© 2018 JETIR August 2018, Volume 5, Issue 8 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) TRACING THE FLINCH OF INSURGENCY (A STUDY OF CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MNF AND ‘MAUTAM’ FAMINE IN MIZORAM) Dr Sakhawliana Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration Government Kamalanagar College, Mizoram ABSTRACT Insurgency is causes, basically by political unwillingness of the administration. It is the call of the nations that the political track of different party’s should ensure nation building, and fixing the socio-economic menace of the general public. The prototyped imperialist, of premeditated coercive security and control of administration might not be viable to all sorts of establishments. Experience on the vital effects of the morale and psychology of the people can be seen in Mizoram, one of the North eastern states of India. This state has been under the profanity of insurgency for barely 20 years (1996-1986). It was said that after the famine cause by bamboo flowering, the philanthropic organisation of Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF) rechristened to form new political party of the Mizo National Front (MNF) and thrive for independence movement from the Indian Union. The hostility was brought by Mizo National Front (MNF) alias Mizo National Army (MNA), as its underground army wing, from one side and the Indian Army on the other. Over the year, the Indian Army and the MNA fought in tactical guerrilla warfare by using most sophisticated weapons of the 21st century. Therefore, it is impetus to unveil the insight of insurgency, in general, and the birth of the MNF for secession movement, in particular. IndexTerms: Insurgency; Bamboo flowering and Famine; Birth of the MNF; Famine Front. Insurgency is not a system of government, rather the result of public outcry. It came into the limelight due to the defaulters of politics under various kind of political system, whether democracy or non-democracy. The term is not to be melded with terrorism, where haphazard communal tension and suffering as its aims. Insurgency is more upsurges when the people became civilising and the motive of welfare state throng the voters. History reveals that insurgency has occurred since time immemorial. A political revolution in ancient Rome in 509 BC resulted in the overthrow of the throne of the Roman monarch, and the establishment of the first Roman Republic was one of the most important insurgent activities. The American war of Independence 1775-1783, French Revolution of 1789-1799, and October Revolution 1917 in Russia are all meshes with the surge activity. Insurgency The word insurgency means rebellion to the authority. Etymologically, the term insurgency came from the Latin ‘insurgent’, meaning surge to get up or ascend. It implies “an occasion when a group of people attempt to take control of their country by force” said Cambridge Dictionary.1 Moreover, it is an organised attempt to control legitimate administration by hook or by crook. One man’s terrorist is another man’s holy warrior or one man’s insurgent is another man’s freedom fighter. This paper deals with neither communal base terrorism nor activities of secret army for power struggle. There was question of conceptualising the crucial supply of social needs under receptive bourgeoisie. Where higher the expected, lower the transfer of satisficing needs by the people. And the availability of minimal transmission of the general needs resulting in public unrest upon the administration. On the other hand, the primary causes of insurgency were diverse and dissimilar in nature and aims, but there is a well-defined pre-condition for the causes of insurgency in the world, that is ‘Frustration’. The general public, whatever they are, were already plunging into the mercy of thwarting before they came out for insurrection. There is no distinction for the upcoming insurgency, neither democracy nor non-democratic form of government. The masses, by nature, thrive over insufficiency of welfare state in democracy; conversely, people of non-democratic government visualize democracy with welfare state, hence falls to frustration. If adequate measure is taken to solve problems of the stakeholders, it ends in demonstration and revolt upon the administration. All the political experiences clearly reveal that the general public easily resorted to dissident if they lost confidence to the authority. Bamboo flowering (Mautam) and Famine 1 Dictionary, Cambridge. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/insurgency JETIR1808540 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 434 © 2018 JETIR August 2018, Volume 5, Issue 8 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) Mizoram bamboo forest covers 7,091.66 sq.km of the total state geographical area of 21,087 sq.km.2 It is a big questions how the natural life cycle of wild grass, name, ‘Melocanna baccifera’ or Mautak (local name) affects the life of the state, in general, and the rural farmers, in particular. As shown in the following Table-1, the gross bamboo area is 33.63% of the total area, while Mautak out-number the rest of bamboo varieties by lodging 90.89% of bamboo forest. TABLE – 1 BAMBOO STOCK IN MIZORAM Bamboo % of Bamboo area % of Bamboo area to District Area Area to the district area total District 3,576.3 Aizawl 927.69 25.94 13.08 1 3,185.8 Champhai 345.68 10.85 4.87 3 1,382.5 Kolasib 661.80 47.87 9.33 1 2,557.1 Lawngtlai 730.79 28.58 10.30 0 4,538.0 1,956. Lunglei 43.12 27.59 0 59 3,025.7 1,598. Mamit 52.81 22.53 5 00 1,399.9 Saiha 432.04 30.86 6.09 0 1,421.6 Serchhip 439.08 30.89 6.19 0 21,087. 7,091. TOTAL 33.63 100.00 00 66 # Source: Mizoram Remote Sensing & Application Centre-2008 According to Table-I, Lunglei district has the largest bamboo forest in terms of area, while Kolasib district bamboo stockpile is more in percentage to the overall district. The above table portrays that Champhai district has the lowest bamboo stocks of 10.85, followed by Aizawl 25.94, Lawngtlai 28.58, and Saiha 30.86 respectively. However, the gross bamboo forest was, indeed, much more, in Lunglei district i.e., 1,956.59 sq.km,, and Mamit district 1,598.00 sq.km respectively. Bamboo grows naturally in river bank, ridges and, almost in all the hills of the state. The Survey on bamboo, conducted by Environment and Forests Department, Government of Mizoram in the early 21st century, reveals that the total bamboo growing stock in the state is 5,916.715 million nos., which is equivalent to 25.25 million metric tons. And annual availability from the growing stock is 1,365.16 million nos., equivalent to 5.828 million metric tons.3 Referring to the Govt. of Mizoram, Environment & Forest Department Survey Report 2005, there are 26 bamboo species in the state, the following Table shows, along the local name and status:- TABLE-2 BAMBOO SPECIES IN MIZORAM Sl. Scientific Name Local Name Status No. 1. Bambusa khasiana Rawte Common 2. Bambusa longispiculata Rawthing Less common 3. Bambusa oliveriana Talan Less common As recorded in Bamboos of 4. Bambusa pallida - India 5. Bambusa tulda Rawthing Common 6. Bambusa vulgaris Vairua Introduced 7. Chimonobambusa collosa Phar Common 2 MIRSAC 2008, Mizoram. 3 Mizoram, Government. Bamboo Development in Mizoram (an overview). p.8 JETIR1808540 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 435 © 2018 JETIR August 2018, Volume 5, Issue 8 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) 8. Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Phulrua Very common 9. Dendrocalamus hookeri Rawlak/Rawkhauh Less common 10 Dendrocalamus longispathus Rawnal Very common . 11 Dendrocalamus sikkimensis Rawmi Common . 12 Dendrocalamus trictus Tursing Introduced . 13 Rawpui/Rawchhia Dendrocalamus spp. Common-need authentication . (changdum) 14 Rawpui/Rawchhia Dendrocalamus spp. -do- . (Changdam) 15 Dendrocalamus spp. Ram rawpui Less common . 16 Dinochloa compactiflora (melocalamus Sairil Very common . compactiflorus) 17 Gigantochloa albociliata Rawthing tial Common . 18 Melocanna baccifera Mautak Very common . 19 Pseudostachyum polymorphum Chal Need authentication . 20 Racemobamboos mannii (Neomicrocalamus Saiman Rare . mannii) 21 Schizostachyumcapitatum Rawngal Common . 22 Schizostachyumdulloa Rawthla Common . 23 Rare-as recorded in Bamboos Sinarundinariagriffithiana Lik . of India 24 Sinarundinaria intermedia Lik Common . 25 Rare-as recorded in Bamboos Sinarundinaria longispiculata Lik . of India 26 Dendocalamus/ Bambusa spp.? Ankua Need authentication . #Source: Bamboo Survey of Mizoram, by Bamboo Development Cell, Govt. of Mizoram. According to the above Table-2, there are 26 bamboo species in Mizoram, while Vairua and Tursing are newly introduced as a substitute for Mautak. The Survey result has stated that, Saiman (bamboo) and Lik are very rare, and Chal, Ankua and Rawpui species needs immediate authentication, where the authority has to take the responsibilities. But the most common varieties are Melocanna baccifera, Dinochloa compactiflora, Dendrocalamus longispathus, Dendrocalamus longispathus, and Dendrocalamus longispathus, they bloom phenomenally, but comparing to ‘Mautak’, they don’t distract the rural farmers due to lesser forest stockpile. Typical ‘Mautak’ dominates over other species, in population, and constitutes 95% of the total bamboo growing stock in Mizoram4, thus sporadic and gregarious flowering ultimately leads famine who depend on shifting cultivation. Gregarious flowering of bamboo or Mautam (in Mizo) is a well-known natural phenomenon in Mizoram. It occurs at a periodical interval of 48 years..., the seasonal flowering of Mautak has taken place in the year 1862, 1911, 1958 and 2007 respectively. During Mautam, Mautak bamboo blooms and dies for regeneration, the process between the dying and the growing of new saplings last for 1 year. The flowering starts instantaneously to all the areas of bamboo forest. The blooming occurred earlier in the western forest of Mamit district, but comparatively late in the northern district.