Man imperils wife, daughter
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 12 2011: While early demise of a family patriarch often leads to a feeling of insecurity and economic deprivation, for a mother-daughter duo in Keithelmanbi, existence of the patriarch is a daily reminder of the hardships they have been exposed to.

Not only has James (not real name) Misao abandoned his wife Neijahat Lhouvum but also walked away with the compensation amount paid to his physically challenged daughter Hoinu Lhouvum after a fall-out from a live-in relationship with one Jim Doungel, to court another woman.

As fate would have it, surviving the rogue husband was not the stiffest challenge for Neijahat for she had to bear the additional burden of looking after her grand-daughter as Hoinu is also visually impaired.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, Neijahat said her marriage to James brought Hoinu to this world, but with vertebrate deformity (hump-back) .

Hoinu, who studied upto class VII at Keithelmanbi Brighter School, became familiar with one Jim Doungel, also of Keithelmanbi, and on attaining adulthood left home for a live-in relationship with Jim.

Problem cropped up at the time of pregnancy of Hoinu as she steadily developed visual impairment that ultimately culminated in total blindness when she gave birth to Hatzemkim Doungel, now 3 years old.

Having never seen her daughter, Hoinu's desperation for a sight of her daughter only grew by the day for various treatment she underwent failed to restore her eye-sight.

Her misery only multiplied when James suddenly proclaimed that Jim was not only unacceptable to him but the fact that Jim and Hoinu were not married in the conventional manner should end in separation.

Compelled by circumstances, Jim obliged his father in-law's insistence for separation and compensation amount of Rs 30,000 be paid as penalty under customary law.

The compensation money only apparently spurred James, informed to be a State security personnel, to experiment what was in store in his life and consequently abandoned both his wife and daughter to live with another woman.

James abandoning Neijahat also meant her departure from her in-law's place, take care of her grand-daughter as well as bear the additional burden to ensure two square meals for the family.

While the family of three was struggling for survival by staying at a rented house, Jim's family volunteered to bring up Hatzemkim, said the mother who confided that selling vegetables and doing odd jobs remain the only means of livelihood.

On her part, Hoinu asserted that only physical deformity could not have been an obstacle in her determination to face life's challenges, if only she was not visually impaired.

Her only wish in life remains restoration of the eyesight to see her daughter's face and to resume the journey of life with renewed vigour.

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