The first recorded event in the history of print media in Manipur is the publishing of the journal "Meitei Chanu" by Hijam Irabot in the mid 1920s. Handstencilled and cyclostyled by Irabot himself, the publication survived for only a few editions.

Today, there are 25 dailies and nine journals (weeklies as well as monthlies) listed with the State Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), as well as a vast number of correspondents and stringers for various national and international publications.

Regarding electronic media, we have the All India Radio (AIR) Imphal station established in 1965, Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Imphal opened with the Asian games in 1982 as a relay centre, as well as private home cable networks like the Information Service Television (ISTV) in Imphal, the Image Cable TV in Kakching and three others – Hornbill Cable Network, Laizan Cable Network and Tribal Cable Network – in Churachandpur.

Yet with all these prolificacy of communication medium, sometimes it takes the simplest means to really reach to the people, as evident by the Paothang Channel, of which Arambam Romita is one of the two major newsreaders cum news reporters.

Arambam Romita was born in March, 1982 as the seventh child among eight siblings – two brothers and six sisters — born to late Arambam Sanahal, a farmer and Indrani, a homemaker and weaver.

She did her elementary schooling at Takhel primary school and then shifted to The Sumati Junior High School from Class III to VIII, then to Takhel Sanjenbam High School (IX and X), passing her matric in 1998. She did her higher secondary and graduation (Manipuri honours) at Biramgol College.

A keen singer, she is well versed in folk song traditions such as nat and khunung eshei “like a hanubi (old woman)” as people in her locality tease her lovingly. Both her father and grandfather were singers themselves and trained others in the traditions of hali, durga puja, wedding songs, etc.

Like most girls her age, she is vivacious and laughs heartily at a joke, even if it is at her expense. However, her real achievement has been in an altogether different field – that of mass communication.

Romita is one of the two major voices behind Paothang Channel, in Takhel village in Imphal East district a mere 15 kilometres away from Manipur’s main city, Imphal and situated at the foothills of the Khalloubi and Tamnapokpi hills.

In Meiteilon, Paothang literally means “news relay,” and Romita has been a crucial key in making sure that the over 5000 population in her village — concealed from the outside world by the two hill ranges – Tinseed and Thumbi – through which one passes to reach the village — are informed.

Paothang Channel was born on 13th January 2004, two days before the Meitei festival commemorating Emoinu the goddess of prosperity, on the initiative of an educated cultivator Keisham Biren and the local Zila Parishad member Tensubam Ratan.

With only a crude loudspeaker and PA set as the only technical equipment in the large hall, also the Takhel Development Area’s hall, both Ratan and Romita reads out from the newspaper every morning just after the 7:30 news bulletin aired by the AIR. Besides the newspaper reading, they also gather and read out local news and advertisement pertaining to their village and surrounding areas.

At 27 years of age, Arambam Romita was already popular in the village for her social activities and a highly demanded convenor of local functions. “I used to like the way the newsreaders read news on radio and TV. So when Tamo (Biren) asked me to join as he couldn’t manage the work alone, I agreed readily and joined after about ten days after the channel was launched,” she said. Romita had also applied for newsreader’s posts in the State-owned radio service, AIR, but was turned down at the first round itself.

“At first I was so bad that people would ask who is reciting poems. Some would tease me saying it is because of my buck tooth. I practised a lot, mostly in the nights, reading aloud to my mother or the young kids in my locality, or mostly to myself,” Romita said.

“Children from the primary school next door would sometimes run past noisily while I am on air. I’d switch off and shoo them away, come back and resume work. Sometimes the kids would push sticks through the window,” she said, adding, “I also hate it when the ink runs in my newspaper copy.

“When I am reading, an urge to know more about the incident or news wells up inside me. I am also excited that people will be listening,” she said.

Paothang Channel has become such an integral and regular part of the lives of the locals that they use the news broadcast to time their daily activities. “Sometimes when we don’t broadcast, children aren’t able to reach school in time. Farmers who had thought they’ll come up after the news stay in the fields till noon waiting for the news. So now we announce if there is going to be no news broadcast,’ Biren informed.

Two issues however hang like a Damocles sword over Paothang channel – Romita’s marriage and the re-election of T. Ratan to the Zila Parishad. “There’s no pressure on my marriage as yet,” Romita clarified.