The Manipuri border town of Moreh was well-known for its significant population of Tamils who have lived in the Northeast for nearly half a century, beginning from 1964 onwards when the first Tamil settlements came up. Earlier, men in half lungis and women in colourful cotton sarees were a common sight in Moreh at dawn. These women could be seen to have happily adopted the Manipuri sarong and shirt but ensured that they kept their native culture alive despite being far away from home. Some among them could be seen conversing in Tamil and that is good enough to kindle curiosity in the mind of any first-time visitor to Moreh. They are also fluent in Burmese and Manipuri languages. Likewise, some people from other communities too, such as Meiteis, etc. residing in Moreh can speak Tamil very fluently.

The Sri Angala Parameswari Sri Muneeswarar temple at Burma Road, Moreh is one of the few temples in the North-East built in the South Indian style of architecture besides the Balaji temple at Guwahati. It is said that architects, craftsmen and specialist labourers were flown in from Chennai in the late 2000s to build this brightly-hued temple in Moreh. Another South Indian-style Hindu temple in Moreh has been constructed at Prem Nagar, a posh Meitei-majority locality. Tamil traders say that the Angala Parameswari temple is among the grandest religious structures in the North-East and the second largest Hindu temple complex in the region after the Balaji temple. The temple is thronged by devotees not only from different parts of India but also Myanmar.

Angala Parameswari temple, Moreh

Picture Courtesy – Facebook Page of Tamil Sangam, Moreh

The Tamils of Moreh are largely Hindus. They have been living peacefully ever since, rooted to their Tamil culture and traditions and still retaining cultural and social ties with Tamil Nadu. For instance, many Tamil parents in Moreh send their children to schools in Tamil Nadu, considering the significant lack of good schools in the town. Although their numbers have sharply decreased over the years, the Tamils can still boast of the largest number among all other ethnic non-Manipuri trading communities in Moreh. Next to the Tamils, in terms of their control over trade were the Marwaris and the Punjabis, both of whose numbers have reduced to a very small fraction of what it used to be till at least the early 1990s. Apart from these three communities, there are the Manipuri Muslims and Nepalis.

However, the overwhelming presence of the Tamils in trade and business in Moreh is evident in the unique Moreh Bazaar area. Its streets are lined up with several popular eating joints serving mouth-watering South Indian food such as idlis, dosas, sambar and rasam that jostle for space with Manipuri rice hotels well-known for Ngari (non-salted fermented fish) and smoked pork. Shops selling everything from clothing and house décor to religious and other products may make it seem like Tamil Nadu in the first place. But, how did this small yet fascinating community of Tamils land in today’s Manipur and settle exactly on the Indo-Myanmar international border? The nuances of their migration and the migratory routes being taken up by them have been equally fascinating.

To understand the Tamil connection with Manipur, it is essential to recall the history of migrations within the British Empire. With the spread of British colonialism across the world in the 19^th century, South Asian countries became sort of interlinked colonies. At the height of its reputation as one of the most important trading centres in Asia, the Burmese city of Rangoon (now Yangon) attracted crowds of traders and workforce from across the continent. It was at this time that the British East India Company took with them, on a large scale, labourers and businessmen from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, and Punjab to this affluent and thriving port city strategically located between India and China.

Initially, the forefathers of the Tamils of Moreh were settled in erstwhile Burma (then a part of British India) by the British Government in the early part of the 19^th century. Some among them, however, also went to Burma out of their own volition in search of greener pastures, looking mainly for business opportunities. They were attracted by the country’s growing labour prospects. Many of them had their origins in Thanjavur and other suburbs of present-day Chennai, besides Shivamogga in Karnataka.[1]  This was contrary to most military or administrative migrations from India during this time, such as to Sri Lanka or China. Among thousands of people of Indian origin who were born and brought up in Burma but later repatriated to India, the Tamils were one among them.

In Burma, they were engaged as labourers and artisans, as civil servants for official works, and as farmers in agricultural activities, primarily rice cultivation. Within years, the population of the Tamils in Rangoon touched about 2 lakh. From being unskilled labourers, they became carpenters, traders and masons, and successful rice cultivators. They felt a deep sense of belonging in Burma and the labour opportunities there were welcomed. But, that didn’t quite last long. Burmese nationalists always viewed them with suspicion. A series of anti-India riots broke out in the country in the 1930s. It has been estimated that by 1937, there were about 9,00,000 Indians in Burma (concentrated mainly in Bago and Yangon) holding important commercial and professional positions.

In December 1941, at the height of the World War II, the Japanese bombed Rangoon. By the time the British troops retreated from Burma in January 1948 after the end of World War II and Burma’s Independence, the Tamils had set up flourishing businesses and emerged as a key driving force in the Burmese economy. There are still lakhs of Tamils living in Myanmar, especially Tamu and Yangon. They follow their own cultural traditions and food habits. The presence of several Tamil temples in Yangon is proof enough of this fact. An example here may be cited of the Shri Kaali Amman Hindu temple in the heart of Yangon. Founded by the Tamil trading community in 1871, the temple was further enhanced architecturally by the Marwaris who settled in Burma at that time.

But, the decline of the British Empire in 1948 saw the decline of the Tamil community’s fortunes too. The re-drawing of the India-Burma border in 1948 and Burma’s Independence from British rule turned the tide against the Indian population in Burma in general. Citizenship laws were strictly enforced, demanding proof of ancestry in Burma from before 1823 and residence for 8 of the previous 10 years. The Government made Burmese the official language and civil servants were to be only Burmese citizens. Of the 150,000 applications for citizenship, only 28,683 had been granted by 1961.[²] The military coup of General Ne Win in 1962 which saw the Junta taking over the Burmese Government worsened the situation further.

Things changed drastically for the Indian diaspora in the country thereafter, triggering a mass exodus of many people of Indian origin who were swiftly forced to flee Burma after having lived there for decades. This involuntary and abrupt evacuation was much to their misfortune, especially the Tamils. For example, Burma had adopted several Tamil ways for the diaspora settled there – local news was available in Tamil, schools taught the Tamil language, and movie theatres screened imported Tamil movies. However, the then Burmese Government under Dictator Ne Win’s version of socialism and anti-minority policy had reportedly seized and taken over the businesses and properties of many non-Burmese people including Tamil families after the coup in 1962 following the declaration of Indians as foreigners by the Junta.

The Enterprise Nationalisation Law, passed by the Revolutionary Council of Burma in 1963, nationalised all major industries, including import-export trade, rice, banking and commerce, mining, teak, rubber, etc. and the Indian Government was asked to withdraw its diaspora from their lands. In other words, all businesses of Indians living in Burma were nationalised, making any kind of trade impossible for them. As a result of these hostile pressures and many other political changes, the Burmese Government soon closed down all Tamil, Telugu and Hindi magazines, schools, temples, movie theatres, etc. The Indian community was badly hurt. They became penniless refugees overnight and therefore sought help from Prime Minister Nehru for their repatriation to India.

Historically, this needs to be understood in the backdrop of major geo-political changes that took place in Burma after 1948, leading to a perilous situation where people of Indian origin became increasingly vulnerable to attacks by the Junta and hence could not sustain themselves. Burmese administrators systematically persecuted Indians, denying them citizenship on racial grounds and forcing thousands to return en-masse to their country of origin. The then Indian Government assured these repatriates from Burma of all facilities. It has been reported that between 1962 and 1964, more than three lakh Indians were forced out of Burma after having left their lands and businesses behind. In 1965, the then Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri sent the first batch of ships to Rangoon.

A reluctant Indian diaspora, with a considerable Tamil population, headed to a land they no longer considered home. It is said that the docks were heaving with Indians of all ages – the elderly who had made Burma their home, their families, young workers with their scared wives and children who were clamouring to get on to the Indian ships. Every ship carried around 1,800-2,000 refugees. It is estimated that between 1966 and 1980, about 2,50,000 Indians in Myanmar – 90% of whom were Tamils – left for three destinations – their respective states of origin in their home country India, which was primarily Tamil Nadu, but also West Bengal, Punjab, and Bihar; the North-Eastern states of India (mostly Manipur); and other countries in Asia or some Commonwealth countries.

They were brought back to India mostly via sea and airways. Many also trickled through the unfenced border with Burma. Those on ships sent by the Indian Government to retrieve Indians expelled by the Burmese military were taken back to Chennai where they were initially housed in refugee camps in Tiruchirappalli and a few others across the state of Tamil Nadu which had to bear the biggest responsibility for the rehabilitation of the Tamil-Burmese refugees. West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh too, helped the refugees from Burma. In Tamil Nadu, while the wealthier Chettiars gradually re-established themselves through their business enterprises, others were provided relief and rehabilitation assistance, including all forms of amenities such as housing facilities, etc. by the Tamil Nadu Government.

By March 2001 more than lakhs of refugees from Burma had been rehabilitated either through land grants or other loan-based house-building schemes. However, the new life they forged in Tamil Nadu remained unpalatable to many of them. The food and water, even the people and the surroundings, and the way of life were quite different, and they could no longer find any attachment to them. Their urge to return to Burma due to the lack of employment opportunities in Tamil Nadu was natural. After staying for a few years in the refugee camps, they encountered difficulties adjusting to life in their native state. From being successful traders and businessmen once in Rangoon, many of them were ill at ease in their new homes in Tamil Nadu.

This was when a total of seven Tamil families decided to head back to their ‘home’ in Burma through the land route via Manipur on foot and also by boats, a journey which took several months. Since a few of these Burmese Tamils served in Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA), they were already familiar with the land route through the deep forests and mountain terrains of the Northeast. So, they could vaguely figure out the route to enter Burma clandestinely via Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram. After weeks of travelling around 3,200 km (2,000 miles) by train and bus, some among them tried to cross the border and sneak into Burma through Moreh, which was only a border outpost back then with hardly any infrastructure.

Unfortunately, they were intercepted and captured by the strict Junta upon reaching the Indo-Burma border crossing and handed over to the Moreh Police to be sent back to their home state. Initially, the local authorities denied them permission to settle in Moreh. Within days, another group of seven families trying to cross over from Burma were again stopped by the Junta and handed over to the Indian authorities at Moreh. The Government authorities took them to Imphal and they were asked to return to Tamil Nadu. But, with the assistance of a Tamil officer stationed in Moreh at that time and after proper negotiations with the Meiteis and the Nagas,[³]all Tamil refugees, along with Bengalis, Punjabis, and Nepalis from Burma were settled in Moreh.

It was after much persuasion that a large number of Tamil families were settled in Moreh by 1966. They stayed in Moreh hoping that someday they would return to Rangoon. But, the oppressively hot and dusty plains of Moreh soon became their unexpected new home. In the next few years, scores of repatriated Burmese Tamils steamed in. They couldn’t go back to Burma, yet they stayed back in Moreh. By the mid-1960s, the Tamils, with a population of 20,000, outstripped every other community in Moreh. Within a span of two decades, Moreh was transformed into a sort of ‘mini-Tamil Nadu’ – a stronghold of the repatriated Tamils from Burma who also brought along with them their culture. The Netaji Memorial High School was the first school to have been set up by the Tamils in Moreh in 1967.

Two years later, i.e. in 1969, the apex body of the Tamil community in Moreh – Tamil Sangam – was established. Within the next few years, a school was started exclusively for teaching Tamil to children. Soon after that, in a decade or so, little eateries serving steaming hot South Indian delicacies sprung up in the lanes leading to the Tamil Sangam, and Pongal became one of the grandest festivals to be celebrated in Moreh. Fenced by dense jungles, Moreh came to be known as the unintended destination for migrating Tamils. Gradually, by the 1980s, the number of Tamil families in Moreh grew to around 3,000. They were now the third most dominant and one of the most influential communities in the town in terms of their population after the Kukis and the Meiteis.

Given their fluency in the Burmese language and culture, it was naturally feasible and easy for them to venture into different kinds of businesses with the Burmese community and thus establish trade relations with Burma. Indeed, the Tamils have a long history of such entrepreneurship. As a large and relatively prosperous coastal province at the tip of the Southern peninsula, Tamil Nadu has long served as India’s window to the Eastern half of the Indian Ocean. Even before colonialism took effect, Tamil seafarers had spread Indian culture and commerce to regions that are now a part of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). In Moreh, they traded in various products manufactured in their hometown, e.g. lungis, sarees, food items, utensils, etc.

The experiment proved quite successful and Moreh grew in prominence as a trading hub of primarily Chettiar Tamil business interests in the region since members of the community managed to revive their old contacts in Burma. The Tamils were (and to a large extent still are) the ‘spinal cord’ of Moreh’s economy. It was their entrepreneurial efforts that put Moreh on the map as a trading post to South-East Asia. As the demand for Indian goods in Myanmar started rising, the businesses of the Tamil community in Moreh flourished. They controlled the big-ticket textile and furniture businesses, the latter mainly thriving upon the popular Burmese teak brought in from across the border, as well as other sectors dealing with foreign products.

The town’s most powerful trade body – the Border Trade and Chamber of Commerce – came to be populated almost entirely by the Tamils. They exercised steadfast control over a majority of the local businesses in Moreh. The Burmese used to come to Moreh looking for Indian goods like automobile parts, clothing and cosmetics. Many wholesale and retail traders from Delhi and other parts of the country arrived in Moreh. Its status as a trading hub pushed up the property prices, with business tycoons and sportspersons alike looking for business prospects in the town. At that time, a lot of development, especially in terms of tourist inflow and real estate, was expected in Moreh where the infrastructure was appalling and the hotels were in a shambles.

The Census of 2011 puts Moreh’s population at 16,000, the Chin-Kukis accounting for 43% of the total population and the Meiteis 22%. No Naga population was recorded. However, the Meitei Council in the city disputes this figure, saying that the population of Moreh is at least 35,000. Till just a few years back, the population of the Tamils in Moreh was estimated to be roughly around 3,500-4,000. On the other hand, the Meiteis constituted around 7,000-8,000. Once touted to be much more cosmopolitan than even Imphal, the way of life in syncretic Moreh was as extraordinary and old as the town itself. It represented a quaint confluence of cultures. Moreh was recognised as one of the most charmingly captivating societies of Manipur boasting of a beautiful multi-cultural diaspora.

The months of March and April in Moreh were known for Timithi or the fire-walking festival, one of the biggest Tamil festivals held at the Angala Parameswari temple. Taking shots at walking over the fire, the Meiteis of Moreh and other Hindu communities thronged this temple festival in large numbers. The Tamil girls had their own trained dance troupes of Bharatnatyam, Karakattam, and Odissi that performed in numerous cultural events organised across Moreh almost every month by the Tamil Youth Club. Many Tamil Hindu families in Moreh also used to celebrate several annual traditional festivals such as Lai-Haraoba together with the Manipuri Hindus at the Kondong Lairembi temple near Moreh. In fact, Pongal and Lai Haraoba were more popular in Moreh than Christmas.

Till the late 1980s, Moreh, despite its small size, was almost like a ‘mini-India’, or, a ‘microcosm of India’ inhabited by people of different ethnicities. But, the seemingly harmonious integration and communal harmony in Moreh had started souring. While the integration of the Tamils of Moreh seemed successful, that wasn’t always the case. Expanding Tamil businesses, shops and trade acted as unwanted competition for the growing population of the immigrant Chin-Kukis from Myanmar who could not accept at ease the Tamil community’s ever-increasing footprint in Moreh in the Government and as well as the private sector. It all began with Kuki militant outfits imposing a ‘tax’ on the Tamil traders of the area who dominated almost 75% of the local border trade, inviting resentment from the Kukis.

The Kuki Students’ Organization (KSO) ruled that the town would be closed on Sundays. The Meiteis vehemently opposed such a proposition. Thus started a cycle of frequent stand-offs and sporadic violence between the Kukis and other ethnic communities in Moreh. It was around the same time when news reports of miscreants attacking Hindu temples on the Indian side of the Indo-Myanmar international border became frequent, causing concern among the local officials and people. The multicultural social fabric of Moreh began to disintegrate. Tension was already brewing between the Kukis and the Tamils when in April 1995 the 7-year old child of a Tamil businessman was kidnapped by Kuki militants in return for a huge sum of money as ransom. It came as a huge blow to Moreh’s vibrant Tamil community.

Their harmonious integration with other local communities was disrupted. Upon their refusal to pay the ransom, the militants killed the child. Although concerted efforts were made by the Manipur Government to restore tranquillity, this spine-chilling incident acted as a trigger in fomenting the anger of the Tamil community. They immediately organised a rally to protest against the cold-blooded murder of the small child. The Kukis attacked the Tamils during the rally, eventually resulting in deadly clashes between the two communities. In the ensuing conflict, many died while many others were maimed for life. The Angala Parameswari temple was attacked and defiled by the Christian Kuki militants and houses, properties and shops of Tamil families were looted and destroyed by murderous Kuki mobs.[⁴]

The Tamil-Kuki clashes not only led to a loss of lives but also set off a major reverse migration, i.e. exodus or outmigration of Tamils from Moreh to other safer locations, Tamil Nadu in particular. Almost 80% of the Tamil population was estimated to have been forcibly displaced both before and after the riots. Fearing for the safety of their lives and the loss of their businesses, their population shrunk to roughly 3,500-odd persons (an estimated number of 400 families who survived by paying tax to the Kuki Chiefs) after the blaze and bloodshed of 1995. Many families sent their children away to Tamil Nadu and other parts of India to pursue higher education and as well as to look for work. Today, the Tamil population in Moreh numbers just a little more than 1,200.

As the years passed by, the violent clashes became distant memories for the Tamils, who still continued to be the third largest ethnic group in Moreh, after the Kukis and the Meiteis. But they were no longer safe in Moreh! Their religious places of worship too, were not anymore safe. In March 2017, a Siva temple inaugurated by the Tamil Sangam, Moreh in association with the trading community of the town in the late 1990s, was attacked by militants with a powerful remote-controlled bomb in the early morning hours. Although no casualty was reported window panes, electric bulbs, water tankers, and some temple walls were damaged in the blast.[⁵] Soon after this incident, a Nepali temple on the Myanmar side of the border, located 500 metres away from the Namphalong international market, was also attacked.

The Tamils fleeing Burma built their lives in Manipur, but the nightmare of 1995 returned for the Tamils of Moreh after a gap of more than 25 years on May 3, 2023. Violent Kuki mobs ravaged the streets of Moreh on the evening of May 3, setting fire to a dozen houses belonging to the Tamil community, which were burnt in the arson. After around 25 days of relative calm, Kukis torched more houses with rods, sticks and wielding clubs. A third attack followed on July 16, 2023. Roads were blocked and rogue Kuki mobs looted and burnt empty houses of the Meitei community. Cars and other valuable items too, were burnt down. Houses of the Tamil community in Moreh were targeted by the Kukis mainly because of the reason that they happened to be closer to the Meiteis.

Several houses, hotels and furniture shops owned by the Tamils were burnt as the fire spread from the adjacent burning houses and properties of the Meiteis. Increasing ‘tax’ pressure from Chin-Kuki militant outfits had already reduced the community’s population to an all-time low over a period of time. But, a life in turmoil is not new to the Tamils of Manipur. Their story is one of suffering and resilience and as well as achievement. At present, more than half of the Tamil population in Moreh have temporarily left the otherwise bustling border town in search of a livelihood and education for their children as business remains paralysed, educational institutions shut, and the fear of a further deterioration of the situation still floating large in the air. 

References

[1]Keeping Tamil Culture Intact: Battling for Survival in Changed Scenario, Deccan Herald, July 11, 2015. https://www.deccanherald.com/archives/keeping-tamil-culture-intact-2138326

[2]Manipur’s Tamil connection, via Myanmar: How ethnic polarisation has marooned the community again, Scroll.in, September 24, 2023. https://scroll.in/article/1055608/manipurs-tamil-connection-via-myanmar-how-ethnic-polarisation-has-marooned-the-community-again

[3]Caught in Kuki-Meitei Conflict, Tamils of Moreh fear ‘1964 Myanmar-like displacement’, Deccan Herald, April 12, 2024. https://www.deccanherald.com/india/manipur/caught-in-kuki-meitei-conflict-tamils-of-moreh-fear-1964-myanmar-like-displacement-2975765

[4]Ground Report From Moreh: How Manipur’s Multicultural Frontier Town Became a Homogenised Centre of the Kukis, Swarajya, August 22, 2023. https://swarajyamag.com/north-east/ground-report-from-moreh-how-manipurs-multicultural-frontier-town-became-a-homogenised-centre-of-the-kukis

[5]Hindu temples bombed near India-Myanmar international border, Hindustan Times, March 29, 2017. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/hindu-temples-bombed-near-india-myanmar-international-border/story-wq6JhYgZZOGCdkpTwThuZO.html