Mixed Emotions

Sunbird Team member Konish Naidu lucidly narrates his experience of living in Ijeirong, a beautiful, remote village tucked away in the lush green hills of Manipur. Read on to know about how there is so much more than meets the eye.

 

Tucked away deep in the Manipuri hills is a beautiful village comprising a total of 37 households called Ijeirong where I reside. A city slicker would never be able to get to such a village without the assistance of a local. Unpaved roads, dirt tracks and during the monsoon only a shaktiman truck can bring you here. Never ending ranges of green hills that never fail to take your breath away and clouds that flow in and out of your room makes your simple existence here an experience that you will never forget.

Having said this its not only rainbows and butterflies here in the village, sometimes I feel the people have been given a hard hand to deal with. Living here in a beautiful place with beautiful people might sound quite romantic but this kind of a lifestyle isn’t suited for everyone. No water for days together, no constant electricity supply and no medical help for hours is just the tip of the iceberg. The remoteness of the village contributes to the charm of the place but also causes a major hinderence in the development of the area. Having lived here, eaten , played and interacted with the people to a large extent, my team and I realized the scope for development in the areas and also the growing aspirations of the people to advance as a community but due to the complete detachment from the rest of the country the people lack the privilege of opportunity. Manipur has also been ill-fated with numerous social problems within the population itself which has caused a major setback in the overall development of the state. There are more than 36 ethnic groups and each feel wrongly done for various justifiable reasons. So, in a nutshell lack of opportunity , growing aspirations and social drama between the people itself answer the million dollar question as to why villages here are underdeveloped and off the radar.

I have to admit though , despite being completely oblivious to other parts of the country the people of the hills have a much better civic sense in comparison to the people in the city. Its not just about keeping the roads and streets clean, they are very considerate with respect to the other’s feelings and abide by the unspoken norms of society which you rarely find in the city.
Another element of the village life that drew my attention is the pure relationship they have with their environment around them. They seem to have found a perfect formula for survival but not at the cost of the environment. Self sustenance is the key. They eat whatever they grow and nothing more. Everything is pure , organic and unadulterated.

Apart from being farmers the people are master craftsmen and builders . Anything and everything they touch is turned into something that can be used productively. They have not done any engineering and no they don’t have a manual for their reference but what they do have is a “never say no” attitude and an immense understanding of their environment which is again all self taught and is inherited to the young ones.

There is a huge wealth of knowledge hidden here with people possessing latent talents and we can all learn something from them. Due to the cumulative effect of various social and economic problems , these talents have not been exposed to the outside world.

I know it will be very hypocritical for me to say that I don’t want this to change but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want this place remain untouched and so pure because I have fallen in love with this place and the people.

But afterall change is inevitable.