Finding mother spurs lady's search for father
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 31 2011: After finding her mother, albeit with mental disorder after three decades, 33-year old naorem Purnima Devi, inspite of enduring all possible hardships that could befall any ill-fated individual, has developed a steely resolve to also trace her father.

youngest of three siblings born in a broken family in Ngairangbam Khumbong, Purnima's tale of woes continues till date as she is unaware of who fathered her for her mother was already in a deranged state of mind when she (Purnima) was conceived.

even though Purnima's tale is yet to not end on a positive note like in movies inspite of her suffering no less than the most tragic script ever envisioned, she is nevertheless thankful to the almighty that her mother has been found and presently living with her at a rented quarter in checkon area.

Narrating her tumultuous experiences to The Sangai Express, Purnima said after some weeks of her birth her mother naorem Kunjeshori Devi (now about 70 years of age) left home never to return to the Ngairangbam Awang Leikai (khumbong) residence of her husband.

Consequently adopted by a noble-hearted individual of the locality and having had non-formal education upto 14 years of age, Purnima's tribulations began with her marriage at a tender age to a 33-year old from Sanjenbam Makha Leikai, whose parents were reluctant to accept her as the daughter-in-law.

Amid harassments by her in-laws who insisted that she undergo abortion, Purnima gave birth to a daughter (now studying in class 10) and a son (presently in class V) without even a single visit to a medical centre for consultation.

Purnima giving her mother a much needed grooming

apart from her daily toil to sustain the family income through sale of vegetables in the market, limit of tolerating frequent abuse to the extent of being called an offspring with doubtful parentage and physical atrocities by the in-laws finally snapped resulting in Purnima leaving her home.

For the next three days, she said, the British War Cemetery near Dewlahland was her home where she returned stayed for two nights after the cemetery care-taker locks the entrance gate.

It is said that on the third day, she came across an uncle of her locality, who was a cadre of an armed group.

With the uncle's help Purnima joined and worked for another armed outfit for about two years till her arrest by police commandos in 1994 .

Contending that after some months of her release and split in the armed group, she was contacted by both the factions to work for them to which she responded with a condition that maintenance money for her two children be provided.

As her proposal went unheeded, Purnima said she ventured to Moreh for sustaining livelihood but was taken into custody by a group of the split-armed outfit who even tried to eliminate her.

Stating that she was rescued from her captives by another armed outfit who even assured her family maintenance amount of Rs 20,000, Purnima said her conscious was against betraying her former group or working for the new one that literally prolonged her existence.

after severing ties with all the armed groups in around 2008, she stayed at in a rented quarter in Checkon area where she came into contact with a representative of a private company based in Tamil Nadu who was scouting unmarried male/female candidates.

While she was left out in the first batch of 11 candidates, she was not able to produce residential certificate or clearance from the police and local head (pradhan), Purnima's second attempt is informed to have landed her in jail for she was among some boys and girls who were rounded up by the police based on a complaint by the Social Welfare Department relating to human/child trafficking.

Alleging that objection by the police authorities to detain the arrested boys and girls due to lack of evidence was not successful due to persistence by top officials of Social Welfare Department, she said after a night's stay in the police lock-up they were sent to jail for 12 days.

Even after release from jail on a Court's order pertaining to lack of evidence for further imprisonment, a police team took Purnima into custody on a previous charge of her involvement in a bomb attack case in Khurai Chaithabi Leirak.

While one Alish, a co-accused in the bomb attack case, was set free after four months of detention, Purnima and another accused person namely Taruni, were released from jail in February this year, she maintained.

Even after release from jail her ordeal continued as mentioning the address as Nambol Khabi evoked wrath of some of the local womenfolk who disowned the fact that Purnima's mother Kunjeshori was a resident there.

Only the presence of an elderly woman among the infuriated group saved her from being thrashed for she (elderly woman) informed them that Kunjeshori was her childhood friend.

Purnima said she was recently informed of her mother being spotted in Sugnu Bazar area and found her with tattered attires.

Womenfolk of Sugnu were said to be amazed as Kunjeshori, for the first time uttered a muted response, when Purnima addressed her 'mother' .

After bathing her mother and signing a bond with the Sugnu bazar women vendors, Purnima finally lives with her long lost mother which only provided a ray of hope that she will someday meet her father too.