When 'living' equals 'merely breathing' in India's Imphal

Ningombam Bupenda Meitei *

Bird eye view of Imphal Valley as seen from top of Cheiraoching in August 2014 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

In my Imphal, I just live because I just breathe.

Imphal, the capital of Manipur, is one of the major cities in North East India that has an international airport but there has been no operational international flight, except for one international flight from Burma to mark the inauguration of the airport as international, so far.

Modern India knows Imphal through AFSPA and Irom Sharmila mostly, but unfortunately, the contemporary modern India never either initiates or catalyzes the reality of Digital Manipur when Digital India is talked about, wifi Imphal when New Delhi ( NDMC area ) is promised of a free wifi zone, Mobile Manipur Government when Prime Minister Modi talks about Mobile India Government, e-governance and official facebook account/page, official twitter account of Manipur Chief Minister's Office, Chief Minister and other ministries and departments when the whole world knows through facebook, twitter, etc. that where our Prime Minister Modi is right now, high speed internet and 4G in Manipur when India's IT is world renowned, metro-train in Imphal where heavy traffic with unregulated roads by traffic police can become the savior of many future expecting mothers, dying old aged, victims of accidents, fire brigade and ambulance movement, school going vans for children, specially challenged or differently abled people's movement, etc.

Modern India must know that the youths, like any youth in Delhi or Mumbai, of Manipur also need 24 by 7 uninterrupted electric power supply not from solar panels erected privately and individually in a house, but from government or PPP modeled power corporation. The youths of Manipur need an uninterrupted high speed internet and 4G in Manipur. They want to give all the possible national level examinations meant for Union Government of India's service in Imphal, but unfortunately many such examinations do not have a center in Imphal. The youths of today's Manipur want every benefit and opportunity that any youth in Delhi, Mumbai get and can get. The youths of today's Manipur know the world through their mobile connected with 2G internet at the least, and they know what they aspire and dream of, and what they dream, certainly at the least, is the dream of not slow development but fast and quick time-bound development in infrastructure, power energy, connectivity - both highways and internet ways, circulating non-stagnant white money economy, and this dream will guarantee the dawn of tranquility and true spirit of being in a prospering inclusive India where Modi's mission of 'Sab ka saath, Sab ka vikas' ( Together with all, development for all ) will become a reality even in Manipur of India.

'Imphal' which is pronounced with a prefix sound 'eemp' is always heard as the sound 'nay', hence the total sound perceived and heard, though not actually received, often and only becomes 'Nepal'. So, I may say 'I am from Imphal,' while the listener will surely reply innocently asking, 'Are you from Nepal?'.

Imphal is such a state capital in India which has no passport office, so to get an Indian passport, an Indian of Manipur domicile has to stay in Guwahati, which is not in Manipur but in another state of North East India called Assam, for a few days to weeks.

Imphal is such a state capital where many national level examinations are not conducted because the capital is not provided with the examination centers, so even to give UPSC Civil Services Main Examination, one has to go to Shillong, Guwahati, etc.

Imphal is again such a state capital where flipkart operates 'not' on the mode of hand to hand cash payment after the received delivery of the bought, via online, items. In Delhi, Mumbai, the amount of bought flipkart items can be made by cash on delivery while such system is curtailed by flipkart in Imphal or anywhere in Manipur.

Imphal is such a state capital where Tata Photon, MTS, etc. are officially non functional and non operational as there is no designated office.

Imphal is such a state capital where people in many houses 'pray' for the electric light ( electric power ) to come and many have lost faith in state's power corporation and instead get themselves committed to the use of solar energy using solar electric panels.

Imphal is such a state capital where many top BJP leaders including Narendra Modi came to campaign and promised to book and enable CBI, on its own though, investigate inquiry against the present Congress Chief Minister, but Modi has completely forgotten his own promise.

Imphal is such a state capital where BSNL broadband landline internet is the only internet that occupies the status of monopoly in the state as there are no private players, like in Delhi, which provide landline broadband internet within an hour of telephonic call.

When will Imphal get its due in the 21st century? It is not possible, simply because Manipur has no 80 MPs in Lok Sabha and more than that, Imphal does not have Mukesh Ambani. If Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Lakshmi Mittal, Birla, besides the visits of former Prime Ministers and Modi, ever visit Imphal by touching the soil of Imphal, Imphal will become economically open and get linked with global trade and commerce. Imphal is also such a state capital which was never visited by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his 5 years of Prime Ministership.

Imphal is such a place where its Manipur Central University also houses the army barrack and its Assam Rifles' camp in the heart of the university campus.

Unless, there is Bill Gates or Abraham Lincoln, Imphal will remain as a laboratory of military, militias, drug lords for their business profits and power by experimenting on the lives of common innocent humans thereby destroying humanity and mankind on the earth.

After all, how much significant and powerful the common people of Manipur be in a democracy which sanctions one vote that voices only once in 5 years.

This is my Imphal. I just live because I just breathe.

If this is the reality of today's Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, then what must be happening in other valley districts and hill districts of Manipur, please have some genuine time for these real issues of Manipur when you visit Imphal, Mr. Prime Minister.

Mr. Prime Minister, If you are the rock star in US and Australia, then, why should not and can not you also be the same rock star in India's Manipur?

Mr. Prime Minister, like you shake hands, by standing on the edge of the stage and bending forward, with the crowd from the audience in Australia and insist SPG to move away from you in another incident, please shake hands not only with a few selected VIPs or BJP/RSS workers but also with a maximum number of youths of Manipur during your coming visit in Imphal and while doing so, if SPG stops a youth from shaking hand and taking a photo selfie with you, please tell your SPG to move away a little, and in that, the youths shall remember you as the most touching and daring Prime Minister who is a man of actions besides also being qualified and praised as 'a man of actions' by Barack Obama.

If Nehru could give his speech 'Tryst with destiny', can you, Mr. Prime Minister Modi, declare to start 'Tryst with Manipur', with your not reactive but proactive plans of executable time-bound actions before 2019, that will not only catapult Manipur to an unprecedented state of an actual development, not on paper but on the ground, but also constructively evolve the economy and diplomacy of South East Asia and Indian Ocean Region too.

Jai Bharat,
Jai Hind