The history of the freedom movement in North-Eastern India is rarely sung and told through mainstream media. This has created a significant schism among people from the same country.

This is the story of a Manipur army general who fought for his country and never surrendered to the British. Paona Brajabashi is his name.

Anglo-Burmese conflict

From 1110 to 1819, Manipur was ruled by the Kingdom of Kangleipak (Manipur). The Kingdom of Burma, led by Emperor Bawdawpay, invaded and seized Manipur in 1819, ushering in its decline.

Manipur’s population was reduced to 2,500 as a result of the Burmese genocide against the Meitei. Burma moved into Assam and the Brahmaputra Valley after Manipur fell. The British, on the other hand, were an unexpected but formidable foe.

Fearing an invasion of Bengal, the British declared war on Burma on March 5, 1824. Manipuri refugees fought alongside the British in exchange for the restoration of Prince Gambhir Singh’s dominion. After this war, the Burmese could be led out of Manipur, and the kingdom’s peace was restored. However, the British can never be a friend; they are always a foe disguised as a friend.

Paona led the Manipur army. Britishers began to interfere in Manipur kingdom affairs, bringing an army of 400 Gurkhas to depose the current king, Maharaj Kulchandra Singh. This infuriated the Maharaj, and on March 24, 1891, he ordered the beheading of five British officials.

At this point in the conflict, Major Paona Brajabashi, a brave soldier representing the Kangleipak kingdom and a hero of the Indian independence movement, took centre stage.

700 soldiers fought against the British in Tamu, which is now the Manipur-Myanmar border. Eventually, the King dispatched 400 more soldiers under the command of Paona Brajbasi. The Manipuri army’s mud fortress was shattered during a fierce battle. The army required cannons, which could not be delivered on time.

This was one of the bloodiest battles against the British, and the Manipuri army was decimated. A Manipuri officer in the British army even asked Paona Brajabashi to switch sides.

But Paona boldly declared that death was preferable to treason.

Paona fought until the last Manipuri soldier fell to his death. On April 27, 1891, the British entered Imphal and raised the Union Jack. They conducted a large disarmament operation and seized 4000 weapons.

This great Martyr lives on in people’s memories, and his story needs to reach every corner of the country.

People remain divided when history is written to glorify one family, one person, or one political party while neglecting the contributions of others. People’s morale suffers when one part of the truth is hidden while another is overly and unnecessarily glorified. Allow the history of unsung warriors to be brought to light and honour their contributions.

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