Crammed in van 15 kids collapse
Imphal, May 23: In what could be termed as corrobo-ration of serious concern fre- quently highlighted by the pa-rents regarding their young kids transported in an un-friendly manner by school van operators and other transpor-ters, no less than 15 students.....
Mute/deaf student shines bright
IMPHAL, May 23: Pukhram-bam Juliana Chanu, who is virtually mute and has very low hearing capacity outshone a large number of her peers when she scored the highest mark (88 out of 100) in Philosophy apart from securing letter marks in four subjects in the.....
Obscurity clouds HSE '13 results
IMPHAL, May 23: Results of the class XII exam conducted by the Council of Higher Se-condary Education Manipur (COHSEM) have confused many people even as some others have started questioning if there were certain lapses or follies in the result. As per .....
Cabinet okays
IMPHAL, May 23: The State Cabinet has today given its approval for the recognition of three tribal dialects. Government Spokesperson, M Okendro said the three tribal dialects recognised by the State Government are Poumai, Liangmai and Gangte. Beside.....
DTO issues 3057 licences in a day
IMPHAL, May 23: One former District Transport Officer (DTO) of Ukhrul issued 3057 driving licences in a single day and the revenue thus collected never reached the Government’s coffer. One G Athui, then Inspector (Mechanical) was given the charge of .....
Educational facilities in Saitu inaugurated
IMPHAL, May 23: Along with inaugurating an Eklavya model residential school at Gamnom Saparmeina, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam today dedicated two hostel buildings for scheduled tribe boys and girls students at the same area. Eklavya model resident.....
Ukhrul ADC
IMPHAL, May 23: The Ukhrul Autonomous District Council (ADC) has resolved to remove LN Kashung, CEO of Ukhrul ADC from his post for alleged ‘misconduct’ and ‘unbecoming act of a Govt servant’ under Section 32 (2) of the Manipur (Hill Areas) ADC Ac.....
HIV girl secures four letter marks in HSE
IMPHAL, May 23: It is a big morale booster and a source of inspiration to all children living with HIV that a girl living with HIV and undergoing ART secured letter marks in four subjects in the Higher Secondary Examination 2013 conducted by the Council o.....
Director inspects Govt model schools
IMPHAL, May 23: An official team of Directorate of Education (S) led by its Director H Deleep today inspected Wangkhei High School, Keishamthong High School and Lamding High School in connection with the introduction of Mentoring System at a few selected .....
Unidentified man locks Nambol school
IMPHAL, May 23: The Development Protection United Voluntary Organisation has urged the concerned to make a clarification on locking of Nambol Leirel High School by a person who identified himself as an RPF activist yesterday. In a press conference held.....
VA urges authority
IMPHAL, May 23: The Samulamlan Village Authority has urged the authority concerned to complete the installation of Mobile BTS at Samulamlan within June this year. A statement issued by the chief/chairman of Samulamlan VA, K Paohminglen said the VA woul.....
TSA admitted in ATSUM
IMPHAL, May 23: Thadou Students Association-General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) has formally become the unit of All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM). Three of the TSA-GHQ 'officials' have also been inducted to the ATSUM fold today where an oath-takin.....
Kabow Leikai eviction Fasting prayer on May 26 followed by rally, meeting
IMPHAL, May 23: In the backdrop of the alleged forced eviction of Kabow Leikai, a fasting prayer would be organised on Sunday (May 26) in respective Church which would be followed by a peace rally and public meeting on May 27. This was decided during .....
BSF detects IED in Tbl
IMPHAL, May 23: Troops of 116th Bn BSF today detected an IED weighing around 10 Kgs at Wangjing Heituppokpi, Thoubal district. The bomb detected by BSF troops posted at Wangjing was retrieved by a bomb disposal squad of Manipur Police and they set of.....
PMS for SCs
IMPHAL, May 23: The 2nd phase lists of selected SC students of the State for the award of Post Matric Scholarship for the year 2012-13 were notified on the notice board of the Directorate of MOBC & SC located at Old Gauhati HC Complex and on the website w.....
Anniversary observed
IMPHAL, May 23: The Indian Dental Association (IDA), Manipur State Branch has celebrated the 24th anniversary function of the association on May 20 at Classic Hotel, Imphal. The programme was presided by Dr T Nabachandra Singh, president of the IDA (MS.....
Free diabetes camp
IMPHAL, May 23: A one-day diabetes free health camp was held today at Lecture Hall-2 of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Porompat. As chief guest of the event, North East Elderly Women chief editor RK Nayansana Devi noting that diabetes.....
Senapati prepares for Exchange programme
KANGGUI, May 22: Everything is set in order for the one day Cultural and Musical Exchange programme jointly organised by Senapati District Students Association and Kuki Students' Organization, Sadar Hills in association with Student Mobilization Initiati.....
JAC demands exemplary punishment against rapists
IMPHAL, May 23: JAC against the rape of a student of TG Hr Sec School on Oct 20, 2012 has urged the concerned authority to conduct the trial against the rapists fairly. A statement issued by the JAC today reminded that the number of crimes rises due to.....
Raphei Katamnao Long hails ADC
Ukhrul, May 23: The Northern Students’ Union (Raphei Katamnao Long), Ukhrul District has appreciated the ADC, Ukhrul for timely implementation of developmental projects in various departments particularly in the field of Education in the Northern area o.....
Sunday Sentiments
By : Urmila Chanam
A plate of snacks
Mother used to be a great cook. She still is. I can’t really pinpoint how she got to become so innovative and talented with her onions, pots and pans. Was it because she was an army wife and you know how this genre of women is? Among themselves, they exchange recipes and cooking tips; the Army Wife’s Association, Family Welfare Centre and Ladies Club hone their multi-faceted talents to finesse. I doubt if there is an army wife who doesn’t know how to make matar paneer, palak aloo or chicken manchurian. The culinary know-how and the best practices are passed on from one lady to another on many occasions and kitty-parties. If Mrs. Patel’s ‘gudh ki roti’ is most delicious, Mrs Buragohain knows how to make the best ‘peethas’. Mrs Chatterjee insists on frying her rohu fish in mustard oil while Mrs Iyengar makes the most crisp masala dosas. Together they become a part of a larger family called the Army battalion, division and corp and cultures get mixed effortlessly. No one really minds. A plate of snacks takes a whole new meaning altogether if your mother is an army wife.
I remember one afternoon vividly when the aroma from the kitchen wouldn’t let me concentrate. I went to see where my siblings were, and goaded them to come see what was cooking. The congested kitchen of the quarter couldn’t accommodate mother and the two maid servants helping her, so that meant I stood with my siblings at the door. Mother hushed us away from there. “Today we have a cocktail party at home. Your father’s 2 I/C and his wife are coming along with some other officers from the battalion.” she informed us. She was going to make a whole lot of snacks for the occasion, she murmured because a cocktail party was just snacks and drinks, and no dinner. At four years, I learnt that cocktail parties at home were temptation trips for me.
An array of snacks lay in front of me on the wide table- paneer pakodas, fish fingers, bread-on-toast, peanuts in chopped onions and green chillies, sabudana vada, prawn cutlets, chicken lollipop, momos, french fries and roasted cashew nuts. There were four types of home-made sauces to go with the snacks- tomato, garlic-chilli, tamarind and mayonnaise. The ‘gulab jamuns’ looked big, pulpy, soft and delicious.
I stood at the door looking longingly at the ‘gulab jamuns’ which were boiling in the sugar syrup ‘chashni’ while mother was steering it gently to avoid burning. My new Chinese made doll, a birthday gift, all of a sudden did not hold any charm somehow. I went to stand near mother’s elbow, in the kitchen, and against all the self pride I possessed, in the sweetest voice I could manage, I asked her, “Can I have one of those, ma?” She retorted in a sharp voice, a “No!! These are for the several guests coming over tonight.” She dismissed us by passing an instruction to the maid who looked after us when mother got busy, like that afternoon. “Mala, please serve lunch for the children.” I sat on the dinning table half wishing the lunch was better than the buttered ‘rotis’ and ‘gobi ki sabji’. Lunch now over I loitered around the kitchen again, loving the aroma and hoping someone would ask me to taste something!
The preparation that goes on in an army officer’s house to host a party is elaborate. The menu is mixed cuisine, the crockery and cutlery sparkling, the table setting dignified, the serving part is immaculate and practiced. It’s mostly a formal affair, no matter what the occasion is. The army culture stands uniform irrespective of who plays the host. The décor of the house will mostly be the same. You can almost count on me when I say each house has more than two dozens of painted pot plants, several chipped at its edges from the many ‘postings’. My house was all set for the cocktail party. The grub was ready. The maid instructed. The table set. Everything was in order, even the three of us. Literally scrubbed squeaky clean in the bath, powdered, combed and dressed in our evening clothes, I wore a clean cotton frock in red checks and polished black shoes. My unruly hair had been oiled to tame it, and partitioned in the middle and combed to a sleek.
The guest list had no children. We were not to be seen anywhere in the house for the next few hours, other than in our rooms. At 8 pm we would be called in to wish the guests, a very good evening. Our snacks would be served in our rooms. We were not to linger on in the main living room. The guests arrived. I could hear them. It must have been 7.15 in the evening. Lt.Colonel Chabra and his wife were among the scores of guests who I didn’t know. The centre table in the living room was stacked with snacks and drinks.
Behind the curtains of the arch between the living room and the bedrooms, we three stood huddled against each other .My sister motioned at me. I sprang out from behind the curtains into the centre of the living room where I faced all the guests assembled in the sofa. Startling others, and startled myself, I looked at all the eyes looking at me now.“ Good evening uncle, good evening aunty”, was a hurried prelude to what I was to do next. I dived at the snacks with all the fingers I had. If I was to be reprimanded for this, it would have to wait, I thought with clarity. I rushed out of the room to empty the goodies on my bed. My brother went next. Then my sister.
I don’t even know what my parents told their friends, or what their friends told my parents. I am certain that they couldn’t have been particularly proud of us but we never heard them ask us why we did what we did. At 7.30 in the evening we three ate our snacks in our room that evening years ago, a bit earlier than was planned by mother.
I then got up to go look for my new Chinese doll that I got for my birthday.
The writer is a humanitarian, campaigner and journalist with World Pulse & Voices for Human Rights and she can be reached at - urmila.chanam@gmail.com
Dipankar Dey
Reminded me of my childhood home parties too. Thanks for the ever lively descriptions of life's happiness. I Love every part of it.
