Langmei VA
IMPHAL, May 24: The Langmei (Ritiang/Chiang) VA has decided to take step against any threat to DIET, Tamei Headquarters. A statement issued by the chairman of Langmei VA, P Lungpadbow also appealed the DIET, Tamei and the students to discharge their duty .....
Govt signs MoU with UPPK
IMPHAL, May 24: A home-coming ceremony of UPPK leaders and cadres was held today at 1st MR banquet hall during which a tripartite Me-morandum of Understanding was signed between the outfit, Government of Manipur and Government of India. Chief Minister .....
Muivah states stand to titular king
IMPHAL, May 24: “Nagas and Meiteis should decide for their own future and our future will be the outcome of this de-cision”, stated NSCN-IM Ato Kilonser Thuingaleng Muivah during a meeting with titular king Leishemba Sanajaoba at Hebron, Dimapur. .....
N/East Mt Everest Expedition ends
IMPHAL, May 24: With the successful summit to Mt Eve-rest by Manish Deka from Assam today at 5.45am, the record setting 1st NE India Mt Everest Expedition came to an end. The total number of successful Everesters from the expedition team stands at 11......
Ukhrul protest
UKHRUL, May 24: More than 1500 Anganwadi Workers and Helpers staged sit in protest at Ukhrul Mini Secretariat Complex today demand- ing payment of their pending twelve months honorarium. Later in the afternoon, a memorandum addressed to the Minister o.....
Flaws in Govt's Agri policy
IMPHAL, May 24: At a time when the Government of India is putting in serious effort to develop agriculture and allied sectors by pumping in additional fund, the State Government is currently pain-ting a contrasting picture. According to an official sou.....
KNF officer shot dead
IMPHAL, May 24: Comman-ding officer of KNF’s Ebenezer Camp HS Shanty Kipgen was shot dead by some unidentified persons at around 10 pm of May 23. Some 7/8 unidentified persons came to the house one Bimola located just beside Fo-rest Beat Office near.....
Fund boost to Mary's goal
NEW DELHI, May 24: The sports ministry has given in-principle approval for a grant of Rs 309.56 lakh to Olympic medallist Mary Kom's Regional Boxing Foundation at Imphal for construction of a gymnasium hall and procurement of equipments. The grant, to .....
Parents' body
IMPHAL, May 24: Close on the heels of 15 school children collapsing inside an overcrowded school van yesterday, All Manipur Guardian Stuents Organisation (AMSGO) has demanded that strict instruction be given by Education Minister to van drivers not to cra.....
Cultural prog
IMPHAL, May 24: A one day cultural and musical exchange programme was held today at Senapati Public Ground under the aegis of Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) and Kuki Students’ Organisa-tion, Sadar Hills (KSO-SH). The programme held .....
Centre naive on NH protection force plan
IMPHAL, May 24: Despite continuous demand from va-rious sections for deployment of highway protection force (HPF) to ensure safe passage of vehicle operators and pas-sengers along the national highways connecting Manipur to other parts of the country, the.....
Screening for Cervical Cancer
By Dr BabinaThangjam When Ashangbi Devi (name changed) started having regular bouts of back pain and watery vaginal discharge, she instinctively knew something was not right.She started experiencing all thesemany years after her menopause and at first, s.....
“Go for gospel music”
By Rev L Simon Raomai Rock music is in the air virtually everywhere today. It is a captivate music culture which originated from western world. It is popularized from packed sports arena to advertisements that peddle everything from movie sound tracks an.....
Traditional healing methods with special reference to Manipur
By Dr K Paochunbou (Contd from previous issue) But Scientists know that the bitter taste is caused by a toxin- “tetracyclic trieterpenoid cucurbitacin compound” and such toxin can cause vomiting of blood, severe diarrhoea, severe ulcers, fatal, st.....
School vans : Packed like sardines The wake up call
It did not end in a disaster. A providential escape ? Whatever, the warning cannot and should not be ignored. Packed like sardines in a can. This is perhaps the closest description of school vans all over Imphal and the other towns of Manipur, like Churac.....
KKSDDA warns
IMPHAL, May 24: Highlighting the scores of inconveniences faced by the people of Kasom Khullen Subdivision due to prolonged absence of responsible SDO/BDO and delayed in inauguration of the new office building, the Kasom Khullen Subdivision Development As.....
Successful candidates congratulated
IMPHAL, May 24: The Thoubal Police has congratulated Kshetrimayum Thoithoinganba Meitei s/o Ksh Rajen Singh and Sougrakpam (N) Ksh (O) Nonibala Devi of Thoubal Nongangkhong who secured the 8th position in the HSLC Exam 2013 conducted by the BSEM. A sta.....
KSO reprimands Cdl NRHM
IMPHAL, May 24: Expressing discontentment over the conduct of perfunctory three-day health mela at Joupi village in Khengjoy subdivision from May 17-19 by the NRHM Chandel, the Kuki Students' Organisation played down the health mela saying it was done onl.....
Two UG cadres nabbed
IMPHAL, May 24: A PREPAK cadre reportedly with several criminal records was arrested by a combined team of Thoubal police commandos and 6 Dogra today around 4.10 pm while conducting a search operation at Pallel Bazar. Identifying the arrested PREPAK ca.....
AITSA for change of leadership in Govt
IMPHAL, May 24: The All India Tribal Students’ Association Delhi (AITSA) and the Mongoloid Peoples Forum (MPF), Delhi, expressing apprehension on the virtual lack of sensitivity and the decaying secular character of the State Government, urged the Con.....
Manipur Masala
By : Sanatombi Angomcha
A few friendish and friendly experiences in the capital!
A few days back, I took an auto ride from office to my rented apartment in south Delhi. Randomly the auto-driver asked me, ‘ Kahan kay rehni waali ho aap, Madam Ji?’ I smiled and requested him to stop addressing me Madam Ji first and further replied that I am from Manipur. He continued ‘Ohhh Manipur! China ke paash hein ya Nepal ke paash?’ I grinned and replied, ‘Manipur Nepal mein hein aur har Manipuri Saap (snake) ki kaafi saukin hein, aap hamare desh mein aana chahogay, aapko pakka saaap khiladungi’. He gave a disturbed look and drove straight without uttering a single word for the next few minutes. I later felt bad to have overreacted with a rude tone to the driver but then I thought I did the right thing. That’s the problem with majority of people who reside here. They make us feel like foreigners in our own country (Did I say our own country? It must be a mistake for sure).
Earlier I had this notion that illiteracy could be one of the reasons why people from North East are profiled on grounds of their looks, dressing sense or eating habits. But sadly it’s not so. Forget that semi-educated auto driver, those who hold managerial posts in many MNCs even have a shallow understanding about people from North East India. To cite an interesting example, a manager in my very office once asked me if by any chance I know Mandarin. I replied with a devilish attitude ‘Of course I do, but why would you ask that?’ I could not believe it further. He wanted me to have a look at a Chinese website and figure out what all things were written on it. I wore my usual attitude and reverted, ‘I would suggest you to consult a translator since translation is not a part of my job profile’. He might have been pestered by my rowdy attitude but I did not give a shit. He well deserved it, after all.
Well, we must honestly admit that culturing a feeling of Indianess is perhaps a tough task for most of the North Easterners who have come down to the metropolis either for studies or career purposes. Every single day, most of us come across different incidents of racial profiling or discrimination in various Indian cities. We are treated like foreigners in our own country. My suggestion, however, is not to succumb to their sick attitude or fake understanding. Remember, when you wrestle with a pig, you get dirty and the pig enjoys it more. So, it is of no use meddling up with the dim-witted lamebrains whose geographical knowledge is hopelessly moronic.
Alright enough of the fiendish experiences I guess. It is also equally true that there are a lot of friendly people in this city who make us contrast our ill-view about the city. Be it the poor yet honest sabjiwaala, who greets you with a smile whenever you buy vegetables from his laari and treat you like his own daughter or that honest auto-driver who did not cheat you when you gave extra money by mistake. Every place has its own charms and ugly sides. During our stay in any Indian city, we should know how to treasure the sweet experiences meanwhile doing away with the sour ones.
And as for Delhi, I must admit the city is as unpredictable as its weather. Fiendish and yet friendly, Delhi has its own charms and ugliness too. Most of the big cities in India like Delhi are a bit grubby. Pungent smell of sewage, rotting fruits on the ground, a never ending pool of litter would be a common sight for many who travel across the city. The bazaars here are claustrophobic though one can buy goods of all types at affordable rates. Strolling across the alleys of Delhi — the familiar alleys where most of us love to reside forming a ghetto community of our own— one would have this feeling if Delhi is all about the alley. The answer is ‘No’. Adjacent to the alleys are the posh residential colonies — the types most of us can hardly afford to accommodate. A visit at any of these posh residential colonies would make one miss the open space back at our hometown. By the mention of hometown, all my bags are not yet packed but I will be home soon and the thought is making me high. And till then a few more fiendish and friendly experiences in the city, do I have a choice?
park
well written, the above said things are well experience to me during my one and half years of staying away from my home....
Manipoor
D/writer, . Our arogant attitude, n over smartness n our hot blood should also be viewed. U regreted for mentioning 'our country', n indirectly u tagged Indians as pigs. U may hav succeded at ur hidden agenda, but pls, tell me how many of you know where is R. Langli n K. Langli? If u dnt kno this than how can tat autowala or all literate people of other state know abot Manipur? My dears these r d names of 2 villages in Manipur.
David
wow! I really appreciate for writting down this. I've been here in the sate as well for almost a decade, but still you know! they should really imnprove their geography knowledge and their attitude.
@David
Well well, well said. Now d writer must hav scratched her head wit her pen. No 1 is perfect, but our people bost of their IQ, and laugh at Indians as if India will starve to death without the mercy of Manipur. Is ths attitude by some people of Manipur not racism against India?
manipoor2
dear manipoor..here we r not talking about village..dude,iam from imphal west,however i dont know all the village names of imphal.u cant know all the villages of ur state.. u cant compare manipur with a village.be reasonable.ask any indian whether he kmows all his state villages.u wil get the answer..u can miss a village ,NOT A STATE
@Manipoor2
Dnt talk foolish my frnd. Manipur is too small and u dnt know names of these twin villages, thn how can tat illiterate autowala living in a big country know abot manipur? He even adressed as Madamji wit such a high respect, but what reward he got? Even we cant demand that all educated indian must know manipur. Few may know, many may not know. . but is it right on our part to tag indians as brainless, racial, pigs, . . We behav as if India is at the mercy of Manipur, this is too much.
@Manipoor2
Dnt talk foolish my frnd. Manipur is too small and u dnt know names of these twin villages, thn how can tat illiterate autowala living in a big country know abot manipur? He even adressed as Madamji wit such a high respect, but what reward he got? Even we cant demand that all educated indian must know manipur. Few may know, many may not know. . but is it right on our part to tag indians as brainless, racial, pigs, . . We behav as if India is at the mercy of Manipur, this is too much.
Dayanand
@Manipoor, dont show ur stupidity here in front of evryone. Try to find any person u know in India who knows evry village in his State..even if u try a 100 years u wont find anyone. Got it! India has only 28 states and as a literate/educated citizen, if they cant remember just 28 names of his/her country then they ll remain as ignorant as they were b4 Independence, their shi**y brains assuming delhi(dilli) is the best city in d world without even seeing Paris, Tokyo or Sydney!
@manipoor2
Size and profession is not the matter here, pliz have sense,Manipur is small yet they think it's in Nepal. A class 10 pass student of india does not know Manipur.Thats absurd,bull-headed but if your village, nowhere in books or writings will not be known to most of us, dont be angry fren and use good examples to support yourself.
Pibarel Meitei (Mr J)
Manipoor,u should admit the mistake committed by majority of Indian in the mainland for the integrity of India.Even the then home minister P Chidambaram admitted such mistake on the part of majority.Right from the Brindaban pilgrimage to the working in offices,north east is unknowingly ignored.Some step like know your Indian campaign by media and leading civil societies can bridge the gap of misunderstanding.Unity should initiate from majority not from minority to feel secure and comfort.
Sanjay Roy
The writer has picked up on the usual subject which essentially picked up the lesser mortal (or are they? haven't god created us equal) like the Auto rikshaw who definitely know nothing more then his village and the place he travels to. The problem with so-call literate is that they are living in highly consumersim inflicted society and thus have no time to his/her own country. The ignorance is not always misplaced may be because of the mongoloid characteristics. you have to pardon their ignoran
Punshiba
every human being doesn't reason like a human being. Eg: 'Manipoor'. lol
pakhang
we can't blame the people only. many of them don't know anything about the northeast but there are people who become genuinely curious about the northeast when they meet a northeasterner. its the government and the powers that be who try to keep the northeast out of national consciousness and at the same time impose indianness on the northeastern people. but we shouldn't complain any more. we should try to know ourselves more (and know them less....)
sandip kumar
I think, gapping bw north east & other part of india to responsible only state & central goverment.
