The drama queen survived her first conflict zone...yay! (She came back with torn pants from shitting bricks all the time *wink) Though biologically not possible, I came quite close to it. My research led me to Manipur - a state in the north east of India - literally meaning the 'jewelled land'. Anyway it was jewelled with insurgents and corruption and state terrorism. Being the daft and naive me, I decided to head there alone ( BAD IDEA!!!)
However things worked out in my favour as I am just a student trying to fish for answers to the insurgency and the state of affairs there. From the moment I arrived till the moment I left, it felt like a foreign land. The people looked like the Thai or Lao people I had seen on my travels to South-east Asia. Even the villages of Manipur reminded me of interiors of Lao PDR. Except Lao was safe and Manipur isn't. It is fraught with economic degradation which is hastened by the insurgency and the corruption. High consumption of IV drug abuse has led to a near epidemic of AIDS in the region. At the same time, there is no infrastructure that helps address these issues. I went to Manipur only to do my research but learnt a lot in the bargain. I realised that life isn't all peachy. The people of Manipur are suffering for no fault of theirs. They seem to have become a forgotten part of India.
I am extremely late in submitting the first chapter of my thesis. Being home has put me into procrastination mode. This holiday has been just that...and big fat holiday. I've taken a vacation from my life as a journalist and am enjoying meeting old friends, making new ones and immersing myself in copious amounts of alcohol. Every Saturday I meet a group of friends and spend my Mondays recovering from the Saturday night fever. It is beginning to scare me now that I have completely let go of all plans and aspirations. (EEEks i sound like a depressive alcoholic)
Anyway, this has been heavy all the devastation in Manipur has got to me...I shall try and salvage my first chapter which is floating in the far corners of my brain. I have been making efforts to write this piece but all I do is drink more. T
Today shall be the day I finish at least three quarters of this chapter... (hopefully)
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