Khwairamband By Night

    26-Oct-2019
-K Radhakumar

From early in the morning till late in the evening
People sell and buy goods at Khwairamband
In the very heart of Imphal.
Everyday is market day;
It comes to life at crack of dawn
And is always crowded and noisy.
Here the sellers are women only –
They and the surrounding stalls sell everything
Fruits flowers vegetables
Fish – fresh, frozen and dried
Everything that is required in a kitchen.
Your mother and sister they are
And you can address them as
Mother or sister – whichever you like.
They will smile at you
If you address them in Manipuri –
Ima, Iche or Ichan.
Ima is the Manipuri word for ‘mother’.
Well, I must say,
Mother is the sweetest word in any native tongue.
Be it Italian or Swahili,
Kokborok or any native American language.
Our mothers are used to the music
Of the hustle and bustle of the place
For the last many, many years
And you shouldn’t be surprised
When she screams a string of obscenities at you
If you succeed in annoying her.
The next moment
You’ll feel like crying
When her sweet voice, her concern for you
Brings you the memory of your dead mother.
Look! When she packs the things you bought into a bag
She also puts a small bunch of coriander leaves
Free of charge, for your main dish.

On the northern bank of the Nambul rivulet
Which touches the belly of Khwairamband
There grows an ancient banyan tree.
The ruling deity of Khwairamband
Has her abode at the foot of the tree.
The Imas bend their heads and pray to end their sufferings
When they come to the market in the morning
And before they return home in the evening
By offering a coin or some fruits or sweets to her.
The noise dies down late in the evening.
The Imas have returned home to have a good night’s rest
And prepare for the task of the day that will be.
Ah, the day that will be!
When the night engulfs the entire world
She goes around the market place.
The surrounding stalls send back the faint echo of a sob
Of a woman sobbing her heart out
Like that of a mother whose only child is dead.
Surely, some will not come to the market the next day
The day that will be
For they have taken the final rest tonight.