Got it

I mean, I've just got back my phone! The day after my last post, my phone went dead.

Right now, Imphal is a beehive of 'developmental' activities. Imphal, it seems, is straining to its limit trying to absorb Rs 500 crores a year, which is a kind of bonus from the Federal govt, in the name of Special Plan Assistance(SPA).

Rs 500 crores a year for a State, however small it may be and that too, for the purpose of infrastructural development, is not a big amount. But it seems that infrastructural development is new here! Everybody, be it the officials or the citizen, seems to try hard to 'acclimatize' to this new 'season' of development!!

Work is still in full swings for widening the street in front of Kalimai temple in Yaiskul. All of the underground cables for Keisamthong areas pass through that portion of the street before they cross the Keisamthong bridge to bring connectivity to all localities here.

Most of them got snapped.

As I'm writing this, there is blanket disruption of phone service in my area. So, how do I manage to get my phone line?

That will be a big story, indeed. I'm preparing myself to tell the story in full in a separate post!

My girl

Why can't I go near my girl?

I decided that there should be no 'go between'--I should directly talk to her. So, I went to her home. Her folks, let's say, did all the proper things when somebody called on them.

I was there sitting pretty in their drawing room.

But when she came out and sat down in a chair near me, I mumbled something and fled!

I ACTUALLY FLED FROM HER!!

The next instance of 'I can't near her' happened right at the heart of Khwairanband Bazar. I was there pushing a rickety bicycle, with a folded empty bag of white polythene in one hand. I was on way to collect my monthly quota of brown rice which was 'custom ordered' the previous day.

Suddenly, she was there in front of me with a kid as a companion. I was in an awkward position with the rickety bicycle and the white polythene bag. Nevertheless, I rushe dtowards the rice vendor, deposited both the cycle and the bag by her side and returned to look for her.

There she was returning with the kid at her side. Again, I could not muster enough courage to go near her.

After the third instance(which, by the way, happened exactly at the heart of Paona International market), I humbly admitted to myself that I need a 'go between'.

So, I went looking for her little sis. There again a drama happened. It so happened that as I was looking for her sis I kept bumping on her cousin, who is a little dusky unlike the sis who is very fair. I tried so hard to find her sis that I failed to recognise her cousin several times!

I know I committed a great blunder.

But whatever the blunder, my timidity or the drama, I know deep down that she is my girl.

The story of change

The story of change, huh? This sure sounds grand. But changes need to occur within the bosoms of common and their households. When changes occur amongst the lowest strata of a given society, then we can say that a real change tkes place in that particular society.

So, this story would most likely mirrors the changes everyone anticipates amongst the common folks of my society. I'd even venture out to say that this story tries to picturize the anatomy of such change.

It all begins with one of those terribly boring ads in Poknapham daily. It was one of those which were replete with 'Ashok chakras' and the mysterious imprint of 'sarkari' feel--a sure eyesore. But that day that Government of India issued ad caught my attention.

The first line of the ad simply and succinctly stated that corn is better than both rice and wheat as a staple food. Simple, starigfhtforward and in a single sentence!

I laways try to read up whatever I can place my hands on if they relate to diet and health. But nobody so far say like this: CORN IS BETTER!

I have some prior knowledge of corn in Manipur. Most of the time, it is selling well below the Rs10/- a kg whereas rice is breaching the Rs20/- mark. Now, it so happens that it is nutritionally better and,at the same time, chaeper by more than 50% of the staple food of the State!

I immediately booted my computer up, went online and searched for recipes containing cornmeal.

I like the recipes of Brown Cornbread to be baked in a microwave oven.

So, I bought a microwave and a bag of corn!

Now, for lunch, I eat brown cornbread and still continue to eat rice at night.

Microwave is not the news here, nor is it the protagonist of this story. What is remarkable is that Imanage to cut down my daily rice intake by half. By half! Using the tools--internet and a microwave oven.

And the intriguing aspect of the change is that the spark comes from a totally unexpected quarter--a Governemnt of India issued ad in a local daily.

I truly beieve that my society consume a lot too much of rice. If any member of this society tries to excel in any field--be it sports, building up of intellectual property or crative arts, he should start by cutting his rice intakes substantiallyu and replace it with more nutritious food.

I count this change taking place in myself as a huge one.

All alone

I spent the night of 31st Dec all alone. This was the first time I ever did so. Normally, it's the night of heavy partying.

I've drifted away from most of my buddies. Something has changed.

Most of my buddies are smart,well educated and very competitive. But I now feel that somehow they continue to be the prisoners of tradition.

I fancy that I've already lived that part of my life and now, I move on to another phase where I can practise change with continuity. In my daily life I want to impart throbbing life to my tradition--making my tradition living.

I feel that I've departed fromthe space where they are now standing, working and living. That surely means that the chasm between my buddies and me is widening every second, every minute and every hour.

This is a bewildering experience.

This story of 'all alone'31st Dec night won't be complete witjout remembering what had happened during the dawn of that day. I was rudely awakedned from my sleep by low flying sound of the military UAV! I was awakened and able to immediately grasped that it was a UAV. I shifted, pressing one ear against the pillow and put a hand over the other trying the muffle the sound. And I cursed--'Damned that UAV!Why should it fly so low at this hour?'

In the afternoon, the news came out that there was a gunbattle in Loktak. But all the media avoided using the word 'UAV'--they used 'unmanned surveilance plane'. Did they coin another word for UAV?

But I still can't figure it out why should the UAV fly so low around Imphal when there was a gun battle in Loktak, around 30-40 kms away.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, Everybody.

I've just stopped playing 100 best love songs--full blast! But I'm hearing right now everybody turning up their volumes!!

This is a rare chance. You canot play your stereo way upto midnight at any given night!

And, I'm also hearing a lot of fireworks going up.

Happy New Year.