in the 1960s. By the 1980s, the people of Manipur began bearing the brunt of this black law. The act empowers security forces to arrest without warrant and to even shoot on suspicion causing death. No legal proceeding against abuse of such arbitrary act can be initiated without the prior permission of the Central Government. In Manipur, AFSPA has become synonymous with all acts of torture, killings, rape, molestation by the armed security forces.
Manipur witnessed massive protests demanding that AFSPA should be removed from the state. The political leadership in the state could not convince New Delhi over the uselessness of the act in dealing with armed rebels. A number called Prime Minister in the album gives a perfect picture of what the ministers from the state do while pretending to negotiate with the central government.
Tapta lists numerous problems associated with AFSPA. While criticising the act, he has the guts to point out that the chaos prevalent in Manipur is even confounded owing to certain activities of naharols1, politicians and contractors. Retarded development is made severe with politicians and contractors trying to snatch a big pie out of revenues sanctioned for public works. And there is the phenomenon of naharol groups collecting the so called “taxes” from businessmen, government employees and those who have a stake in services sectors. Percentage perfectly depicts how common people suffer due to pressures come from all potent quarters in Manipur.
Luching Purel is a well-composed number. The song laments over Manipur’s lost territory, Kabo Valley and the fear of losing the Zhuko Valley. Buldu is an outcry of common youth whose fundamental rights have been suppressed by the cruel AFSPA. Luching Purel, is a wake up call to all generations to unite and fight for their rights. Tapta also explains why there are people who doubt their ability to stand up for their rights. He feels that these people have been kept numbed by the fact that Manipur has been colonised for over a century by various forces.
Textured in heavy metal rhythm, Ee calls on the youth to put on a tag: ‘be a rebel’. Meigi Cheeng is an emotional recollection of the memories of a lost era in Manipur’s history. He draws a parallel between an active volcano and the Manipur of an age when everybody called the state a Laireipak or heaven. Tandop is a number in the album which delineates the gradual acquisition of power and dominance of miyan2 in the region. Lyrically Pheijei is one of the best in the album. This song brings out the creative aspect of Tapta in handling public angst. Tapta visualises AFSPA as a monstrous rogue who has been caught by the public and produced in the people’s court. In the verdict, the rogue AFSPA was to be lynched by 32 organisations of Manipur. The final act was executed at Samu Makhong, a historical site at the centre of Imphal, where the people ribbed AFSPA’s limbs in the same brutal manner he used to torture people. |
