‘Singngat Special’ vaak a mitta

by Haumuanlun Samte

“Duhthusam i chih lametna ahikei. I lam-et phaklouh thilte duhthu a kisam ahizaw.”
-V L Mangzou

Laigelhsiam VL Mangzou in August 17, 2019 nitak dak 8.30 vel a sin natna ziak a ahon omlouhsan hun in, i gam khimpi ziing bang hial hi. Social media ah suunna thu kithehkual zungzung hi. Khenkhat adin a school teacher lui uh ahi a, khenkhat adin biakna vai leh khotang pawlte a heutu lui uh leh a seppih lui uh ahi. Police station a duty pih uh bang ana hi a, kholai a vaakpih, meltheih, lawm, WhatsApp group a chiakpih, leh inveng bang ahi. A vuina program August 18, 2019 hunzat hun ah, Mualkawi a a innkuam uah gaaltu tam petmah hi.

Mi hiaizahzah in hiaibang a VL Mangzou a suunna ziak uh ahihleh mi tam ana sukkhak ziak ahi. Amah toh kitheite adia chiamnuih gen siam, polhnop, midang panpih ut gige, phattuamngai ana hi a. Mimal a kitheihpihloute adin bel, a thugelh ziak mahmah ahi. Kum 2003 vel apan Lamka tanchinbu tuamtuam leh internet ah a gawm in thugelh 100 val bang ana gelh a, itna tangthu 10 veel gelh hi.

Nidang in Singngat a ka inn-gei uah mawltual lianpi a om a, a siik ah YPA Hall leh Silver Jubilee mualsuang a kitung viahvuah hi. Neulai in hiai kiim ah chek sing leh sing biim khawng kikoih reihruih sek hi. Valnou honte’n guitar tumkawm a laa sa in, khavak nuai ah hiaimunte hong taan gige sek uhi. Huailai khawng apat ahi, VL Mangzou te lawi in Lengtong Paunou leh S Chingnu laa te’ a hon na awih-ihmut sek uh. 

Laa leh thu lunglut, mi lungleng mahmah, VL Mangzou, a lunglenna te thumal a a gelhkhiatte ziak in  laigelh gil taktak hong piangkhia a, huai te i literature adia gou manpha ahi hi. A lunglenna ziak in itna tangthu hoih taktak a hon pia hi. 

Ama’ thugelhte tungtawn in Manipur Police Traning Center, Panggei mun om dingdan khawng kisuangtuah thei a, Singngat kholai bang, Guite Kual leh Mizogam bang ah hon vakkual pih a, ama’ mit tungtawn in Lamka khopi khodung teng kimuthei hi. A na totkhakna sa mun-le-mual leh a lawm-le-vualte pansan in tangthu lunglut huai pipi phuahtawm gelhkhia a, awmthei petmah ahi dia, mi tamtak in atak sa in a tangthu a ‘a nungaknu kua ahia’ chi khawng in kan hial uhi.

Hiai vual bang en le, “Mualsuang gelhsiamte’n thumal nalh taktak a a khuakkuak bang un ka lungtang ah a min khuak in a om a, thaimang vual ahi nawnkei. A nuih puakropte ka bilsung ah a kikhum a, hichi zodeuh leh chihna ding om hetlou amel kilawmtak mai, ka mitnauta ah chiklai peuh a muhtheih gige dia zutbelh in a om hi.” Hiai ahihleh VL Mangzou’ itna tangthu gelh khat apan eukhiat ahi a, a thugelh siam leh thuuk dan muhtheih hi.

Khanvual a polhsiamna, chiamnuih a gensiamna te ziak in mi teng toh kihou thei in, mi’n ngaina mahmah uhi. A chiamnuih gente mah a gelhthoh a hon bawl chiang in, gam keek diak hi. Lamka College a kailai ua a classmate, Laltanpui in, “History exam ni a long answer guk hong suak inchin, ‘Answer any five’ kichi hive aw. U Dong in a vek a ana dawng kha, thaisiat sang in chi a a paper tawp a, ‘Check any five,’ chi keuh ahi aw,” chi in gen hi.

“2000 lak vel a BYF Hebron te Zoudawn veh dia Town Bus dim a hohtou hive ung aw,” chi in Ginsuan Haulai in kahtvei hon hilh hi. “Singngat a giaktou, nitak kikhopna hun ah amah hong ding. ‘K’on kithuahpih theihna uh omsun chi in kou Singngat BYF te le mi bangzah hiam in ka hon zui di uh...’ hon chi chu, ki-ettuah liak a om. Kou mah le a gari a dimkhin hita. Amau hong bangchi kihen di aduam, chih ana kingaihtuah guk laitak a, ‘-- chithei di dinmun a ka omlouh ziak in poi ka sa,’ hon chi a, kinui zaak,” chi hi.

Delhi a om, Lia Nianghoihching in, “A thugelhte apat a mizia di ana kingaihtuah khia: mi pau nuam mahmah hi di, a lawmte lak a a central of attraction ahi ngeingei di. Thutuam pipi tampi bangchi-chi hiam a hon lemkhawm inchin, a gennop pen tamlou chik hel geih. Chiamnuih dan a sim utte adia le hithei, a focus tak en utte adia le muhtheih,” chi in a muhdan gen hi.

VL Mangzou’ hinkho tangthu - a hihkhelh leh a hihhoih hitaleh - iim neilou in gelh miahmiah mai a. Simtute adin ki-mekbelh theihna ding tamtak om a, kivelthakna ding bang in zattheih hi. A thiltuahte tungtawn a thil a gelhte’n simtute hon pawllim mahmah hi. “Ka hinkhua a ka thiltuahte leh ka duhthusam mawlchik a ka gelhkhiakte, mi khenkhat in hinkhua nuamsaktu taktak a ana zang uh ahi chih ka theih chiang in ka kipak petmah a, ka hunlui saupi phawkkik thei dia ngaihtuahna chiimtak hon petu, Pathian thupina ka pia hi,” chi in ana gelh hi.

A thugelhte ana sim gige, Lamphel a om Muante Khuptong in hichiin gen hi, “Chiamnuih ngaina leh dawl thei mahmah mi ahi di. Experience hau mahmah, huaikha simtute lunglut theihna di hisap a gelh siam hivaw.”

Gam-le-nam a ding leh khotang bawlna hoihna din tamtak ana gelh a, issue leh thil buai khat a gelhchiang in, a solution dia a theihte pe zel hi. Thil a gelh khempeuh te, “Kei’ ngaihtuahna lel ahi a, a dikpen ka chi tuankei,” a chih in thil tampi gen hi. Mizawng, daikilkal mite’ aw in pang tawntung hi. A thu gelhte luan in luan thoh a, simsuak ma koihkhiat theih ahi ngeikei. Khat i zoh chiang in abaan a dite kingaklah pah zel hi. 

VL Mangzou ahihleh May 28, 1972 in Singngat ah piang a, Hill Model High School, Singngat leh Lamka College te ah siam ana sinkhia hi. “‘Buai’ zoh in Hill Model High School ah kum thum teacher in ka sem a, naupang za-thum valzek a pha ua, a min uh ka theigai vek,” chi in aman ana gelh hi. Manipur Police in 2001 in luut a, Head Constable tan tung hi. Azi Ngaihlun leh a ta li te tun in G. Mualkawi ah khosa uhi.

‘Singngat Special’ kichi singpi khum genna dia ana kizang zel himahleh, VL Mangzou in a thugelhte column min dia a hon zat nung, ‘Singngat Special’ in khiakna leh gen tuam daih a hon nei hi. A khanletna mun Singngat vangkhua pansan in gelhzel a, amite leh amun-amual te a thugelhte ah zeptel zel mahleh, a thugelhte’n atangpi in i gam pumpi huap suak vek hi. A laigelhkhiat te tungtawn in a min in i literature ah a mang ngei nawnlou diing mun a luah hi. 

Amah ngaina khenkhat kipawlkhawm in a laigelhte kikaikhawm a, a bu in kibawl hi.

(Manipur Express ah 26.11.2019 in suak)

Singngat Water Woes

Singngat, my hometown, in Churachandpur district of Manipur, is 291 kms away from Cherrapunji, the once world’s wettest place. But it is a place of perennial water scarcity. The problem conitnues, year after year. People have to go fetch water to streams that are over one and one-and-a-half kilometres away. All the hand pumps are not working and no repairs have been carried out till date by the concerned authorities. This, at a time when the world observes World Water Day and when the buzzword everywhere seems to be 'environmentalism.' What’s the point of a million-dollar IPL and Commonwealth Games and multiplexes and flyovers and metro when people somewhere in the far corner of the country barely manage to take bath even once in a week!




Based on the information obtained from the Ministry of DoNER's website, Rs. 213.26 lakhs (2.13 cr) and Rs. 204.64 lakhs (2.05 cr) were sanctioned under NLCPR schemes for Augmentation of Water Supply at Thanlon on June 6, 2009 and Singngat on July 20, 2009. Out of these, Rs 67.18 lakhs and Rs 64.45 lakhs have been released for Thanlon and Singngat, respectively.

But no work has been started.

The Zogam MediaWatch has filed an RTI application to the Ministry of DoNER regarding these projects. Response from the Ministry is being awaited.

Here's a news report from The Sangai Express:

CCpur trio invoke RTI at Delhi

Imphal, March 30 2010: A group of people from Churachadpur district along with students pursuing studies at New delhi have approached Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of Ministry of Development of Northeast Region (DoNER) seeking information with regard to implementation, if any, of Central sponsored schemes in Churachandpur district.

An informed source said the petitioners on March 27 filed their application to the CPIO seeking information on the status of utilization of Rs.213.26 lakhs and another amount of Rs.204.64 lakhs sanctioned for augmentation of water supply scheme at Thanlon and Singhat sub-divisions respectively, under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) of the DoNER ministry.

Referring to contents in the website of the Doner ministry wherein it had been mentioned that Rs.67.14 lakhs and Rs.64.45 lakhs were released but the utilization record display nought, the petitioners including L Samte, J Tonsing and S Thomte raised posers as to whether or not the project has begun.

Invoking clause of the Right to Information Act the trio sought copies of the detailed project report of the schemes in addition to demanding information with regard to the proposed sources for the supply of water for the scheme.

"Is there any time-frame for completion of the implementation of the said projects?" also questioned the applicants.

Qquoting local villagers that the said schemes are yet to be constructed, they also highlighted that Singhat, a sub-divisional headquarters about 30 kms away from Churachandpur district headquarters, faces perennial water scarcity problem.

Further mentioning that piecemeal efforts were made in the past to mitigate water scarcity problem but to no avail, they also cited a previous scheme undertaken in the mid-90s also failing to yield the desired result as the engine (water pump) installed to supply water and store in a reservoir developed technical snag.

Detailing that hand pumps installed in the village are also defunct and no repairing works have been carried out till date by the concerned authorities, the petitioners suggested that to solve the water scarcity problem, long term measures like pumping up of water from large rivers like Tuivai or Tuitha be experimented.

School going children who are in the midst of their exams are busy searching for water when they should have been studying and the problem is so severe that taking bath even once in a week is considered a luxury, mentioned their application.