Churachandpur: The largest district and the 2nd town ( or is it more the second hand town?) in our 'Sanaleibak'; though plagued by the chronic and contagious disease of Communalism based on linguistic chauvinism, which has acted as a major deterrent and the biggest hurdle in its march towards development, progress and prosperity. Yet the resilient spirit of this badly bruised and battered town marches on towards its goal….. slowly but surely.

An unseen impenetrable iron wall divides, segregate & demarcate the kindred tribes of this town. Ccpur is a 'No Man's Land' - a town dissected by inter-lapping unseen parallel 'Line of Controls (LOCs). The feelings of 'Our-ism' and 'They-ism', of 'Us' & 'Them' are simply too deeply rooted, ingrained, to let the good of all prevail above narrow parochial interests and loyalties.

Christianity here is just a garment worn like 'Joseph Coat of many colors' by the residents of this town only on Sundays, and then in the rest of the week - Christianity is kept locked up in the closest and worldly ethnic divisions and considerations takes over. Hatred often pulls the trigger… and when the night falls Ccpur is engulfed by the sound of the rat-a-tat of automatic weapons - 'Ccpur own live version of Diwali'. Bullets are let loose flying thick and fast and sometimes find its mark.

Nothing is what it should be; Ccpur has been left to the Dogs by its overtly communal residents. The Residents of this town carry on their existence between the A.K. 47's and the Cross. The A.K 47's , Lethods, & 9Mm has been doing all the talking as the communal minded kindred CHIKIMS tribes keeps on crucifying CCPUR on the cross of their own communal design, locking horns and loaded guns.

In this own of the guns, drugs and all the damages done, anyone who has his finger firmly on the trigger is a hero adored - A Star. It is a town/district caught between what it really is and what it wants to be. Developments, Progress, advancement are terms/ words long forgotten. The Common people - the civilians here are caught between many conflicting forces equipped with the most fatal piece of machinery.

The Civilians here as in other parts of the State are often the victims/ scapegoats for erroneous mistake committed by one of the conflicting forces….press a 9mm or an A.K. 47 in the dead man's hand and he can pass of as a hard core militant, for dead man tell no tales; and those who have their fingers on the triggers are the ones who are always right.

Nothing is certain in Churachandpur - Except Death & Taxes- Exorbitant taxes. Always neglected by successive Governments at Imphal and left to its own fate by its communalist's residents… Ccpur barely limps along, a town forgotten, repeatedly shunned and deprived of its rightful share of the fruits of development by those who hold the reins of power -irrespective of their political values and ideologies.

The District Administration here represent the Government and offers governance that too in the most basic form to only the people living in the town and its periphery; the people in the deep remote interior parts of the district who survive without the basic form of governance are the real heroes. The term 'Welfare State' is a concept alien to them; as a matter of fact they wouldn't care less even if a monkey is seated on the seat of power at Imphal.

For lethargic Government officials/officers/ staffs & employees and ones who lacks initiative - the terms 'Insurgency & UG's' are handy pretexts which they are repeatedly fond of quoting whenever questioned by a Superior at the slow snail like pace of their work/working style.

'Initiative' is word that rarely exists in the vocabulary of many of the Government Staffs here. Instead of having 'Initiative' or the required drive to do one's work dutifully with a missionary zeal, the lethargic culture of 'blaming it all on the UGs' suit the working style of the most of the Government officials here, for it allow them to work at their own sweet tortoise many 'tea-breaks' pace.

Everything in Ccpur is in shambles, take for instance the Public Distribution Sytem (PDS) in the District is a one of a complete failure. The PDS should instead be re-defined as 'Public Depriving System' as system which favors the Black-Marketers, and the hordes of parasitic middle men who hoards up the essential commodities meant to be distributed to the people of the district at subsidized rate and who then sell the same commodities to the people at inflated prices thus fattening their bellies and purses in the process and milking the public dry.

CDSU TO THE RESCUE:

The only common platform in this multi-lingual town - the Churachandpur District Students' Union (CDSU) have taken up the issue of the failure of the of the PDS in the district, even during their last round of talks with the SPF Government in the CM's Chamber. 'Construction of FCI Godown in the Ccpur District' is one of the standing points in the CDSU Charter of Demands.

Acting on the adage 'Actions speaks louder than words', the CDSU has also gone a step further by solely taking the initiative to distribute S.K Oil to the public at a very subsidized rate. Working in tandem with the District Administration and the fullest co-operation extended by Mr. A.K. Sinha, IAS, Deputy Commissioner Churachandpur District.

The CDSU organized 'mobile sale cum distribution of S.K Oil for the benefit of the public. The General publics have been buying one litre of S.K. Oil in the Black Market for a whooping Rs 30 to 35/- A classic case of daylight robbery. Hence it was no surprise when people turned out in hundreds at the CDSU mobile S.K Oil distribution points.

Jerigans, plastic & steel cans were placed in a row one after the other - the line stretching as far as the eye could see from the point of distribution. People -mostly women folks squatted beside their respective cans waiting impatiently for their chance to buy their share of S.K. Oil at a price which is way below the going black market rate of rupees thirty to thirty-five.

I happened to pass by such a 'a long queue' on the Salvation Army road which snaked out in a hair -pin fashion out of the distribution point, one fine day during my normal jaunts around the town . The long queue of people -sitting, standing, squatting, waiting to get their share of kerosene was simply just endless.

The Blazing sun that beats down upon them only seems to strengthen their resolve to get the ' Liquid - Manna'. For a moment it looked as though the Gods have descended from heaven to distribute 'Elixir' to the mortals' humans. My curiosity prompted me to take a closer look into this whole new phenomenon.

I soon found myself making my way unto the compound of 'Z and T' the S.K Oil Dealer at Salvation Road. I caught up with a bunch of young men wearing brightly laminated badges. Emblazoned on the white badges was 'the emblem of the CDSU' with the motto of the Union printed aloud in dark bold letters - the words 'Let Truth Prevails'

I interacted with the leaders of the Churachandpur District Students' Union for awhile and complimented them for undertaking such a Herculean task for the welfare of the public. I asked them 'What made the CDSU take up what many feels is a risky business with serious and never ending consequences?

The President of the Union - Mr. K. Doukhum, the Finance Secretaty Mr. L. Chongloi, the Spokesman - Mr. Letpu Haokip, the Vice President (Internal) Mr. S.N, Thanga, & the most senior executive member Mr. Songtinpau all replied in unison and in the same vein; their statement reflecting their steely resolve and sincerity "Fully aware of the complete breakdown of the PDS in the district; we the CDSU with the fullest co-operation of the District Administration, have taken up this mobile sale cum distribution of an essential commodity like S.K Oil only for the sake of the people.

We strongly feel that for once at-least the Public should get what they deserved'. The CDSU leaders also expressed their deepest regret that due to the shortage of the stock they will not be in a position to meet each and every individual need.

The CDSU mobiles sale cum distribution of the S.K. Oil was carried out in two phases, bringing the essential commodity - the 'Liquid-manna' to even the peripheral areas of the town. Due to the limited stock, the CDSU's main concern according to the Leaders - was area-wise uniform distribution of the Super Kerosene Oil.

I felt deeply encouraged as I walked out of the distribution point; for once a bunch of Student Leaders from the different dialect based CHIKIMS communities are leading the way, joining hands together, marching to a common beat, and brining an essential commodity like Kerosene to those for whom the 'Cooking Gas' and 'Inverters' are luxury way beyond their reach.

No wonder that hundreds waited at the point of distribution. Some would already be there at the dealer's placed ready with their jerigans as early as the crack of dawn. This says so much about the great sense of deprivation of essential commodities felt by the public. The CDSU is the body that has been spear heading the movement for the proper functioning of the PDS in the district, so that essential commodities actually reach the public at the subsidized rate envisaged under this system.

The CDSU mobile sale cum distribution of an essential commodity like the S.K Oil received rave reviews from various sections of the society and the public. Dr. Deborah, a Dental Doctor who runs a clinic in the town says "I think it is really an encouraging development that at-least one organization in the district - the CDSU is taking steps to place an essential commodity like S.K. Oil within the reach of the common public at a subsidized rate.

Earlier the public had no choice but to buy kerosene from the black marketer at an over exorbitant price. We all know the malfunctioning of the PDS but just knowing will not help, someone has to take the responsibility with the sincere zeal of doing something about it"

The CDSU leaders though young and inexperienced, some of the seasoned old-turks in public dealing or should I say 'Public Cheating' might feel - are instead setting an example showing the way, and leading from the front, bridging the gap, crisscrossing the invisible 'Line of Controls (LoC), penetrating the unseen till then impenetrable walls.

For me personally, the CDSU are real heroes who keep the dying embers of hope alive in this town and they represent the little semblance of unity in this cut-throat town/district, a town of no permanent friends or foes, a town of 'the means always justified the ends', a town 'of purely business and nothing personal', a graceless town in a graceless age.

A town where killers are heroes and heroes are killers. I salute the CDSU and wish them all the luck in their future endeavors and activities; though it may be fool-hardy to expect them to over-haul the PDS over-night. At-least, they are working towards it making an effort, taking one single step, one single drop,…for a journey of million miles starts with just one single step.

It may be pertinent to quote none other than the Buddha in this context

Do not overlook tiny good actions thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel"

I hope that the CDSU will have the tenacity to stick their heads together, joined hands and would meet the dark demands/ challenges posed by the 'Communalism based on linguistic chauvinism' that has divided the kindred CHIKIMS communities of this district along ethnic lines.

THE ONE WAY TRAFFIC:

The unregulated haphazard and unruly traffic flow with motorists, pedestrians, bullocks carts crisscrossing each other in Ccpur narrow roads especially during the peak hours has become of late a serious cause for concern. . If this rampant traffic flow is not regulated; the risk of accidents would always remain very high.

The unrestrained traffic is causing great difficulty for the commuters and those behind the wheel; moreover an unregulated movement of people and vehicles on already congested roads places the pedestrians at too much of a risk. With the overgrowing population and the ever increasing number of vehicles on the roads it is a high time that Churachandpur have proper traffic rule in place.

Moreover there are reckless drivers who took undue advantage of the non-regulated traffic flow of the town, special mention must be made here of the bus drivers who think that the road is their personal property; the bus drivers here in the town and in Manipur as a whole are such a nuisance for the general public, they think they are the 'kings of the roads', and would take extreme delight in unnecessarily pressing aloud their gas-horns (raising the decibel level) much to the annoyance of the pedestrians and the general public around

Hence in this regard, the District Administration decision to regulate the traffic in the last week of July, with specification on speed limit, disallowing the use of gas-horns could not have come at a more appropriate time. It was high time and the need of the hour that Ccpur have a proper traffic rule in place.

Now there is no more jostling and vying for space on Ccpur already congested and narrow stretch of roads, there is now uniformity which I believes will work for the good of all both the civilians and the security personnel alike. Kudos to the District Administration for coming out with a much needed directive. Churachandpur at last have a proper traffic regulation in place.

AIRTEL - THE LONG WAIT:

BSNL better be aware because Air-Tel (considered to be the No-1 player in the mobile phone service sector in the Counrty) is going to come your way; and it is bound to give you a good run for your money if you fail to improve your 'Network Busy- Check Operator Service' reliably unreliable service that you (the BSNL) are offering to the people right now.

The BSNL have set a new standard in service and network reliability; most of the time subscribers are not able to make a single decent call on their mobiles. Forget making calls there are times when one cannot even send an SMS ( Short Messaging Service). The need for an alternative service provider in the mobile phone service sector has always been felt by the subscribers for a long time now. The cell phone users here are pinning their hopes on 'Air -Tel' to provide them with better and dependable service.

The Bharti Air Tel is all set to launch its service in Churachandpur, having erected towers in various parts of the town; though the exact date for the inauguration of their much awaited and much expected service is anybody's guess. Forms have been distributed and it remains to be seen if Air Tel can break the BSNL hegemony in the mobile phone service sector.

The People in Churachandpur are waiting to see if the renown AIR TEL can really 'Express itself' more clearly and more efficiently, reliably than the BSNL of the 'buy network fame' The Long wait for another player to enter the mobile phone service market seems to be virtually over; and it only remains to be seen if the well known Air Tel could live up to its name.

THE GUNS STILL BOOM:

The Churachandpur District and the town like mentioned earlier is literally a 'No Man's Land'; and on certain days when the adrenaline rush is too hard to contain and when feelings and passions runs high. When false communal pride, and self inflated egos have to be protected, pride to be salvage… then the Big Boys will come out to play at night or when night had just enveloped the town.

The parts of Churachandpur, where Armed Rival factions rained bullets on each other arbitrarily then would be turned into a battle field; when such long and noisy gun-fights takes place especially on a black-out night, Ccpur would be made a witness to an unique show of "Light & Sound'.

The Guns would suddenly boom without any pre-warning, shattering the tranquil silence of the night and immediately injecting fear and terrors in the hearts of the poor civilians of the town. When ever the gun-fight between two rival armed groups goes on a little bit longer, the Security forces would make their presence known by periodically shooting a searchlight up above… adding further to the spectacle.

When the Guns boom and automatic rifles goes a rat-a-tat, tiny little bodies shriveled up in fear. People locked themselves in their houses, and soon an all war out situation is enacted, and those who Live in houses made of mud lie flat on the floor of their house, praying that the bullets will not fly in their direction. Ccpur celebrates its unique deadly version of 'Diwali' every night and then.

Peace had abandoned Ccpur a long time ago…. The communalism of the residents of the CHIKIMS communities here has sent peace packing many years ago. In this town of 'Ours' & 'Them' the good of all is the last thing on the mind of the people here.

Communalism has taken such a deep root firmly entrenched that Christianity as a religion has failed entirely to unite the kindred CHIKIMS communities under the shadow of the cross; and Churches here are a failed institutions - A Sunday Social Club where - people greet and meet in their Sunday's best, catching up on each other's life and the lastest happenings. No wonder the Christians here prefer the work of 'A.K. 47' than the work of the Cross.

On these very streets that I know so well where love-struck lovers once serenade each other under a Lover's moon, sullen looking Security forces now patrols with their finger on the trigger ready to face any eventuality…. Death now stalks the town and uncertainty held us in its vice like grip for a bullet doesn't know the difference between the good, the bad the holy, the ugly, or the widow

The following lines from a song describe well the situation prevailing in Ccpur:

"And I blame this world for making a good man evil
It's this world that can drive a good man mad
And it's this world that turns a killer into a hero
Well I blame this world for making A good man bad"


Well the Devil is surely having his way in Ccpur; No one lives forever but with automatic guns death in Ccpur comes cheaper, sweeter faster, painless, at the pull of a trigger. No body gains a dime or a penny from all these internal squabbling and pulling each other down.

People are paying all kinds of debts in Ccpur with their lives and everyday in Churachandpur is a 'Judgment Day'. Everyday here in the town of the Guns, Drugs, and all the Damages done is 'a struggle for survival'.

You just don't exist in Churachandpur - You live, you don't simply live, you learn how to survive.