Abandoned but love surrounds 6 months old child
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 25 2012: The meaning intrinsic to the name Sanamatum was not lost at all.

Amid ceremonial splendour and religious rituals the traditional Chakumba of six-month old Sanamatum was performed at Bal Bhavan, Khuman Lampak Sports Complex today.

Born with physical deformities, Sanamatum was found abandoned soon after birth near Lamphel police station in October last year.

Chakumba marks the first feeding of solid food to a child upon attaining six months.

Bedecked in customary attires for the occasion, the ceremony was attended by several people, including the Officer in-Charge of Lamphel police station N Ingocha, who spotted the abandoned child and admitted him to JNIMS Hospital from where the child was handed over to the custody of Shishu Greha, a child-care centre run under the Social Welfare Department.

Dr Chourjit of JNIMS, who took personal care of the child was also present at the ceremony along with a number of Social Welfare Department officials and staff as well as members of Child Welfare Committee.

Sanamatum : Love abounds

Despite being loathed by the parents, the number of people who attended the ceremony was so large that the sprawling sports complex nearly ran out of space to park the vehicles.

Speaking to newspersons before the grand feast organised for the ceremony, Social Welfare Director K Seityabati informed that due to religious practice actual rituals of chakumba was performed yesterday with today's events organised to formally mark the ceremony.

Further conveying that many couples had enquired to adopt the baby but back off after seeing the child's physical condition never to return, the Director said Sanamatum has developed a strong familial bond with the Department staff out.

The child is being taken care off round the clock by six nursing mothers, she said adding that the grand feast and traditional musical event organised in connection with the ceremony was made possible out of monetary donations by several officials and Department personnel.

Seityabati also confided that some individuals have coming forward to bear the cost in case Sanamatum needs operation to cure physical deformities of the limbs.

To a poser about report of some Manipuri children stranded in Sheha Bhavan and Pratiyasa Bhavan in Kerala State, she confirmed that official report has been received of 26 children presently staying in the southern State since May 11 last year.

Hinting that some of these children were taken away without consent or proper consultation of their respective parents, Seityabati said based on a Supreme Court ruling prohibiting child trafficking and employment of under-age children a number of awareness campaigns had been organised by the Department.

the Director regretted that such campaigns are yet to yield the desired effect as parents continue to sent their children outside the state under the pretext of education while in reality they end up working as manual labourers and exposed to abuses.

Asserting that the Department will launch an investigation on why the parents have been sending away their children so that punitive action could be initiated for defying the Supreme Court ruling, she also added that Kerala Government has been contacted to repatriate the Manipuri children.