Yongchak saplings add flavour to AMWJU's trip to Mt Manipur
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 31 2024:
It is generally accepted that what makes any trip memorable is the journey and such is the case of the recent tour of All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and how some saplings of Yongchak trees were planted at Mount Manipur (formerly known as Mount Harriet).
The saplings of Yongchak and some other indigenous plants such as Kundorei were taken all the way from Imphal by taking buses, a flight, taxis and ships to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, more precisely Mount Manipur.
What makes the Yongchak incident more interesting is that it was only a few fellow media personnel who looked after the saplings in the entire journey but everyone joined the plantations at Mount Manipur with enthusiasm.
Maybe it was the destination that mattered to them.
The journey, spanning nearly 1900 Km, began with a flight to Kolkata and from Kolkata to Port Blair by sea route which took about 66 long hours.
Maybe Mount Manipur doesn't need much introduction, but it is at this place where King Kullachandra Dhwaja Singh and 22 other men were imprisoned after the Anglo-Manipur War, 1891.Mount Manipur itself is a National Park and it was Union Home Minister Amit Shah who, on October 16, 2021, announced that Mount Harriet in the Union Territory will be rechristened as Mount Manipur.
Mount Harriet was named after British soldier, naturalist and photographer Robert Christopher Tyler's wife Harriet Tyler.
The tour of AMWJU which was organised with the assistance of the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) was participated by altogether 30 media personnel (18 males and 12 females) and two officials of DIPR.
It was the third tour of AMWJU to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the first tour was taken out in 2003 and the second in 2013 .
The recent tour of AMWJU to the Union Territory was organised especially for women media persons.
The team took seven plant saplings, including three of Yongchak and some Kundorei among others to Mt Manipur.
Looking after these saplings during the entire journey wasn't an easy thing as only a few from among the media team volunteered to take care of the Yongchak and other saplings.
The saplings were almost left behind at Manipur Bhavan in Kolkata but AMWJU IPS secretary Priyo Achom and senior member Bhakta Asem stepped forward and took the saplings again and brought them to Kidderpore Dock before resuming the trip.
During the voyage too, it was Priyo and only a couple of AMWJU members who watered the saplings and looked after them.
The plantations of the saplings took some time as Mount Manipur is a National Park and required approval from the officials.
But when the time of planting the saplings came, Priyo who had to ensure the saplings didn't die during the voyage murmured some words of anguish.
Why didn't they show such enthusiasm while looking after the saplings during the journey, Priyo had murmured, visibly dejected.
Apart from the seven saplings they brought, Asem Bhakta also planted some saplings brought by his friend in the Union Territory.
Asem Bhakta also hired a caretaker to look after the Yongchak trees he had planted.
Some Yongchak seeds were scattered at Mt Manipur.
The journey was fulfilling and indeed memorable and it was no surprising that the media personnel took different Yongchak items and other delicacies such as fresh Yongchak, Yongchak pickle, sliced Yongchak, Ngari, Soibum (bamboo shoot), Thoiding (Perilla seeds) and Toningkhok pm theit tour.
AMWJU president Bijoy Kakchingtabam said that they didn't find any evidence of King Kullachandra and 22 other Manipuris kept as prisoners at the Union Territory in their 2003 tour.
He said that they came to know that King Kullachandra and the others were kept as political prisoners at Mount Harriet (former name of Mount Manipur) near the residence of the British Chief Commissioner after meeting one teacher from the Union Territory.
Saying that they submitted an application to the erstwhile administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to give a portion of land to erect a memorial in honour of Manipur, Bijoy maintained that they also informed the Chief Minister of Manipur of that time (2003) about the significance of their visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The then State Government also sent some officials to the Union Territory following which the administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands advised them to send their request to the Central Government as Mount Manipur was a National Park, he reminded.
Bijoy said that it was the visit of AMWJU to Andaman and Nicobar which played an instrumental role in renaming Mt Harriet to Mt Manipur.
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