By Jacquelyn Nameirakpa
Around 2015,human nature changed, and when there is a change in human nature there will also be a change in ambition ,outlook and perspective.
PROLOGUE
The WORLD YOUTH SUMMIT 2015 which was held from 29 March -3rd APRIL, was definitely a life changing experience for me. FOR a third time ,I decide to change my aim!I even thought of adding a middle name `FERN`;One of hotel staffs of classic GRANDE where I was put up for the summit called and uttered, `Is this Jacquelyn fern`¦?`.I REPLIED in a Brit accent , ` This is Jacquelyn Nameirakpam and not a Jacquelyn Fernandez `.I FELT Sorry for the caller, how much did he wish that the occupant of room no.2002 was the Miss Srilanka ,the bombshell and not the simple localite Jacquelyn. I WISH Jacquelyn Fernandez comes to Imphal and stays in the Grande like a Priyanka Chopra who surprised the people by landing her foot on the Manipuri soil!!Regarding the change of aim, first I wanted to pursue television journalism, even having had wild wild dreams of becoming the first Manipuri lady to be in the BBC ,always watching BBC news ,often reading news for the School Assembly aping the BBC anchors .Though I never became one ,nor will I become one, it immensely helped in my oratoral skills.Thanks to mother ,MRS MEENI SINAM who introduced me to the world of phonetics and the lingaphones of DANIEL JOHNES in my sixth standard though I could barely understand the signs of phonetics. I would also watch documentaries of the BBC and CNN and National Geographic Channel before even a TLC came to existence. AND yes I m making my debut documentary, ON THE BATTLE OF MOIRANG-THE ROLE PLAYED BY MANIPUR AS AN INDEPENDENT PRINCELY STATE IN THE INDIAN FREEDOM STRUGGLE !! The documentary will be scripted,narrated and presented by me and noted award winning film maker oja Romi meitei will be directing it. I have begun research for it collecting books ,going for field surveys and others .
And regarding the second aim, I was given a certificate of honour by the CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION ,NEW DELHI 2008, which read `This is to certify that Miss Jacquelyn nameirakpad/O Shri N.Shantabir of MANIPUR PUBLIC SCHOOL has been awarded a certificate of merit for her outstsanding academic performance, for being among the top 0.1 highest scorers of the country and for securing highest highest mark in political sc at the all INDIA LEVEL`.THIS led me to gatecrash into Lady Shri RAM COLLEGE,a college I have dreamt to a part of since my fifth standard ,since my icon AUNG SAN SUU KYI is also an alumnus and also going by india today`™s best college survey. I got through all the colleges of Delhi university excepting Stephens in my first cut off list.IN LSR ITSELF I got through all the subjects that I applied, and for a moment I was the male contender Of the reality show BACHELORS OF STAR WORLD too confused whom to select from all the eligible babes before him!!!.My teachers in Lsr and Delhi University really inspired me to take up the noble profession and that is when my obsession with passing net began.AND yes I have passed my North East Slet Exam held in nov 2014 in ENGLISH LITERATURE and placed in the 13 th rank for the entire north east With a whooping score of 65.14 pc!!
I realize for the first time that there is life much beyond the philosophical world of a Sartre ,a Kafka .a Camus ,a Nitzche ,a Foucault ,an Ibsen ,a Rushdie and the list goes on .Being a voracious reader, no use of the word bookworm please, it has become a cliche and has negative cannotations too,..people would ask me why do you read so much?. Some people would even say `BRAIN FATABA MIDI LAIRIK YAM PABANI` !!.NO way should I be angry with them as they still belong to the Stone Age!!
So pissed off I was, I even thought of making a video `WHY DO I READ` like an ORHAN PAMUK, Nobel Laureate in Literature 2005 who gave his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech titled `WHY DO I WRITE`, which is one of the best acceptance speech I have watched ..short and to the point!!.I Jacquelyn ,who dreamt of wearing Fab india and Wangkei fee sarees and walking down the isle of English department MANIPUR UNIVERSITY though weary of an informal inner line permit system in the University, finally realize that it is high time I learn to be practical ;`You should grow up and get a little increment in your personal freedom ` my conscience said! AND my presentation titled `MADAM WHICH COUNTRY ARE YOU FROM? RACISM AND THE POLITICS OF THE OTHER` made all the difference. I become more confident and it was an epiphanic moment which led to take up a different career option. And most importantly my presentation played its own part as Cupid`™s Arrow too!!!
Youth for global empowerment was the theme of the Summit and what I learnt was that you need to change yourself first before you point your fingers to others to change their attitude. Empowering the youths of the World is very much the need of the hour people. AND SPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COUNTRY INDIA WHERE THE average age is 28 .Being the largest democracy , with the second highest population in the world ,India has definitely an edge over the rest of her compititors. IT IS said that by 2020 ,the average age of Japan will be 47,40 in the case of China ,46 in the case of EUROPE ,40 IN THE US AND IN OUR COUNTRY IT WILL ONLY BE 29,BLOODY 29!!!According to ILO Survey India will have 160 million working force when our number one competitor china will have 94 million working force. In terms of figures India `s potential is great but how do we harness the potential of the youthful population is another big question !!! The World has become a global village with the introduction of the internet .Thanks to the efforts of the US Military, the realm of the knowledge sector has also expanded too which means that I Jacquelyn , though born in a corner of North East India can access to what a Shasha Obama gets in the US with the click of a button if at all I am interested In learning new stuffs!!
MAIN BODY
ME,N Jacquelyn and my younger brother ALBERT ,who were part of the young Indian delegates were given a grand reception at THE classic GRANDE. Both of us were very elated even imagining the experience of travelling to a foreign country representing India .WE were assigned room no.2002 and explored around the thotel quite impressed by the interiors of the hotel ,the Khamen Chatpa wall paper at the reception, the carpet of the corridors which has the same design as that of a wakhei fee ,the khamba thoibi painting in the lounge of the second floor and of course not to forget the hospitality of hotel staffs;On the second day I had severe headache after dancing too much and called for the room service at 3 am requesting for vicks oinment and to my surprise they arranged some how at that odd hour for the ointment. HOW thank ful I was and uttered `Thank you so much sir,thank you so much`.The experiences of staying at the Grande made me contemplate, `WHAT IF MOTHER MANIPUR HAS AT LEAST TEN DR DABALLIS AS HER SONS ,
THE CHAMLING LED SIKKIM WOULD NOT BE MUCH BETTER`!!!
My sister in law DR SALINITA came to my room and informed me of a MEGA HEALTH MELA AT IRENGBAND.SHE suggested me that I interact with the people while she diagnoses patients. Dad drove us till the venue of the MEGA HEALTH CAMP ,giving his signature advice `Athanba chafudi makhol thokte` It was an enjoyable long drive and seeing the paddy fields and the beautiful scenery around, for a moment I felt like a female LUKE NGUYEN OF THE LUKE NGUYEN AND THE GREATER MEKONG SERIES.Travelling along the Indo Burma Road made even remember the last chapter of Than mint yu`™s book, ` From china to india/Burma and the cross roads of Asia`.It made me contemplate on the strategic importance of Manipur in the upcoming Look East Policy!!
I REACH the venue of the Mela with villagers eagerly waiting their doctors from Imphal to arrive .MY SISTER IN LAW DR SALINITA AND DR AMBICA were assigned the medicine department but as I was interested in the issues of women and children, I hurried myself to gynae and padea depts..I see a group of women sitting on a bench waiting for their turn. I SMILE and introduce myself .I slowly start fixing my eyes on their tummies .For a moment I was like a Julian Morle of the MISS WORLD ORG too confused whom to select as the new Miss World!!And I choose the woman sitting in the corner whose heavily pregnant AND HER NAME IS PAKPI MAYENGBAM.THEN I shift my base and land my foot on the padaetrics dept and interview ABEM MAIBAM AND HAMIDA KHULEMBAM.
EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW WITH PAKPI
JACQUELYN=J PAKPI=P
J:Echema, can you please introduce yourself?
P:Im pakpi, 32 years of age with three kids in 3rd, 2nd and 1st standard respectively.
J:So you are pregnant with your fourth child. What are your reasons for conceiving for the fourth time?
P:I want a son
J:Echema may you give birth to a son. Even if you give birth to a girl child again, please do not be disheartened. Echema you are very much a female as I am. In this modern world there should not be any difference between a male and a female. Please do tell me about your diet .Do you take iron folic tablets?
P:Im given proper diet like fish and other nutritious stuffs. Yes I do take iron folics.. it s given for free by the government.
J(smiles I think you know a lot of stuffs given for free). Are you given proper diet because your husband wants a boy child?
P:THAT is not the case, I was given proper diet in previous pregnancies too..
(great pleasure talking to you Echema)
J:do you know SSA scheme?
P:(gives a blank gesture)
J(too confused how to explain,looks around for SSA posters,finally finds one )ECHEMA LOOK at that poster with a girl sitting on a pencil.IT IS a scheme which gives free education to all the children till the age of 14.While I try to explain more schemes like RMSA ,AND THE UPCOMING RUSA ,she hurries off as she is called for to meet the doctor
INTERVIEW WITH ABEM MAIBAM
ABEM=A
J:PLS introduce yourself
A:Im ABEM from Irengband Awang leikai and I am 24 and I have two kids
J:till what class did you study?And what does your husband do?
A:I studied till my third standard.He is a driver .He earms around 20 thousand and gives me hundred rupees as pocket money every day
J:That`™s great .How nice of him.Please tell me more about your family?
A:Apart from my husband who is soft spoken and does whatever I tell(I don`™t mean in a negative sense),my in laws are also very supportive .THEY are very concerned of the education of my kids .Though I live in a kutcha house ,I am happily married.
J:HOW lucky are you. MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING. See we are of the same age and you are already so advanced with life ,happily married with two kids.(smiles) Eta you should also give your best from your side too to your family (it is not an advice just a suggestion)
Eta even if you are educated only till your 3rd grade, that should not deter you from giving your kids the best education. THERE is no rule that your kids cannot be an IAS,A DOCTOR OR AN ENGINEER.(SHE BECOMES EMOTIONAL AND TRY HER BEST TO CONTROL HER TEARS)
J:Do you have any idea about SSA, RMSA AND RUSA?
A:A little bit of SSA
J:((EXPLAINS all the schemes including the upcoming RUSA)Do you know DM COLLEGE?It is going to be converted into a University ,there is also a Sangai university and a Sports university coming up too .Please spread the word to your neighbours and people you know
The government does lots for the people . For MANIPUR to develop ,development has to come in from every nook and corner of MANIPUR AND NOT JUST THE IMPHAL AREA!! Let us all work together hand in hand for a better Manipur .With all these schemes ,there is no way your kids will escape from being educated!!
HAMIDA KHULLEBAM
HAMIDA=H
J:Please introduce yourself
H:I am Hamida ,32 from sora and I have five kids ,all females and my husband is a driver.
J:Does he drink or into illicit affairs?
H:NO he doesn`™t drink nor is into illicit affairs.
J:Do you own a paddy field?
H:No we do not,my husband doesnot even own a piece of land.THE land that we live is given by m family ,just a small piece ,very small it is she reiterates`¦
J:Iconsole her telling her that she is very lucky being given a small piece of land from her family.Being given something is much better than not being given anything at all(we both laugh)
J:SO you lead a peaceful life?
H:YES to some extent BUT WE are debt ridden.. around one lakh
ANALYSIS
The object of my research was to find out whether these people from Irengband area have the right kind of motivation and environment to give their kids the best education. THE study is an indicative one and not a representational one. I found out that these women would love to give their kids the best education but do not know the ways and means .All the women that I have interviewed are said to live considerably peaceful lives with no case of domestic violence.
WHY DO I ENQUIRE IF THE WOMEN`™S HUSBAND DRINK OR HAVE AN ILLICIT AFFAIR?
YES there is a logic behind such a question .In order to give your children the best education ,you need to create a cordial academic atmosphere .WHEN A husband returns late in the night drunk or after having an illicit affair, fight will naturally erupt .Do you think children of such families will get the best from their parents? For women of such families teaching and educating the kids will be given secondary priority .THE first priority will be to tame the wild ,wild ways of the husband. There is also a difference between a husband who drinks and a husband who is into illicit affair, the later being worse. THE trauma that the wife and children of men who are into illicit affair undergo is undescribable; the embarresment of the legally wed husband with a different woman, of the father with a different woman who is not their biological mother. Unlike that of a dipsomaniac, the scar that a womanizer leaves is difficult to heal!!!The legally wed wife is often labeled a nymphomaniac, if only ,if only he changes. SHE becomes a grass widow when her husband was very much alive! Sometimes she curses the good lord that gave life to a SUNNY LEONE,A RAKHI SAWANT,A MALIKA SHERAWAT AND THE LIST GOES ON ;`HAIL TOO THEE LORD THOU DATS GIVE THEE LIFE`.W hat was the difference between them and she? They were professionals and she an amateur!!!An amateur cannot compete with a professional any day and that was her fate!! Reader SUNNY LEONE has topped the list of the most google searched Indian ,followed by our own SHRI NARENDRA MODI JI.This could be asked in the upcoming MPSC EXAM,if not on Sunny Leone, the question setters too scared of a possible furor from the moral police from our state. May be a question `THE second most googled searched Indian is?`,GS questions are always underpredictable ,you never know !!!
WHY DO I STRESS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EDUCATION OF THE GIRL CHILD?
Yes ,education of the girl child is very important .Today she will be a girl,then a lady and a mother one day. MARY WOOLSTONE CRAFT`™s 1792 essay `VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN` ,a seminal feminist work of the eighteenth century influenced by EUROPEAN ENLIGHTENMENT , was written in response to a French report that argued that women should be given only domestic education and attatcks sexual double standards and posits that women should be given an education commensurate with their position in society .Attacking male thinkers like ROUSSEAU who argued against women`™s education, WOOLSTONECRAFT emphasized the social and communal benefits of educating women. The essay talks of how educated wives make better companions to their husbands and will be able to bring up their children in a better way. Being empowered by reason and rationality would also help them from being susceptible to excessive emotion and sensibility!! The development index of a society can be known from the status of women I feel. Take the example of Japan for instance. In the second world war a Japenese lady pilot is said to have dropped a bomb in and around Chingambam Mandap at Chingmeirong. My late maternal grandmother would recount `Matamduda eikhoi leisabi pukak fare,eikhoina fanek khongdai setlingeida Japan nupidi uruplane dei bomb thadrakhrabani. Lairik tamba chatmina ningai leitabagi school kakhide, matamduda nupi na lairik tamba chatpase yam afaobini hainei` .SO IN order to make a better society ,education of the girl child should be encouraged!!
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WHY IS THERE SO MUCH OBSESSION WITH THE BOY CHILD?
Of the three women that I have interviewed, two are said to have a desire to undergo multiple pregnancies ,risking their health and of course their lives just for a boy child!!Manipuri society being patrilineal and patrilocal if not staunchly patriarchal ,leads them to risk their lives .THE FEAR OF THEIR HUSBANDS BRINGING IN ANOTHER WIFE if they do not give birth to a male child runs strong on their blood. Being able to conceive and give a new life is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a woman. But the wonderful thing should not happen every year .WOMEN should be respected since they have a very important role to play- that of giving new lives .Women look best when pregnant. Sometimes I would indulge myself in surreal dreams of how I would look like when I conceive my first baby,of the books that I would read with ROBERT KANIGAL`™S THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY :A LIFE OF THE GENIUS RAMANUJUN on top of my reading list!!!Being a bhuddhist and a believer of an afterlife, i imagine the after lives of men who harass ,beat their wives or are in to illicit affairs with multiple women after all the troubles a woman has to undergo, right from the stomach ache from teenage to the morning sickness and everything and the pain of child delivery.
But atleast I m happy ,these guys of the rural areas who are not even formally educated , at least know how to take proper care of their wives and children and in the case of an ABEM who is given RS 100 as pocket money everyday ,of a pakpi who is given a proper diet even in her fourth pregnancy,and that of a Hamida Begum `s husband who inspite of a debt of 1 lakh is courageous enough to send all his five kids to school.
EPILOGUE
DEAD tired I was ,but I was mentally satisfied ,at least I was able to give a ray of hope to these villagers. It was also an epiphanic moment ,that I need to work really ,really hard to serve the society .ON the way I come across Pupul village,something new to me.. .My mother asks me how the day was and hands me over a hot water bag.She further tells me `EBEMA NGAIHAK POTHARO ,ECHANA HAONA THONGBA NGA DO CHADA KUIRE ,AMUKTA CHASI` .AS the saying goes , `A hungry man is an angry man`,I reply..Ema ei Ngasidi leave lourage chak thongbadei ei sathina ware ..My mother further adds `Social work ti toue bu,yum dadi ekan kanadabei maong ama touri` to which I pretend that I did not hear!!!!
THE WRITER IS THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF VOICE FOR CHANGE.SHE IS AN ALUMNUS OF LADY SHRI RAM COLLEGE, AND HAS A MAJOR IN ENGLISH LITERATURE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF DELHI. SHE CAN BE REACHED AT jacy_here@yahoo.com