“WE DO NOT feel like voting. No candidate has come to see us. But as a citizen of the country, I do not want to disregard my right,” said K. Surjit Singh from Motbung, a Meitei village in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur. His village has been erased in the nearly year-long MeiteiKuki ethnic strife, and he now stays in Imphal’s biggest relief camp in Lamboikhongnangkhong. The same sentiment is echoed by Jaminlal Haokip, a Kuki from Imphal’s Langol area, who is now in a relief camp in Churachandpur.
These two are part of a large section of Manipuris—those affected by the violence—who seem to have no interest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, to be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. Take, for instance, Leichombam, a journalist with 23 years of experience. After a busy day of reporting for his news website, he motorcycles to Khumbong in Imphal West at night to protect his village. Every day, he spends time in a bunker till 1am, and once a week, he dedicates an entire night to guarding his village. “People from all walks of life are volunteering to guard their villages, including doctors and teachers,” he said.
The election season is subdued, with few banners or party flags in Imphal. Instead, the city is filled with Election Commission billboards urging people to vote. The seven-colour Salai Taret flags of the Meitei community are now widespread throughout the valley; this was rare before the ethnic strife. The flags represent belief and solidarity, and are sometimes a marker of a Meitei house or shop. The EC and political parties are concerned about low voter turnout because of the violence, which has flared up again after a month of calm.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 28, 2024 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 28, 2024 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Pressure Points
Author and MP Shashi Tharoor and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das on how to find healing and meaning in today's world
War Over Wounded Earth
For the BJP andthe Congress, the ravaged farmlands of Vidarbha represent a cxitieal battleground in their larger struggle to win Maharashtra
Say no to continual elections
Following the recommendations of a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind to streamline the widely scattered schedule of national, state and local elections, the Union cabinet has reportedly approved two constitutional amendment bills for likely introduction in Parliament. Predictably, the return of the ‘one nation, one election’ issue to news has set off a flurry of objections by several opposition leaders.
Fabulously, fashionably funny
The third season of the Karan Johar-produced Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives dropped on Netflix, but articles criticising the show appear in some news site or the other almost daily. If it is so bad, why keep writing about it? And if it is so bad, why would the superpowers at Netflix, who are harder to meet than the prime minister, commission the show season after season?
All in the family
The Chitaras have been passing down the secret art of Mata Ni Pachedi through generations for more than 400 years now
Raise a toast to Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is a New Year baby. At 45, she is aglow in the most beautiful way, having won the hearts and admiration of countless fans across the world, who watched the supremely talented actor take a public tumble on stage at a high-profile promotional event recently, sharing the platform with no less a dancer than the eternally graceful Madhuri Dixit.
Death no bar
Being alive is not a legal requirement to be elected president of the United States
The Lotus POTUS
You should visit us one of these days— there is so much excitement in our USA! No, I don’t mean the famous USA—the Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association of Mumbai.
RAY OF HOPE
Actor and cancer survivor Lisa Ray talks to oncologist Dr Jame Abraham about inner strength and her surrogacy journey
LEVERAGE AI TO ENHANCE WORK
AT THE WEEK Health Summit, Siddharth Bagga, head (retail, CPG and health care), Google Cloud, elaborated on the significant work that Google has been doing in health care through artificial intelligence (AI).