Whatever the causes may be, the government must do everything to bring about some parity in development between the hills and valley if it is interested in any long term peace in the state. In bringing about such a happy situation, it will also need the cooperation and understanding of the communities in these two regions. This understanding must also be cemented by what many have called “enlightened self interest”, which is in a way a very pragmatic interpretation of the notion of generosity. For instance, when somebody sacrifices a bit of his own benefits for the sake of somebody else, this would be by classical definition amount to philanthropy or generosity at the least. But the other interpretation (with a Freudian ring) is, there is a vested interest even in philanthropy, albeit an enlightened one. It establishes a sense of all round goodwill first and foremost, but more than that it also ensures a method for bringing at least some parity between the privileged and the deprived thereby guaranteeing a sense of just peace, a condition which would be a reward for the one who made the sacrifice too. The reservation policy for instance, despite the arguments against it that it kills competition etc, could be described in many ways as an embodiment of this enlightened self interest from the point of those who can do without reservation. Until at least a level playing field is established, the policy should remain.

In this spirit, let a differential land revenue policy between the hills and the valley also remain at least till such a time the hill communities feel they are ready for the modern system. We had thought the provisions of the ADCs in this sense were also about preparing the hills for the modern (without actually plunging it into the modern immediately) by shifting some of the powers of the village chieftainship to an institution of elected tribal leaders with a renewable mandate. This is however being objected to, and it remains to be seen if the ADCs which have already been elected, can function against this opposition, especially in the Naga areas. In the meantime, even if the traditionalists win the day, and the hills are reverted back to its archaic administrative model so be it. However, let not there be bitterness if the valley which has embraced the modern, surges ahead in the modern development paradigm. Again, so that the hills can stick to the old administrative paradigm and still make the best of it, perhaps the ADCs should be made equivalent to the 6th Schedule ADCs. If this were so, even if the differences between the hills and valley were still not bridged, there would be less room for anybody to blame the other, despite the reality that no 6th Schedule area in the entire northeast, (Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam) has ever been known to have managed to keep development parity with the areas under modern land revenue system.

Although there is no denying the existence of a developmental disparity between the hills and valley, it is in the perception as well as attribution of the reason for this disparity that problems arise. To give an example of this perception distortion, there is a tendency amongst the hill communities to first of all equate Imphal with the valley, and then from this presumption compare the backwardness of towns and villages in the hills with the privileges available in Imphal city and then claim that the valley has cornered all the cream. This is a very flawed comparison. Imphal is the political and commercial capital of the state and is hardly representative of the entire valley. A more apt comparison would be between remote villages in the hills with remote villages in the valley or small townships in the hills with small townships in the valley. If this were to be done, much of the imagined deprivation of the hills by the valley would vanish. The poverty, the infrastructural deficits etc, would suddenly become comparable. The only major difference would be, the poorest man in the valley village would be empowered by the land he owns. As for instance if an emergency arises and he comes to need expensive medical attention for a loved one, or the seed money to kick start a small enterprise, his land would become his gold reserve. Sell or pawn a part of it and he will have the money to prevent tragedy or to make a new start. Again, the flaw is for Imphal to be seen as a Meitei city. Nobody will be fooled this is so. Imphal is today evolving to be quite a metropolitan city, and practically every community has become its domicile. In any attempt to defuse the build up of animus between the hills and the valley, these reflections should be vital tonic and all genuinely interested in peace should liberally lose themselves in them more frequently.