I'm bored in Money poor

David Hawaibam *

"I'm bored in Money poor", I saw a blogger wrote in a social networking site. "Would have rush back within a week had my girlfriend won't there ", the most romantic place right now is Bir tikendrajit flyover", dude its - "Bir tikendrajit over-bridge" since the surrounding is not less than a water bodies!!!," I use to rode my black activa as slow as I could it's too short we couldn't enjoy --"dude why don't you export your girl friend to where you are being adopted rather you have let to adopt yourself as there is a flyover for every corner ."It triggered me to write this piece, who would he be - a traitor?

But this has became a common experience - For those who reside outside the state during their vacation in the Switzerland of the east - We are breeding a lot of traitors.

Gone are those excitements prior to the trip to the hometown, packing days before the advent of the journey, shopping…? Etcetera.

After rigorous four / five hectic ride, goose-bumps sprang up from tired sweaty body when we saw "Welcome to Manipur" at Mao Gate (but these days goose –bumps are for that tainted readings)

We find solace with the amalgamation of chilled winds of Mao , Mao's iromba tastes like as if mom was unable to wait for me and parceled it till Mao. Mom can you parcel it today also??

That hero's welcome before entering the door with fire and all. Then those fashion parades of the branded accessories and dads foul cry over the nirvana hair cut and tattoos which we endorse as India return.

And for those who left his kamalas and mandas there!! (I too left her and she left me forever sob!!! sob!!!), it's like as if they are returned from war…

And when the time to leave familiar people and ways of behaving come, a pangs strike our heart. The way mom holds our hand and gives a take care bite on our fingers.

May be she was saying take care, but deep inside her heart she was saying -I miss you son but I don't want to miss you forever by keeping in Manipur (money was poor at that time but no one knows ) too.

Why don't we want to be hero again??

Now why we are bored??

The smell of the soil seems withered.
The winds there seem no longer able to keep afloat the kite like hopes of her children unlike she use to when we were there.
The banzai wipeout of Imphal River seems eroded.
The beacons in baruni hill seem faded away.
The mammoth in the heart of the city seems out of control and there is no place to barter lilies with orchids.

"Turn on to zee TV "my sister says" ... I haven't watch pavitra rista (another sas-bahu prologue from the stable of Ekta Kapoor ) yesterday, you have been watching the same news.

For the past one week "and what has 'Maiba' left in Manipur why he wants to go there" saying this she snatch the TV remote from my hand. I have to surrender like NSF from news channels.

Before, troops stormed. I don't know whether she deliberately tagged Muivah with that name or she genuinely does not know his name but she was right he is indeed the boatman of river 'Styx' of north-east who not only is being paid but killed too and now trying to heal the wounds, the Hippocrates.

Another interesting pet (it doesn't meant domesticated, and don't want to) name given by our meira paibis and keithel phambis (women vendors) : 'moi-ba', because of this, there are lots of cold war in many kitchens of Manipur. Indeed our mothers should not be that care less.

I don't know why we are bored of such vigorous society NOW.

But my sister seem to be bored of Muivah (hope the world too would someday) or who cares, we are in mighty beds of India may be she would be thinking.

But I think sis, people like you would be the first to harm if any untoward incident happens, those kids with blurred eyes watching eagerly aloft the Highways while their uncles roll the boulders would be the first victim. It won't be uncle Muivah (as that NSF leader proudly address in the national media) with its Z–category security that too foreign I mean Indian (these days people are loving foreign products a lot even patriots like Muivah don't want to spare the chance) nor our own chameleon zero Ibobi (as some section of people address him like this, maybe his is the only Meitei name that can read backward-forward, indeed he is unique).

I can't help those kids as their Uncles won't let me to, but I can help my sister -please don't go to Manipur.

Our siblings, me along with two elder sisters were separated to chart our careers in different part of the country - common phenomena in Manipur.

Luckily now we are conjoined again years after school days. But we are experiencing another freaky phenomenon among us –one is happy spending her off day on sun TV watching Tamil movies and the other loves her Assamese. I sometimes watch zee bangla. So, we are not Surprised when we hear ho laisabi o fajabi playing in a music system from the floor below us, they are from Mao.

Have we forgotten our roots?? How many manipuris would be there like me?

May be some years later I should address myself as Meitei as some people say it's synonymous to Manipuri (and they have innumerable synonyms). I want to change lots of things. For the starter I want to change my name, I curse my dad for giving me an English name.

I would change to a Meitei name, but it would be difficult for the mayangs to pronounce, who gave me my bread and butter. Dad was right, I m stopped!!!

Let it be, let me live in the dark.