The early mornings in Moreh are chirpy and noisy. The neighborhood's Cock gets into his act at 0345 hrs.The Chain Reaction then sets in. The Gurudwara's Giani starts the holy scripture reading by 0500 Hrs and the road in front of our house starts bustling with activity and you can see the local residents and tourists beginning their day. The Taxi operators start warming up their engines for another trip to Imphal and further on. Each round trip from Imphal to Moreh and back is around Rs 5000/- these days in a Maruti Omni Van!!
The close proximity between Moreh and the Myanmar Town "Tamu" is a boon in many ways.Exotic fruits,vegetables and fish are available in plenty in the border market called "Namphlong".Namphlong has originated from twisiting of words "Nine Furlong"!! The gates are open here and one can walk into the Market from 0600 hrs onwards to do the daily purchases.
The beauty of both Moreh and Namphlong (Market on Myanmar Side) is the vast range of breakfast and meal options alongwith some great alcohol variants. Dosa,Uttapa,Thattaya,
Moreh is growing exponentially. I have been travelling to invite folks and communities for my Mother-in-Law's Stone Laying Ceremony scheduled on 03 Jan 13. The visit to the graveyard reveals that the average age in Moreh is much lesser than the Indian standards.The fresh grave was of a 1976 born man. Inspite of fresh environment, a lot of people lose their lives due to stomach related ailments. The burgeoning population from various communities is devouring the hills.The graves have become boundaries of houses!!
Moreh is sitting on an ecology disaster time bomb. The wooden houses have given way to concrete buildings.The SBI ATM is operational and a town is shaping up.However,there is no town planning and nil garbage management system in town and litter can be seen in many places including the small river cutting through the town is littered with plastics-tons of it.
I had a visitor on the 28th Dec.He is a Lieutenant in The Salvation Army and a Mizo.He is a graduate from the Khalsa College,Delhi and is from a good family.His elder sister is a Doctor in the Indian Army and his younger sister is an IPS Officer. This 36 year old shy Pastor is now managing a 1969 established Hermon Junior High School,Moreh. I saw him working on ground as the school has just bare minimum funds to support poor students and pay the teachers. The Principal's salary is Rs 11,000/- per month and there are times wheb he gives away his salary for supporting his students. The drop out rate of students is high as education is not a priority for people here. They push their children into jobs if opportunity strikes.
We had a discussion on Moreh's geo-socio-eco setup. We came up with an idea that Hermon Junior High School,Moreh will celebrate 2014 as "Clean and Green-2014".In this process,the school will undertake following:-
a) Adopt a One Sq. Km area around the school premises and keep in clean.
b) Plant green trees in its sprawling campus which is in urgent need of maintenance but funds are lacking.
c) Approach all relevant ministeries in Centre and State and seek grants to maintain the falling school infrastructure and to create 02 extra rooms in the school.
The monthly fee for a student is Rs 250/- and the Principal ,Lt David Sanga of the Salvation Army, has also set up a hostel within the School Compound to keep the poor children and uplift them socially and mentally.It is,Folks, a tremendous act by this man.
To begin this noble activity,a small programme is planned in the school premises on 01 Jan 2014. Brig (Retd) Suresh Datt/E/C/27 is arriving at Moreh on 31 Dec 13 on a personal visit and he would be inaugrating this new initiative for Hermon Junior High School. The Principal of school Lt David Sanga is available on Mob-09402268853 and his email id isangeldavid.hermon@gmail.com. It would be great if some of you can chip in with your part and help a few students and in turn the School.
Kindly click the below link to enjoy the photos of this Travelogue:-
https://plus.google.com/photos/101238588481972006061/albums/5961948447648705713?authkey=CMbi9IzBt-Xhag
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