Contribution of man in dress can’t be sidelined; they are in India, B’desh and US

By RK Rishikesh Sinha, New Delhi

Punjabis are proud of being one minority community in India which produces jawans to (Army) Generals. People of this fighting community hold posts from the foot soldier to the military decision-maker of the country.

Their ubiquitous presence in the armed forces of the country in para-military, or in the Army, Navy and Air Force, have instilled a belief in the minds of the people whether the Indian military culture is of Punjabis, or it is Punjabis that make up the essence of the Indian military forces.

Punjabis penchant for military is beyond one’s imagination. One can find names of the Punjabis “Colonel”, “Subedar” and “Major”.

The same penchant and the intensity of love (although it is employment driven) towards joining the fauz could be seen in the Bishnupriya Manipuri community. Since decades boys from villages have been joining the forces which names end with all possible puzzling-acronym: BSF (Border Security Force), CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), Assam Rifle, SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal), Railway Protection Force and ICG (Indian Coast Guard).

The list is besides the three Indian Armed Forces which includes the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force where the Bishnupriya Manipuri people make a sizable population. Especially in the Indian Army compared to Indian Air Force and Navy, lingos like “Sinha platoon”, “Sinha Party” have come up in the tongues of jawans.

There the name of the community is not “unrecognized”. Young boys have been making up the recognition of the community since decades. In all the disciplines and departments, one can find Bishnupriya Manipuri presence felt.

The presence of jawans from every home from every village in the defence forces of the country has not only provided a solid support to the respective families, but it has played a pivotal role to the stability of the whole community. The little bit ‘visible’ prosperity one see around in villages, in towns and in cities, one will find directly or indirectly it is associated with the salaried money brought from the fauz.

The sons and daughters of the bygone jawans scattered all around the country are the news faces of Bishnupriya Manipuri. There is no profession which has given as much to the community than the fauz. For Indian Bishnupriya Manipuri, the fact will not surprise them.

Take Bangladesh, there the presence of Bishnupriya Manipuri people in Army, Police and Bangladesh Rifle (BDR) take up the figure to 400 presently. Even there, the fauz shows its presence. The second professions in Bangladesh where the people of the community are engage maximum it is the teaching profession. 300 Bishnupriya Manipuri people are working as Primary Teachers in the country, according to Ashim Singha.

However, it is not in India and in Bangladesh the Bishnupriya Manipuri boys have brilliantly sneaked in the armed forces, in US Navy the boys have don the respect of the dress.

Now the time has come up to strengthen the strength that the jawans have created, and have been creating till now. It is our strength, and like the Punjabis we have to make it rhetoric, a statement. And we must feel proud of our strength and optimize it to the fullest.