A tribute to Saheed Madhumangal on his 26th martyrdom

Laimayum Bashanta Sharma
Saheed Madhumangal was born to Samurailatpam Ibohal Sharma and Uttarani Devi on October 22, 1938 at Khurai Chingangbam Leikai, Imphal, Manipur.
He was the first Mining Engineering Graduate from Manipur. He retired as Additional Director of Industry Department on June 22, 1984 and joined Bharatiya Janata Party to serve the people.
He was the President of BJP, Manipur Pradesh from 1985-90. He was a member of BJP National Executive Committee for three consecutive terms. He was the Secretary, BJP North Eastern States Co-ordination Council since October 1993 till his untimely demise and worked tirelessly to mobilize the BJP machinery from the grass root level. He was an active member of RSS, VHP and many other social and cultural organisations of Manipur from the early part of 1950.
He represented Manipur in many national and international conferences.
He was jailed for 18 months in 1976 for participating in Lok Sangharsh Samiti" under the leadership of Shri Jai Prakash Narayan. He was a BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha election held in the year 1984, 1989 and 1992.
He wanted to represent the State and voice the sentiments of the people of Manipur in Parliament. He wanted every youth in Manipur to be healthy.
It was his keen desire to reform and rehabilitate the drug addicts of Manipur. He worked tirelessly with several NGOs like SASO, Divine Life, Lifelines Foundation etc to bring the drug addicts to a normal healthy life.
It was his dream to make the people of Manipur who were considered to be neglected by the Government of India to live with identity and dignity. Sometimes, he used to ride 75 kms by bicycle for his organisational works.
Work was life for him.He had tireless energy. He had no enemy too. He never criticised any political party or the leaders of other political parties. At the time of his death Integral Humanism by Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhaya was along his side.
It is rather difficult to fully understand a karma-yogi like him. But we know this much that Shaheed Madhumangal was a person who always stood for the territorial integrity of the Nation and died for the cause.
He was an intellectual, lover of Gita, Lyricist, Statesman and a true leader.
He died in the morning of Feb 11, 1995 at the hands of unidentified gunmen.
Shri Lal Krishna Advani, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, the then BJP National President took leave of the Parliament session and attended himself at the "Asti Sanchay Ceremony" in which Advani himself conferred the title "SAHEED" in honour of his contribution to the Nation.
The need of the hour is someone who could represent us as our voice at the highest level. His sudden departure left a huge vacuum in the State party organization which no other State leader could fill even today. He had that charisma and mass appeal that without contesting election he could have easily been chosen as a Union Cabinet Minister by the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or even the present government led by PM Narendra Modi Ji. His towering personality and dedication to the party galvanized the party cadres at the grassroot level. The ever widening communication gap between disgruntled old karyakartas and newly joined karyakartas would have never happened if he was among us today.  26 years after his untimely demise my beloved "Oja" is still honoured by many genuine party cadres. He is for Manipuris and BJP Manipur a once in a millennium leader of substance. He sacrificed his life for the sake of Bharatiya Janata Party.
But he will always be remembered for his song composed and sung by himself
Ema Nanggi damakta
Thawai ashi thajage
Nanggi sintha pangbada
Punshi ashi katchage
(For thy sake, Oh motherland
Let the soul be sacrificed
For thy cause, Oh motherland
Let the life be dedicated.)

The writer is coordinator to the Chief Minister of Manipur