Travelogue Manipur-VIII-Imphal to New Delhi via Jaipur in AI890!!

The ceremonies at Moreh got completed on 04 Jan 14.Early 05 Jan 14, we shaped course for Imphal which is 110 Kms from Moreh. The axis between Moreh and Imphal has been freshly laid and we could catch good speed.

      

The defence id is extremely helpful on this road as there are check posts of Assam Rifles,Police and Forest lined up. The vehicles are stripped open for checks and this is where the defence id saves a considerable amount of time. En-route I saw an AR post named "Fighting Foxtrot" and I stopped to shake hands with a young Major who was positioned there.Sharing some gen on Foxtrot,we moved on.We reached Imphal's Tulihal Airport and boarded AI 890 to New Delhi via Guwahati.

    

The flight was full to its capacity.The AI Captain Jalaj Vats made a timely landing at Guwahati and soon the packed aircraft was airborne for New Delhi. Whilst coming in for landing at New Delhi,Capt Vats pulled up as the visibility fell to a near Zero! He reported that he would make another attempt or else divert to Jaipur/Lucknow. Another 20 min in the air and he reported a diversion to Jaipur. The tired passengers just sat quietly.

     

Coming in at Jaipur,we could not see anything outside the windows!However,the Captain announced landing stations and the flight speed remained a bit high for my comfort. Soon,we hit the soft ground adjacent to the runway as the fuel strapped Boeing made an emergency landing.The plane was at a high speed and its rear tyre bursted with a loud thud.The plane was shaking voilently as its left wing got hit by some object and the Captain used great skills to bring it to a halt. Small children slipped from their seats including our son Agastaya and went inside the forward seats. There was panic all around as the cabin lights went out.

      

The emergency lights were brought on and the temperatures inside the cabin soared. The plane was now stranded in the middle of runway and visibility was dead zero. We were finally evacuated and taken to the terminal. At 1 am,AI checked us inside a hotel and I could see a sign of relief in the eyes of co-passengers.

     

I am writing this travelogue whilst on way to Delhi in an AI arranged Volvo. The grit and courage of Captain Jalaj Vats was exemplary and deserves kudos.The ground staff support was quick and they were accomodating inspite of hiccups by few unruly passengers.

    

Yesterday was an action filled day and many more travelogues will follow.

Travelogue Manipur-VII

The time has been zipping past me at Moreh. The buzz of New Year is in the air and sounds of music and revelry can be heard each night. The Churches, Temples, Mosque and Gurudwara of Moreh are closely located and the enamoring sounds have made the environment pleasant and full of fun.

           Since, we are here this time to lay the Memorial Stone for my Mother-in-Law, hence, I have been travelling deep inside Moreh and Tamu to invite friends and relatives. Cruising on our 2 wheelers, myself, my Father-in-Law, my Brother-in-law and Aparna have seen these two towns like never before. Its a delight to meet people of various castes, creed, religion and co-exisitng in a compact townhip. They welcome you with happiness and offer their best for the family event lined up on 03 Jan 2014.

         In the course of our movement, I also met young, energetic and extremely dynamic Police Officer from Manipur Police Services- Mr H Balram. Mr Balram heads the Police Force at Moreh and is also the Immigration Officer-in-Charge. A pleasing persona, it is rare to meet such a person. His life is full of true courage and saga and he has met all the adversities with his sound principles. I had a frutiful and meaningful interaction with Mr Balram and was pleased to see that the entire town has tremendous regards for him and his Police team.

       As I had mentioned in my last Manipur Travelogue-V & VI, that we had coceptualised and planned a "Clean & Green-2014" campain for the local Hermon Jr High School. This school is run by a young Lieutenant from The Salvation Army, Lt David Sanga (Mob-09402268853 and his email id is angeldavid_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). Mr Balram also joined the initiative and we had a great launch of the campaign on 01 Jan 2014. The local media keenly followed the event and the details can be accessed by pasting the link http://thepeopleschronicle.in/?p=30918

in your browser and accessing the media file. The photos of the event an be accessed by clicking the following link:-

https://plus.google.com/photos/101238588481972006061/albums/5964896768016442033?authkey=CN-oxZ3gvO2xPw

        The beauty of Moreh is coming around of communities to join and help the family. The Young Mizo Association (YMA) of Moreh of which my Late Mother-in-Law Mrs Thankungi Sailo was the founder, rallied around us and a grand event unfolded on 03 Jan 2014 as we released the Memorial Stone to the friends and relatives who had travelled from far and wide. It was a sombre and nostalgic event.

       This trip to Moreh has been extremely educative and involved a good deal of travelling and meeting people. The place needs attention if it has to be a part of India's Look East initiative. Young people like Mr H Balram and Lt David Sanga need to be supported and helped to complete their initiatives. Clean and Green -2014 would continue in the Hermon Jr High School and we would be keenly watching the nascent steps from New Delhi.

       Wish you all a grand 2014 and donate , if you can for this unique campaign.

Green campaign launched in Moreh

Green campaign launched in Moreh

Travelogue Manipur-V-27-29 Dec 2013

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,Ichiyakoya,Shan Khausoye, Noodles of various kinds, Poori-Bhaji,Samosa,soups of various kinds etc etc are available to set the stomach into a tango mode. A glass of draft beer @ Rs 30/- is my water compensator at 1100 hrs.This liquid settles the stomach bugs and prepares the stage for exotic non-veg stews.

      

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

Travelogue Manipur-IV- 25 & 26 Dec 2013

Moreh has an old world charm. I first came here in 1994 and since then each visit has been special and refreshing to the core of my heart. Moreh is an amalgamation of various cultures and religions. This small but now expanding town (Kasba) is located on the IBL with Myanmar and the town on the Myanmarese side is called Tamu.

       

Both Moreh and Tamu depend on the cross-border trade and provide a gateway to the respective ex-British Colonies. The rustic ambience of Moreh is delightful and so are the family and folks who stay here. It is heartening to meet smiling neighbors and relatives who travel far to connect the dots of relations. As a mark of love,honor and respect,the tribal folks bring along a live Chicken to be cooked for my lunch.On the other side, an invite to the Meitei (Manipuri) neighborhood welcomes us with traditional culinary delights.

        

A visit to Tamu is full of revelry and fun. The "Draught Beer" is good and the exotic Burmese dishes set the spirits rocking. The fresh air in this place fills the lungs with turbo energy and the aching limbs become charged again. The connectivity matrix has improved each year and today I am pushing this write-up through my hand held phone. There was a time when I would get up at 0330 hrs to get a 5 min call to Moreh. India has come a long way since then and now I can surf the broadband at any time on various mobile networks ruling the airwaves at Moreh.

      

The knock of 2014 is in the air.The hum and din is spread all over the town. The people here take hardships and fun in their stride.Happiness prevails even amongst the CI Environment!!!

Travelogue Manipur-III- 24 Dec 2013

The City of Imphal is located in a Valley. Over my trips of last 20 years ,I have seen this city turning and twisting as it has embraced the growth pattern. A flyover is fully operational and new buildings are rising each day. The best of the cars,clothes and perfumes can be seen all around. The off-shoot of growth is dust and traffic woes. Both these features are in abundance as Imphal continues its march.

       

We woke up to a bright and sunny morning with a slight mist. As Unni Sir had also mentioned in his write up that Sun breaks out suddenly in the North East. The rising Sun looks majestic and our rooms were filled up with a cosy warmth. We got ready and loaded our Santa Claus bags (gifts weighed 46 Kgs!!) into the Diesel propelled Renault Duster. Taking over the con of the Duster,I rolled out towards NH-39 which gets us to the border town of Moreh.

      

We reached the location of 15 Assam Rifles enroute Moreh to connect with Avneet Singh Kapoor/Fox/91. Avneet is a cherubic and energetic Fox and was a key member of the Delhi Fox Group till he took over the Command of the 15 AR.

     

We had a grand welcome by Avneet and his turbo team of Officers.It was great to meet each of the smiling Officer and the great bonhomie that was visible amongst the crew.Avneet has a well oiled Paltan and the interaction was superb. The time flew by and we shared a meal together. After an emotional farewell and some lovely snaps,Avneet let us leave for Moreh.

     

I pressed on the pedal and the Duster responded well. The vehicle was fully loaded and also carried my 03 St. OMs!!! NH-39 has been freshly laid and was a pleasure to drive on its curves and bends. The silent evening soon turned into darkness and the traffic on road was thin. An occassional Vehicle from Moreh to Imphal zipped by us.

     

The X'mas effect was visible in all the villages and hamlets that we crossed. The soldiers at Check Posts were again amazed to see a Naval Officer moving inside the Army's bastion!!.The last Check Post before Moreh is in a Village called Khudenthabi. The barrier was locked and the key was in the possession of a young Captain who had retired to his quarters. The rank of "Commander" has a different connotation in the Army and in pitch darkness it can create panic,shock and awe!! The barrier was lifted and we cruised into Moreh which was fortunately lit up with Govt Electricity.Welcome to Home.

     

The sounds of Carols in the Churches was in the air and "Old Dog" added to the night. Merry X'mas.

Travelogue Manipur-II- 23 Dec 2013

AI-889 took off from New Delhi an hour behind schedule. The take off was smooth and as predicted, the plane climbed up North. As the pilot turned starboard to link up with Varanasi ATC,he reported tail winds of upto 150 knots.

      

Landing at Guwahati, the flight had made good 40 minutes of lost time. A quick turn around by AI crew and we were airborne in precisely 35 minutes. The aircraft was full of gayful and smiling North Easterners who were heading homes for the X'mas. The fashionable and charming ladies were chirpy and there was happiness all around.

     

We landed at Imphal 10 minutes behind the schedule and Captain Gaurav Singh of Air India bade us all goodbye. He flew really well. We headed towards the Army Mess and settled into our comfortable rooms.

     

Late in the evening and sipping the St OM,I met 3 ex-NDAs of 87,92 & 104th Course. The moment I said Fox, they said," Sir,are you aware that Fox Sqn has got a First Day Cover to its credit!!". I ordered a toast to all present in the Bar and the night rolled on.

Am staying half a km away from Maj Bob Khahing's place and one of the Officer in the Mess enthusiastically narrated the details of his Centenary Celebrations!! Fox Rocks Sir.