Imphal, July 01 2009: Anxious of beating the scorching summer heat? Pack your belongings and go, spend your vacation at a hitherto oblivious resort, not far from here to experience 'summer chill'!! .

If people in the Oceania celebrate Christmas during summer, there is no wonderment here when people of Maiba Khul in Senapati district take recourse to fireplace to heat up their body during summer even as people in other parts of the state and elsewhere are bothered to beat the blazing summer temperature with thin summer's apparel,fans, coolers, AC rooms/cars etc.

Believe it or not, it is still winter in Maiba Khul, located some 105 kilometres from Imphal, and just 25 kilometres from Maram, under Paomata Block in Senapati district.

Thanks to the efforts of the educated village gentlemen in preserving the ecological balance of the landscape, the villagers of Maiba Khul are making good use of portable hearth, known as 'Meiphu' in local term, still in summer.

Populated by around 3000 people of the colourful Poumai community, the literacy rate of this 450 household's village is said to be the highest among the neigbouring villages like Koide, Phuba, Thapham, Oinam and Khuthan.

Though roughly cut off from the rest of the world, the two government schools � the Maiba Government Junior High School and Vaofii UJB School � are enlightenment for the villagers.

"The temperature of the village has been mildly cold even during summer due to the enduring endeavours of the educated youths of the village who unceasingly campaign for the preservation of vegetation in the area," Dailord Pao, a villager of Maiba Khul said.

"The temperature in the village during summer had been intolerable earlier, but the efforts of the youth in campaigning for maintaining ecological balance pays dividend," he said.

Evidently, the villagers were seen dressed in thick and warmth winter outfits.

However, on the flip side, the main disadvantage of the village remains to be the poor road communication system.

It has deprived the people of carrying out trade with the other world, apart from being an inconvenience to the villagers during emergency, the villagers groan.

Like in many parts of the state and the country, the village has also faced problem due to minimal monsoon rains this year.

The villagers did not see any bumper harvest this year due to poor monsoon.

But the villagers have the expectation of the monsoon rains till July 10 .

As is the case of other parts of the state, denizens of Maiba Khul are also apprehensive of famine next year.

Comment