Hills, Fish and Imphal.. part 1
Sometimes the wind blows past me, whispering in my ears the calls of longing to be back in my hometown, Imphal. Most non-Manipuris do not have a clue about how Imphal is like and I am often asked by my friends to describe it. They all promise they will come visit me someday which I am sure is pretty unlikely considering how 'happening' Imphal is. I struggle now to sum up my hometown in a few words. Where do I even begin? Let me put it this way. From the sky (in an aeroplane, of course), what will first strike your notice is how green the place is. Patches of fields in shades of yellow and green. Little houses scattered around them. Long isolated roads all leading to the city centre. And green hills shielding it off from the rest of the world. You would think it was almost a rural setting. Land in the city and you will almost get a paradoxical idea about the concept of rural Imphal. As you drive closer and closer into the city centre, you will be greeted by dozens of half bu...