A day before her birth, Nankhothing Vaiphee’s father died in a gunfight with British troops in Manipur. He was one of the Kuki youth who had joined the Indian National Army and was marching towards Kohima when he died. He was joyous, she said, when the INA tricolour was hoisted for the first time at Moirang, 45 km from Imphal.
Today, at the age of 79, Nankhothing finds herself as a refugee in a camp in Tengnoupal, a district that shares the international border with Myanmar. She has lost everything: her father before her birth, and now her home, cattle and books to the ethnic clash between the Meiteis and the Kukis in Manipur.
“They label us as illegal immigrants and narco-terrorists! But are we? If you visit the INA Memorial, you will discover the names of numerous Kuki people who sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom struggle,” said David J. Vaiphei, a lawyer from Moreh.
Manipur has been burning for two horrific months. I have been a regular visitor to this beautiful land of beautiful people, after Irom Chanu Sharmila began her fast against the misuse of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. I was one of the first few journalists to interview her after she ended her 16-year fast. When she stood against chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh in an election six years ago, I followed her closely.
I remember the day I saw her riding an old Hercules bicycle from Imphal city to Thoubal during her election campaign. She was all alone and looked as though she had been abandoned. In the end, she got 90 votes. That did not diminish my admiration for the women of Manipur. As a south Indian, I had been dumbstruck by the fighting spirit of the Imas (mothers) of Manipur. I have always believed that they are the most fearless fighters. Now, in the war zone that Manipur has become, it is the Imas who are leading the struggle.
この記事は THE WEEK India の July 16, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は THE WEEK India の July 16, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.