The ‘Teens Class’ of Konyak Baptist Bumeinok Kohima Sunday School Ministry organised a fund raiser to help the people in crisis in Manipur on Sunday.
Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | July 24
On May 4, 2023, a young girl from Tamlu village under Mon district was on her way to Ukhrul district in Manipur to attend a centenary program at Somdal—the native village of her mother. What she witnessed during the journey was a convoy of trucks carrying goods, passenger buses, etc., lined up on the national highway between Nagaland and Manipur, stuck with rotting food supplies because the entry to Imphal has been restricted in her words.
“This was my first encounter with the ground reality of what was happening in our neighbouring state”, she related to The Morung Express. She recalled how a friend of hers called from one of the relief camps in Imphal and narrated the ordeal of helplessly watching his house go ablaze just the night before.
“What followed after that night was my regular calls with every other friend of mine from Manipur, and the stories of horrors that unfolded within the span of a week”, she put across.
A month later, as this young girl from Tamlu (who did not wish to be named) was putting her thoughts together as to how she could help the conflict torn Manipur, there was still firing going on in the borders of Churachandpur.
She also reminded herself of a Church leader from Ukhrul who stood up in the pulpit during the centenary celebration which she attended in May and said, “In our land, we don’t simply greet people with ‘how are you?’ We say ‘yameilo’, which can also be translated into ‘I’m here for you.’ The other person then responds with ‘yameise’, which means, ‘I’m here for you as well!’ It conveys the message that we are all here for each other even in bad times and in good times.”
“What a beautiful thing to say, I remember thinking to myself. It shows how strong a community has been built, where each person can rely on their neighbour through every circumstance in life”, she expressed even as she began the noble endeavour of raising funds to help certain organizations in Manipur who have been working with various relief camps around the state.
Citing stories of how people have been living in these relief camps, after having lost their homes since the conflict broke out, she highlighted that, “till date, over 200 relief camps have been identified in Manipur” and added in her appeal that, “any amount that you donate will be used towards helping the displaced people taking shelter in these relief camps.”
For her, the people who have lost their homes, their loved ones, people who lost their lives in this madness were and are people, just like us. And even when we see leaders fail in their duties, she said “I think it is important for us, people, to learn to empathize with one another and learn to stand up for each other.”
Through this fundraising initiative, she has had many people come up individually to help in many ways. “I'd like it to be a story of everyone who wants to see Manipur heal,” she said.
“There have been people from different places, different religions, ethnicities, even from another country, who have helped us in this endeavour,” she informed. “I've had people from different religions come together with much concern, wanting to help in their own ways”, she further added.
Stating that there were students who contributed money even when they didn't have enough for themselves, she cited how Sunday school children from Konyak Baptist Church, Kohima organized a fund raise in their church compound on Sunday for the cause.
The young girl from Tamlu village and the team will be heading to Manipur this week to dispatch the relief materials for the displaced people.
She and and her male cousin will be leaving for Senapati on Thursday. The donations received so far come from Mon, Tuensang, Dimapur, Kohima and Shillong. The team also received donations in the form of cash from well-wishers from various parts of the country. The relief materials will be given to both the Meitei and Kukis communities.'
