Manipur — Moreh — — Experiencing a different side of India
One of the many Indian states where people do not speak the national language, yet communicate with love and warmth, Imphal the capital city of Manipur surely stands out offering the traveller an experience of a different side of India. Visiting Imphal on two different occasions made me feel as though I have a deep connection with the place. The culture, people, language, food all seemed to get more familiar on my second trip to the tiny valley.
My going to Imphal happened on receiving an invitation to facilitate a one day workshop for the local youth ( students and working professionals of Imphal). The workshop was aptly titled ‘ Living in style’. There was also an opportunity to interact with the doctors of Imphal and share thoughts on meditation.
It was pure bliss to spend a day with the young leaders of Imphal, and to them the word ‘style’ didnt seem alien as they had a distinct taste for style and fashion. The kids were very up to date with the latest trends in terms of clothing but deep inside their confident faces and personna lay the soft innocence that craved for freedom from fear. Fear of violence that existed throughout the state and most of them were brought up and lived in that atmosphere. It was a heart touching experience to share and hear them out as we explored together ways to make life worth living freely.
I then spent a couple of days going around the city and also visiting the town of Moreh, which is a small town in the Indo — Myanmar border. Imphal is the capital of Manipur and one of the most ancient cities in India. With beautiful landscapes of green blue mountains, lush green fields and low clouds, Imphal surely is a place for the traveller who wants to explore off the beaten track. Located at 790 meter above sea level, the city offers spectacular views of nature and a very pleasant climate.
What attracted me most was the culture of the people of Manipur, where women seem to be the leaders and torch bearers in all fronts. Despite the fear that prevails due to prolonged militancy in the region, a sense of calm, serenity and peace can be felt. The simplicity and humility of the manipuris is heart warming.The state has a very ancient yet modern culture. A lot of importance is given to education and the culture values and upholds respect and freedom of women.
The sun rises at around 4am and sets at around 4 pm during winters thus making the people early risers. I was treated with vegetarian meals, Manipuri style which included different varieties of noodles with special toppings like coconut & peanut toppings, which was a stimulant for my taste buds. The most happening place was a market run by women, where we could see and feel the energy and rapid pace of the women shop owners. Everything from clothes, to knit wear to vegetables, to household items etc. are sold in the open market where every stall is run by women.
We drove down the city to Loktak Lake, the lifeline of Manipur, which is considered the largest fresh water lake in the whole of Northeast India. It also owns the pride of being the only floating lake the world over as it has floating phumdis on it. Phumdis meaning, a series of floating islands, is seen only in Loktak Lake. The lake is the major source of drinking water, electricity and irrigation. Other places of interest was Manipur state museum and the Govindajee temple.
My trip to Imphal wasn’t complete without visiting Moreh — a small town at the Myanmar border on the Indian side. It was a special feeling to cross the Indo — myanmar friendship gate on foot and was an interesting experience to witness the sort of local trade that happens across the border. A huge chinese market on the Burma side of the border is a place worth a visit. Several traders belonging to many different communities including Punjabis, Tamilians, Rajasthanis, Kuki tribes, Manipuris, Nepalis and Burmese live in the border region and have been settled there for decades and thrive on trade.
This made the cultural contrast very interesting. In Imphal, I hardly met people who spoke Hindi whereas in Burma, there were many who were fluent in hindi. Hindu religion on this side and Buddhists on the other side of the gate. Likewise the one hour time difference between the two countries could be seen with the clock on the Indian side striking 12 and Burma side striking 1 at the same time. What inspired me was to see how people living in Moreh have transcended cultural differences and co exist in harmony like part of the same whole.The amazing cosmopolitan culture and feel surely makes Moreh a place worth visiting. After visiting a couple of Buddhist temples & monastries in Burma, we returned back to Imphal.
While in Imphal, one surely sees and experiences a different side of India as compared to life in the more busy metros of Delhi & Mumbai. But the warmth, love and simplicity of the people remain unparalleled. Also one of my most important learnings was how irrespective of differences in culture and language, humans have this amazing potential to coexist and cooperate without any formal ‘training’. It is just a natural urge and tendency of all of us as humans to connect deeply with every other being on this planet and a trip to Imphal & Moreh surely allows us to experience that part of ourselves.
