Lan-chenba
- A re-collection of War War II bombing in Imphal -

By CK *

Aiga-boks' family were in Naga-mapal when first bomb-raid happenned in Imphal area. So looking for a safer place - shifted to Oinam.

Incidentally this was where most fierce fighting ensued after few days of their arrival. She related some account of 'war' as she saw it.

Bombs were falling everywhere without benefit of any warning or anything, just a loud big thud soon after followed huge defening bang, houses debris flying and burning all over. How many dead nobody knows.

But it seems they were in the beginning quite terrified and then get accustomed to it (just the way we are today comfortable with -'ani kaplaga hatlamle'). So they continued their daily routine, like having 'hidak-phu' smoking after lunch.

One afternoon they were just enjoying that 'hidak-phu' with five of them, when somehow the 'tiki' or fire was just slowing down/ not burning properly, so 'aiga-bok' bent down to just give a small blow-'phoo' to the 'nganthak'.

All she could remember was that incident and hearing some whistling noise with exteremely loud bang, and she became unconsious. Only latter on to learn that her action of bending down to give wind had saved her life, remaining four didn't have a chance - killed instantly.

She used to show me her scar on left arms where some splinters had injured her, and took very long time to heal. That war killed both my grandfather, I never saw them (not even in photgraph which was rare those days).

Aiga-bok is Ima's mother, and Ima was busy picking up 'koukha and kakthum' from the nearby fields when all these was happenning. Ima used to relate about grand-father, riding on a white horse with white turban and white dhoti during these war.

Another episode 'aiga-bok' related was about Japanese army, they look so small - like a teenager child. One day in the neighbourhood one of them came trudging along, looking completely lost in the village, aiga-bok thought he looks very hungry and tired.

So she said 'lao-lao -lao, chak lambarane. asida phamu (sang-goi-gi juri-da). She brought some rice with few ngari and dried fish for him.

She said -he was so excited at seeing this and bowed hundred times and she kept saying- khuramdra-basu yare, chak-asi chaashilu, Eishingsu purakhini.

Just look at the bright side of it, my aiga-bok was treating the same Japanese whose bomb had killed all her friends few months back, and had nearly killed her. It didn't matter, she served them thinking that they were starving.

And if the history accounts are true, yes the Japanese supply line was so streached and cut-off that they were all dying either to lack of supply or lack of command.

Another incident which is most unforgetful about -'lan-chenba' was the Japanese valour. British had established a small command post in Oinam in the village itself, not very far from where aiga-bok were residing.

Question is why were British using meitei as human shield? These poor villager didn't know. Japanese took full advantage of looking like us, and tried level best to cut down civilian casualties.

One early morning aiga-bok saw similar young boy looking Japanese dressed in Khudei, carrying -charu mapun(paddy husk) on his head walking casually towards the temp command post of British army.

Nobody suspected anything until the -kamakazi soldier detonated himself killing few officers with him. After that blast, British never establish such command post inside village again.

There were few more accounts of seeing wreck japanese planes which was mostly made of wood, and other foot soldiers carrying thier bikes and some black dressed foot soldiers appearing instantly and vanishing instantly, even claiming that they could jump across the tall bamboo trees which normally surround our meitei homestead in those days. Are those Ninjas, or pogo sticks -nobody knows?

My Father's account of 'war'

Bomb had started falling almost everywhere around Imphal area, few days before that father had received his first or second salary from Manipur vetinary services. From that money he had purchase a brand new 'Humber' cycle(just like getting a 'Pulsar' these days).

Inspite of elders warning, he wanted to try his new bike at the earnest, so went for a ride around Moirangkhom, just after a air-raid.

What he saw was most unique - he saw a man holding washing cloths in his hand, still dripping with water with a quirky kind of look with his back leaning on cut off tree. It looked liked a tree had fallen from the impact of the blast.

What father couldn't see was the lower portion of man's body. So he went closer only to find that body had split half, lower portion was some twenty feet away at the base of the tree that fell, lower half was near a 'khudeng' with foam of soap in it.

On seeing these father came back -riding as fast as possible to reach home. Soon after they too left our home -'lan-chenba' towards a place called 'Uyaan' -near 'Khang-ngabok', only to return with severely injured grand-father who never recovered.

Grandfather was hurt by bomb splinter near vocal cord never spoke during the last days of his life. Some accounts will never be known, how in those days people used to cope up. But all the same life will never be same again, yet life must go on.