Funny High School English Errors We Committed that Make our Teachers Furiously Laugh.

We all tend to think that the pranks we played on our friends and the wild things we did are the only sweet memories we can cherish about our high school days. Well, we all are wrong. What about the silly fights with our teachers, the baseless complaints and naggings and most of all the funny mistakes we commit in our test and exam papers. Some of those mistakes were made to intentionally bluff them, but most of them were innocent blunders.

The subjects I hate most were Hindi and Manipuri and these were the subjects that never forgave me either. I flunked 70% of tests and exams because of these unloved subjects whose alphabets and vowels I never gave myself the chance to get into my head and heart. Lucky that these subjects were categorized as non-major subjects, else I would still be in my seven standard punching आ इ ई उ ऊ into my obstinate head.

When it comes to Manipuri or Hindi papers, the sole option to get the passing mark was to do hardcore memorization of the letters for a given question. The task becomes herculean if you are to memorize answers in a whole textbook, how thin it may be. You know that this is impossible. I have to be selective there to save time. Luck does not always favor those who are selective, most often whatever I memorized were not part of the examination questions. And this is when I usually invoke the trick of survival.

For all questions I was clueless, I just write down the same questions as the answers, but in reverse. This fills the answer sheets and also gave me a sense of satisfaction that I have done every bit to pass by hook or by crook. Thinking of it today, I am troubled why my teachers never exposed my unconventional bluffing.

Lets get back to English now. Wish I could review all the exam papers that I have written during my high school days to have a good laugh at myself and to explore the confusing nature of the English language to a high school kid. Alas! That won't be possible as schools do not archive examination papers for being not as precious as paintings or gems. Schools just trash away the papers to shops to be used as wrappers.

My tryst with Manipuri and Hindi was conscious bluffing though. The other part that we all are ignorant about is the mistakes/errors we must have committed unconsciously; Errors that are disastrous, yet hilarious. Here are some examples of bold mistakes we also must have committed in our course of taming English.

English

He is a girl.

The bowels are a, e, i, o, u and sometimes w and y.

A passive voice is when the subject is the sufferer, as in “I am loved.”

A noun is a word to give names to human beings and animals.

History

Arabs wear turbines on their heads.

Romans came and conquered the Geeks.

Abraham Lincoln was a great Precedent.

The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West.

William Tell shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.

Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America whilst cursing about the Atlantic.

Ancient Egyptians lived in the Sarah desert and traveled by Camelot.

Science

To collect sulphur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube.

H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water.

A Fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is, the more extinct it is.

When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire.

Vacuum is a large, empty space where the pope lives.

Blood flows down one leg and up the other.

Geography

Equator is a managerie lion running around Earth through Africa.

Salt is found in Gujarat because, it is found in Gujarat.

Sugar is made from Sugar crane because, it has sugar in it.

Scripture class

Pharaoh forced the Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw.

Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.

David was skilled at playing liar.

Jacob stole his brother’s birthmark.

Joseph gave refuse to the Israelite.

Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree.

Judas was Jesus’ favorite child. Judas earned 30 coins from selling Jesus.

Stephen died because of stone problem.

The prodigy son ran away from his father to go and live with hogs.

Note: The list will be endless. I leave it to you all to complete.

Funny Tangkhul names: Literal and their actual meanings

In many tribal societies, names represent symbols, signs, nature of birth, social standing, place of birth, events of the time and many other things. Red Indians have very unique ways of naming their children. When some of these names are translated literally, they sound funny. However, there are deep underlying meanings even in names that sound really funny or silly. Red Indian names like, “Crow Mother Spirit, She plays all the time, All are at war, First to dance, etc,” are some names that come into my mind when thinking of funny names.

Tangkhuls mainly before the advent of Christianity have a peculiar naming convention. Though the names have their special meanings, they sometime are really funny if you just take the literal or face meaning of the names. Some of the names I can recall are listed below along with their literal and actual meanings.

Chapthai: Nightlong weeper. A very unbearable child who cries day and night.
Pheikhui: Crooked Leg. Named if the child is born with a bend or crooked leg
Shangkai: Broken Clan. Child born at a time when the clan has some conflict within or without
Yarshi: Ugly one. Named if born ugly.
Ringshi: Unhappy. Poor family condition both financial and social standing.
Yangshi: Envy/Jealous. If people are jealous of the parents for some reason.
Yuishi: Envy/jealous. Same as Yangshi
Saphei: Animal leg. Named if the father is a great hunter.
Mikrei: Big Eyes. Named if the child has big eyes.
Miksha: Thick eyes. A child born with thick eyelids
Mikying: Blue Eyes. A child is given this name if he is born with blue eyes.
Maringthei: One who struggles to live. Child born to a couple who live from hand to mouth.
Maringmi: Not alive. If many children have died before the birth of the child
Maransa: Totem Erector. Son of rich parents who have erected totems to showcase their prosperity
Pairala. Shit water. If the parents have fields close to the village that is fed by the fertile waste water and sewage of the village. This is considered to be a good name.
Phanitla: Festival. Child born at the time of festival.
Tatung. Dropped/lost. Orphaned child. Named so if the parents are dead or the child has been abandoned
Thisan: Fed up of dead. If many children have died before the birth of this child
Shongfala. Roadside. If the child is born on the road.
Shongzanla. Roadside. Same as Shongfala
Horhai: Abandoned. Orphaned or abandoned child
Khanei: One who brings bad luck: Named if the child is an orphane
Mara: Orphan. Orphaned or abandoned
Luimashom: No cultivation. If the child is born at the time of drought
Luishomla: Cultivation. The child is born at the time of cultivation
Luishom: Cultivation (male). Same as Luishomla
Vachin: Maternal Hatred. A child born to parents who are not in good terms with the mother’s side
Manganaophan: Not able to bring up: Either of the parents died when the child was so young.
Ningchung: Split mind/thought. A child born to confused parents
Luimalei: No field. Children born to poor parents or a child who is the youngest who has no more/little property share
Yarho: One Son. The only son in the family
Luikai: Broken field. Child born at the time of flood that has resulted in the loss of property
Khungsha: Short neck. Children born with short neck
Ningtheng: Dried mind/thought. Child born at the time of extreme hardship.
Manaothei: Late Fruit. A child born to aged couple
Maungthei: One who can't come. If either of the parents are good in postponing things.
Mashangthei: One who can't manage being rich. Child whose parents are rich but not altruistic.
Ningmalum: Doubtful conscience: The child's parents have some fear about the future of the child. Example, a sickly child.
Maihung: Red face. For a child born with a red face.

The Funny Planet.
A little Indian boy asked his father, the big chief and witch doctor of the tribe, “Papa, why is it that we always have long names, while the white men have shorter names – Bill, Tex or Sam, for example?”

His father replied, “Look, son, our names represent a symbol, a sign, or a poem for our culture not like the white men, who live all together and repeat their names from generation to generation. Also, it is part of our makeup that in spite of everything, we survive.”

“For example, your sister’s name is Small Romantic Moon Over The Lake, because on the night she was born, there was a beautiful moon reflected in the lake. Then there’s your brother, Big White Horse of the Prairies, because he was born on a day that the big white horse who gallops over the prairies of the world appeared near our camp and is a symbol of our capacity to live and the life force of our people.”
“It’s very simple and easy to understand. Do you have any other questions, Little Broken Condom Made in China?”

Disclaimer: This blogpost is not a piece of mockery, but written and posted in good faith that it reminds us of the past.

The Glorious Songs of Yore: Tangkhul Folk Songs

Tangkhul, one of the major sub-tribes within the Naga tribe, native inhabitants of present Ukhrul district in Manipur state, within the Union of India, has a very unique past. Blessed by the quiet and green surroundings, it is said that life used to be very pleasant and peaceful. The Tangkhul tribe, as it is said, was well known as one of the most hostile tribes among the Naga tribes, in the days when head hunting was considered a heroic sport.

Agriculture and hunting being the chief occupations, life is said to be hectic and busy. However, there always seem to be a special space for merriment, entertainment and healthy social interaction to grow, in spite of their busy daily chores. Every Old men in their octogenarian stage claim that life in the past was more calm and ideal and social life to be more robust than that of the present day. Looking at the youngsters of today, most of them lament, ‘You have missed so much fun and merriment as youths.’ Of course, what they perceive and what we have to say about the present are two different poles, which cannot be compared. However, the real problem lies in our inability to find the point where the past and the present converge.

Though I am a Tangkhul, I find it hard to reshape the past in my mind, listening to the tales of aged men, narrating their glorious past; their tales appear to me more like a fairytale. My fate of not being able to identify myself with the past is not an isolated case but is shared by all the younger generation. According to my perception, this sense of alienation is caused partly due to the absence of written History and our ignorance of oral literature as the equal alternate source. What strikes me most today is the oral tradition of my forefathers, through which they preserve history of all sorts, mainly in the form of folk songs.

In my venture to know more about Tangkhul folk-songs, I was really surprised, when I came across songs which were purely historical. These songs speak about, origin, identity, of war between villages, business dealings, marriage, death, and many other interesting facts, which are not in the least second to written history. Enlightened by the captivating facts buried within the content of various kinds of folk-songs, that I happen to come across, I decided that every possible means be explored to preserve these songs at least in print even if we might not be able to sing in their original tune and flavor.

Folksongs were part and parcel of life in the past, sung both in times of joy and sorrow. It is said that there used to be sixteen types, each having special occasions of its performance in the indigenous calendar. Out of the sixteen kinds, only six to seven can be heard sung today, that too by very few old people. Hence, it is a rational fear that these songs would be lost forever, with the passing away of the few aged sources.

The traditional harp which was the main accompaniment is rarely seen today, after being replaced by modern instruments. It is not an exaggeration to say that none among the youth of today, knows how to sing folk-songs. It is indeed a chance to pity ourselves of our own plight, being carried away, or charmed more by Western pop, heavy metal and such other songs at the cost of letting our indigenous songs to rust and rot. Like the steady extinction of endangered species of flora and fauna; culture, tradition, and customs of yesteryears are going away, along with the process of change.

The mountains which are said to be green and impenetrable once are now barren; the seasonal songs of both mirth and sorrow are no longer heard. The harp strings which used to twang are now rusted. It is true to say that ‘change is inevitable,’ and we at least feel fortunate to be living in a better world today, considering the positive sides of change. However, this must not make us forget our past. The days of head hunting are gone, but we are still known as head hunters, let it also be known that, our forefathers were great composers of verse, songs, poems, and great preservers of history through oral means, by preserving the precious lyrics of the folk-songs, which according to me are comparable to the finest works of literature.

Folk songs like the indigenous customs of the Tangkhul tribe slowly got discarded with the advent of Christianity in the late 19th century. Once converted, the converts were forbidden to drink wine, and were not allowed to sing folk songs as these things were perceived to be aligned to paganism. There was mass conversion, and as a result of this the popularity of folk songs diminished. Those Songs which have some occasional similarity with Christian rituals were retained (like, harvest, seed sowing, New Year etc,.) But, this also cannot uphold the popularity, so, very slowly these songs also got assimilated to western tunes.

Songs which are purely aligned to indigenous festivals are now forgotten forever. Songs said to be sung on auspicious occasions like, erection of Totems, birth, death anniversaries etc. can no longer be traced. Taking into account all the changes that have come about in a matter of a century, it won’t be surprising if the following generation forgets totally about yesterday, which we ourselves seem to be unaware today. By saying all these things it must not be misinterpreted that; I’m considering the past to be more glorious than the present. We know that in many ways we are privileged than the past. The customs, ways of life of yesteryear may not be applicable to us anymore, but that does not mean we can just throw away the past.
Documentation of all the existing Folk-songs of the said tribe, and translating the whole lot will not be a task so easy to be completed in a matter of months or years.

The main difficulties that any researcher is likely to face, pertaining to the aforesaid documentation, are manifold. There are no guidebooks, references, and other printed sources from which one will have direct and cooked information about the folk songs of this tribe. One interesting feature of the Tangkhul Naga tribe is every village has its own dialect, though they belong to the same language family. It is very difficult to communicate in one’s own dialect to a person from a different village, and the possibility of understanding each other become remote with distance of location of the scattered villages. The dialect, ‘Tangkhul,’ originally the dialect of Ukhrul/Hunphun village, now one of the district headquarters’ of Manipur, was made the lingua-franca by William Pettigrew, the first Baptist Missionary.

We need to understand that Folk songs of the tribe are not sung in the lingua-franca alone, every village has their own version and varieties. Owing to this fact, the effort to document all existing version would be a mammoth task, as there are about 300 villages inhabited by this tribe. As has been cited before, about absence of printed sources, the only way of documentation is hectic field work, which would include, recording the songs, getting to know the context and content of the songs, translating etc. Folk songs are sung mainly during Festivals, like the seed sowing festival (Luira/Luita), post cultivation festival (Mangkhap/Rishit), post harvest festival (Chumpha) etc. Since these festivals are now, in many ways, assimilated with Christian festivals, originality of the songs are said to be doubtful. Therefore, the most dependable sources for data collection are from the non-Christian aged grannies and grandpas, which again are hard to trace.

This could be the right moment to profess our pride for the long ignored past, which was once considered to be shameful and uncivilized. I have very high respect for the past, because it is the past which shaped our today. As a tribute to the past, and as our responsibility to the coming generation, we should shoulder the task of preserving folk-songs of the Tangkhul Naga tribe in print, and translating them into English, so as to showcase to the outside world that, we had a very rich oral tradition. This also will ensure that the coming generation would not feel lost and detached from their root. Let the songs which used to enlighten our forefathers be objects of marvel not oblivion.

The Joy and the tale of Learning

Those were darn, dear and sweet days where I'd to do nothing more than study, attend lectures, eat and sleep and of course drink too. Pursuing Masters in English Literature compelled me to read and read, sit like a stone in the University Library; play with the computer though I have very ignorable knowledge about the miracle box those days. HTML codes, PHP, CSS, and scores of other coding and documentation tools would have sounded like rocket science to me if at all someone mentioned them to me back then. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, etc, etc, who were so unfortunate not to glare at the computer and to be alive today occupied my days and filled my term papers. Never did I think a giant leap and a totally different world awaited me to suck me deep inside its process. Here I am working as a Senior Technical Writer, far away from home and exiled from literature. A world totally different; making me confused whether I am here for good or for worst but not in the least scared. This is a metamorphosed life indeed.

After completing my Masters, the dictation of life blew me to Hyderabad, a city that I’ve fallen madly in love lately. This is where I started my tryst with the corporate world and also smelled the lovely scent of corporate money. I found the bestest of my friends as time flies by; who often times make me forget that time is juggling us all along.

I often think my first employer did a terrible mistake in hiring me for my computer knowledge was pathetic. Initially hopping around in search of job became frustrating when I got rejected righteously for my low typing speed. I remember cursing for not having learned computer in the way people consider is proper. Nevertheless, I got an offer and this was the first place where I slowly have to start shedding the skin of English Literature. Subjects like Project Management, Risks Management, Disaster Management and other Management topics start to seep into my semi-awake conscience. Well, I punched the keyboard slightly harder than Ringo drums. A happy ending, no keyboards get spoiled by the time I learned to hit the keys more gently.

It was in my second job where I started learning about editing, authoring, and conversion tools. RoboHelp, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and whole lot of Adobe family became my relatives at work. Release notes, User Manuals, Presentations, Brochures, became the wick and oil for me to move forward. VoiP was everywhere on the wall. I love the place and the technology for letting me stuff into my head so much in a short time. Colleagues were professional but warm and welcoming with no secret reservations and grudges. There won’t be much of this kind of ideal work environment to freak around, poke and joke; yet learn a lot.

Wow, the next assignment within the same organization was something of a detachment from what I usually do. It was a chance for me to bid adieu to writing about software updates and related documentations, I squeezed into the world of gaming; iPhone gaming. This was where I blogged, writing about games and everything that has to do with Steve Jobs and Apple. I was gifted an iPhone to kill my days and play my nights. Blogging, writing out game description for whatever my company developed, beta testing games and applications became my daily bread. Great as it sounds, I grew extremely fond of crashing in late and crawling home in the dark.

After deciding to take a break, I made a very risky decision to experience the life of doing and thinking nothing. This was when I left the city I’ve fallen in love and the work that I thought would lead me to superannuation. Eight long months, I eat and stayed idle, surprisingly gaining no extra calories, which I very much desired. Idleness has its own addiction, but I failed to see why I scorn it in many ways than I like. Good that I have someone who loved me despite my precarious mindset. After so much thinking and pondering, I headed back to start and new beginning in the city I'd toiled and smiled for three years.

Coming back, I landed in different organization and into a totally new process area. Core Banking Solution is what I am dealing with as a Senior Technical Writer for now. Life is going on smooth and running fast. I kind of think (often) I've learned a lot oblivious of the fact that I need to learn more and more just even see the kernel of learning. For me, the pleasure of life lies in the willingness to learn whatever life throws on me. It is not what I know that matters, all that matters is what I can learn....

Root canal; the pain, blood, sweat and the cursing.

“Give me more pain killer,” was all I begged when the dentist started poking and drilling my tooth with torturous broach files of various size. Blood and tears got mingled in my throat. The only relief I found on that sacrificial chair were the short moments when I am required to wash and rinse my blood filled mouth. That was how modern dental technology waterboarded me for being careless about my teeth, which I often used to pop open beer and soft drink caps. Damn me, pulp tissues inside my tooth got stoned and rotten because of a small crack that cracked away years ago from my central incisor. I must have looked like a toothless mouse to my friends and the dentist with all the outer layer drilled away from that rotten tooth. To add more insult to my trampled spirit, I am now advised not to bite even apples with that capped shiny tooth.

Thank God, I now have a capped tooth that look much shinier than my other stained teeth to remind me of the pain, tears, blood and cursing session I went through. Darn that dentist, the canine tooth seems to have got infected for being over-drilled to fit in the duplicate one. I have not slept well for more than three days with excruciating pain visiting me every night. I am bribing my brain to ignore the pain by feeding painkiller. I really have to see a dentist again as I still have the desire to live. If only dentists know that the treatment is unbearably painful, they had be more generous in stuffing their patients with stronger painkillers. Root canal-ing is no joke. Jaws become heavier, the head becomes bigger, eyes start seeing the naked beauty of hell. All through the sessions, I at least have my fiancé by my side who really knew I was swimming in a flaming ocean.

The couple of rum pegs I sipped every-time before visiting the dentist didn’t help a pinch in reducing the strangest pain of root canalling. It took three sessions to completely remove the infected pulp tissues. I rose from death three times, a record that beats even the miracle of Lazarus.

Apart from learning about pain, tears and blood, I also came to know how a simple smile could make mountain of a difference. In all the sessions, I didn’t see the dentist smile even once. Maybe he was trying to make himself look super professional. Maybe, he smiled behind the mask which doesn’t have the energy to reach the eyes or the face. Long after the whole operation was over, I ponder on all that have past and fancied that a simple smile on the face of that dentist could possibly have reduced my pain a little bit if not halved. I now believe that life is just a lifeless statue without smiles and laughter all around. If I were a politician, my manifesto would be something like “let us all smile like we are crazy and laugh like we are stoned.”

Well, no more root canals for eternity sake and I would have no reason to smile or laugh on the mention of that strange word, ‘root canal.’ Let us banish the word from the dictionary of laughter….

MY MANIPUR AND YOUR MANIPUR

The two National highways (lifelines of Manipur) are blocked in the hope that the Government of Manipur might at least reconsider the voice of the hill people: the SPF Government has chosen to go on playing the role of being blind and deaf. The present turmoil in Manipur is symbolic of powerplay between the majority Meitei and the minority tribals which has plagued Manipur for too long. Tribal MLAs practically has no voice in a house of sixty where two third are Meiteis. What the tribals want, the Meiteis voted to abhore. Whatever the meiteis do in many ways turn out to be hurting for the minority group. There are differences that have not been filled at all. Are we genuinely listening to each other leaving aside our egos and self interest?

You're "hao" that was what meiteis called me and my friends. Yes, I dont deny that because I am a Naga and I am from the hills. You are a "hao" and so you are "mange" (an untouchable) that's how the yesteryear Nagas were treated. I was kind of thinking we've finally grown out of that stereo typing cocoon where we categorize people. Well, it seems the attitude lives on in some other form. We all have aspirations both as individuals and as a group. Nagas as a race, sure do have this and no doubt Meiteis have their own. It was according to what they think and percieve that they called us "hao." Nagas accepted the name unconsciously. That was in the past. Now, Is it wise to think that the Nagas would accept dictations unconsciously even today like the way they did in the past? This is exactly what the Goverment of Manipur seems to have done to the Nagas and is doing with more intent lately. Meiteis also are ever ready to dictate the fate and distort the aspiration and history of the Nagas. What do the Government of Manipur and Meiteis have against Th Muivah or Naga revolutionary groups? Meiteis have scores of revolutionary groups. Have the Nagas at any point of time spoken against the leaders of Meitei revolutionary groups, their leaders and their ideologies? A big "No" must be the answer. Licking one's own wound might be the better way to heal faster than rubbing salt on others wound and getting the same treatment.

Meiteis have gone a step further this time by calling Th Muivah a "criminal." That was a bold statement as usual because meiteis apparently are good at harping on their views and opinion and consider them next to something devine. Imposing these views and opinion on others is just the subsequent step. To the Nagas, Th Muivah is a fatherly figure because of fearlessly challenging the forces that have oppressed and abused the Nagas for decades. Nagas' support for this exemplary leader have not waned and never would. If what the Nagas consider as a great guide and a leader is being labelled as a criminal by someone who claims to be a neighbor; how possibly can we conclude that the two are good neighbors? Sorry, I don't know how to write in a more diplomatic style. However, everything that have happened in the past and the recent past suggest, the meiteis never listen to the voice of the hill people, whom they ironically call as their brothers. Muivah, to the Nagas is a liberator, which the meiteis consciously choose not to acknowledge. Whatever the Nagas want, think, or desire are/were always ignored taking the advantage of being more populous and for being near to the power hub.

The Government of Manipur, which also is Meitei dominated is showcasing the replicated reality of typical meitei attitude toward the Nagas. The present economic blockade is affecting not only the valley people, but the hills are equally going through the same hardships. However, the Government is concerned only about the possible hunger and starvation in the valley. To avoid this from happening, some ministers are praised for sneaking through the blockade to bring foodstuff and medicines. Has the government of Manipur done something of this sort for the hill people? Forget siphoning off/misappropriating hill developmental fund to make the valley glow while the hills are left in a dark dungeon. Go to the hills and see the pathetic condition of roads, schools and hospitals. Did the government even once care about the well being of the hill people? If "never" is the answer, which I know for sure is; what is there for the Nagas in Manipur to feel the pride of belongingness? Good that the Naga movement was there long before drawing the misnomer boundary of Manipur: atleast the Nagas have hope of deliverance and uniting once again though separated/suppressed by both the British and India.

Coming to something that is reality, go anywhere in India or abroad and ask someone from Manipur; what are you?only the meiteis would say he/she is a Manipuri. Tribals from Manipur prefer saying kuki, naga,etc. That is the emotional attachment (integrity) of Manipur. There is no logic in sloganeering about territorial integrity when people do not have the feeling of belongingness.

There would be many people who would fume on reading this piece of unpolished write up. Why do we need to be diplomatic in expressing what we really feel? If we don't understand each other, it simply means that one of the parties have consciously decided to dictate their thoughts on the other. This is what the government of Manipur has done to the Nagas in barring Th Muivah's entry to Manipur. Ironically, Somdal the birthplace of Muivah where he intends to come back after decades is in the present state of Manipur. It is good Ibobi Singh and his cabinet ministers assumed that Naga struggle is confined to Nagaland and that Th Muivah is fighting for the cause of Nagaland state alone. This assumption now makes Somdal and the whole of Naga inhabited areas part of Nagaland logically. Why else should they deny entry if they are aware that Somdal is in Manipur? The host of ministers headed by Ibobi Singh in appeasing the Meiteis have yet again ignored the Constitution of India and thereby wronged not only Muivah but the whole Nagas.

May 6th Mao carnage also proves that Naga inhabited areas in Manipur do not belong to Manipur. Why else should Manipur arm forces open fire on peaceful protestors whom they should consider as their brethen? Most of the wounded were treated in Kohima and elsewhere in Nagaland, not Manipur. The displaced ran to Nagaland and not to other places in Manipur. Why?? This shows how much the Nagas in Manipur are attached to Manipur in reality.

When innocent Nagas were gunned down, not a single minister budged from their chairs. But when there was the need for food to feed those people on the valley, a cabinet minister personally intervened and escorted back stranded food loaded trucks. Heroic indeed. What would a Naga percieve from this otherwise heroic act being applauded by the Meiteis? You could have done that as well for the innocent Nagas who have suffered for decades.

It is only natural for both Meiteis and Nagas to think that each of them are right. There is no meeting point for the word lashing and mud slinging happening at present. Nagas claim they have a history, and Meiteis have another version of history to keep the Nagas caged forever. The question for now is to either accept the one written by the victorious or the subjugated? History says that the present boundary of Manipur is just a scrap of the glorious empire of past Maharajas. Some part of Naga inhabited areas in Manipur and even some part of Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal may once be under some Maharaja. Does this give the Meiteis the right to claim that all those parts rightfully belongs to Manipur? Greece is not claiming major parts of Asia because of the conquest of Alexander the Great. Nagas may support if Meiteis claim a greater Manipur demanding the inclusion of Kabaw valley and some parts in Assam inhabited by the Meiteis and giving away Naga inhabited areas to the Nagas. That looks like a fair deal and a more politically correct claim than shouting about Manipur Integrity.

It is simply natural for people having the same history to think, act and react in the same way. If the Meiteis and Nagas don't have that commonality, the implication is we were, are and will always be different. It is not only wrong to impose ones thought/history on the other at the cost of the other's, it is unnatural. Meiteis have willlingly ignored the cause of the Nagas for which many lives have been sacrificed. What is suffering for one turns out something of a triumph for the other. What do we have in common that can hold us together?

Manipur indeed look and feel different for those who live in the valley and the hills! I have eyes to see, ears to hear and the right to write what I have seen and what I can feel