It was one more wee hour of the winter morning in December 2003. Shanta (Shantanu, his full name) was dozing inside the Echel van parked at the Chingamathak Super market. The weather was as cold as December could be and once again Shanta thought, "Same old story, they will laugh at us." He could already hear the laughs of his friends who were always mocking at them ever since they started "Echel". Suddenly he heard his radio cracking with some faint voice: "Echel, Echel, emergency patient at Nongmeibung." Shanta couldn't believe his ears. He increased the volume again and now he could hear the voice clearly. A male voice called out, "Echel, Echel, can you hear me. …they are not there or what …Echel can you hear me?" Shanta gripped the mouthpiece and shot "Yes Echel on the lifeline…give me your location, landmark" and he sped through the fog. The voice continued "East of Nongmeibung pung, near the pond just behind the Meira paibi shang." "Oh God I wish we have House Numbers," Shanta thought.

It was already five days since these four guys started Echel. Biren belonged to a well off family. His father was a retired Chief Engineer. Much to his father's agony he couldn't make for the Engineering College. He had instead studied Political Science at DM College and was pursuing his MA at Manipur University. Koireng belonged to a family from Kakching. His father, a farmer by profession had sent him to Imphal to study. He stayed at a rented house in Kwakeithel and studied in Imphal College doing his BSc Maths. Max the fourth one was a spoilt brat. He gave up his studies after Class XII at Manipur Public School and even had a stint with a local Rock Band doing the Guns& Roses numbers. Obviously he would have still sported the mane if not for Shanta's pressure to cut it before they start Echel.

Shantanu who by now reached Pureirom Khongnangkhong belonged to a Bamon family in Guru Aribam leikai. He was the son of a teacher in CC Higher secondary School. He was pursuing his MBA from Manipur University. He could locate the Nongmeibung Pung and then he turned east into the leirak-the Wakching rain had created some puddles. Then he saw the Meira paibi shang and then a lantern. He drew closer and he saw a man shivering in the cold. He was wearing a khudei and haophi around the shoulder. "Ibungo, shomda.. shomda",(this way this way my son) he called out. Shanta who was on his maiden run today rushed inside the house and found a man in his 20s in one of the rooms. The man assumed a peculiar posture-the hands and legs in funny position and the neck turned to one side and when he spoke he slurred, "Thamoo, Khuut khong llloina phaire." Shanta had never seen such a case. He wasn't a medical student or a paramedic and he didn't even study science in Class XII. It was just their enthusiasm and the zeal to help the poor and needy that they founded the Echel. The main mission of Echel was to ferry the patients in emergency to the nearest Hospital-whether public or private. They flagged off their service on December 25th 2003. Till that day they had stayed on each night in the van by turns. But seeing this first case he shuddered inside thought, "Oh God, what am I seeing? Could it be a case of Lai Oknaba?" (a possessed man)

Somehow, he gathered his courage and carried the man with the help of the father and the three of them sped in the van towards JN Hospital, the nearest Hospital from Nongmeibung. Shanta thought he would switch on the siren of his improvised second hand Maruti Van but was scared that he might wake up the whole locality. It wasn't for traffic which obviously was nil at that hour but for the pride inside him for this maiden run. They reached the Hospital in no time and Shanta parked his ambulance right in front of the hospital and carried the patient inside. Later on he realized that the man could walk and in his enthusiasm he had carried him all through out. As per their policy his job was done and now he should expect a service fee from the client. But on this first run neither Shanta had the courage to ask for the fee nor did the man know what to offer. So Shanta just hanged on and watched the doctor examining the strange patient.

Doctor: "What happened? How it happened?" Tell me in detail.
Patient: "Sir (still slurring) I dunno. I had dinner with Meijao last night… From the same plate and I woke up like this."
Doctor: "Meijao… who is it?" (Turning towards the father)
Patient's father: "Sir, he is his friend. A good boy but little loose… mentally."
Doctor: "Oh, OK, OK."

And then he continued his examination and ordered the nurse to give an injection: Injection Phenargan. A few seconds after the injection was given the patient loosened his position and dozed off. The doctor then emerged from the chamber and said, "He should be OK." "Sir, what was wrong?" Shanta asked. The doctor looked at him and Shanta continued, "Sir, I am from Echel - the Lifeline of Manipur." And he pointed to the logo on his breast pocket - the Pakhangba (the Manipuri Snake God) impressed on the van. This logo was so lovingly embroidered on his shirt pocket by Thajamanbi, Shanta's girldfriend. The doctor just smiled at him and explained, "We call it extra pyramidal symptoms. The boy must have had a late night dinner with Meijao at his home i.e Meijao's and from the same plate. The same food from the same plate. Meijao could be a patient on anti-psychotics which could have been given mixed in his food or water. The food was consumed by this patient and he develops some side-effects which caused the funny posture and slurring of speech. And Ah! the examination was also suggestive. And then you saw the magic of the injection we gave-that prove the diagnosis."

Shanta said, "Wow that was a great thinking doctor!" It was already day-break. The father finally gave him a one hundred rupee note and Shanta took it and without thinking whether it was enough or not he sped away towards the spot from where he started. In life there were so many moments called first time and they were priceless. At the spot he found the other three Echel guys waiting for him. It was their promise and policy that the other three Echel men come and encourage the on-duty fellow at the end of the night shift. That day after five days since they started the mission, they had the first run. Echel thus started getting the first pulsation. They immediately head for Ene Nganbi's hotel opposite the Yumnam Leikai Lampak. Over red tea and the tan with aloo shak the other three guys listened to Shanta describing the Echel run. There was positivity all around them and in the hotel except for the morning newspaper lying in front of them which carried the usual stuff - "shot dead at keithel Manbi", "ambush at Khongnang Phaidekpi", boy kidnapped" on the front page along with the financial crunch Manipur was facing and the Govt. employees' woes for the never lifting of RBI ban. Luckily the three guys paid no attention to the newspaper on that morning. Hopefully they won't see the back pages of the paper, which carried the Sharadh invitations of so many young people who had died recently, and the "Ei lanjare" notices. The Echel heart was at its peak pulse.