The Manipur Diary - 2

        2) The Road to Kohima

Three main roads radiate out of Imphal. One goes south to Myanmar; the second goes southwest to Mizoram. And the third travels north towards Kohima in Nagaland. The Kohima road which links up with the aforesaid Myanmar road is part of the Trans-Asian Highway AH1, connecting Guwahati to Bangkok. Despite this grandiose appellation, the road is in a pathetic condition. Google Maps calculates the travel time between Imphal and Kohima as 2.5 hours. Actually, you should consider yourself lucky if you can do this distance of approximately 130 kms over an undulating hilly terrain in 4 or even 5 hours. The narrow road is riddled with potholes and the ever-rising plumes of dust have coated and choked the vegetation on either side. Unlike other border roads of the country, I could scarcely see any signs of maintenance during the 5-hour long drive; shocking for a road of such strategic importance.

There is yet another grave reason for the travails on this road. The road cuts through the tribal villages of Manipur and I was told that it takes only the slightest provocation for these people to come on the road and choke the traffic. A personal feud between 2 neighbouring households in the hills could trigger a blockade lasting several hours. And chicks run amok on this curvy road; it is hard not to run over them. The road truly sits on a powder keg. To alleviate this, trucks line up in a convoy and travel under armed escort at night. One half of the narrow road is taken up in the late afternoons to assemble this convoy, thereby rendering the passage through the other half even more excruciating. Public transport on this lifeline of 2 border-states is abysmal; I spotted 2 buses operated by Nagaland State Road Transport in my sojourn of 5 hours. Insider information discourages taking the public transport, for in the unfortunate event of a blockade, no attempts will be made to buy a safe passage. 

As I travel on this treacherous road, history overwhelms my mind, for it was along this road that the British army made its infamous 5-month 1000 mile long retreat in 1942 following the Japanese invasion of Burma. Over thousands died due to starvation and malaise. Also trudging and dying on this road were tens of thousands of Indian refugees from Burma; among them probably a sister of my grandmother.

Our first halt is at Sekmai to pick up bottles of the eponymous rice beer. Distilled from fermented rice, Sekmai is sweetish and potent and is said to resemble Sake. Manipur is a dry state, so I prudently refrained from training my camera at the thatched house from where we bought it for Rs 100 per unlabeled one-litre bottle. But the state government has plans to market it internationally and might seek GI status for the liquor. 

Next is the memorial at Kanglatongbi to commemorate an extraordinary act of courage in March 1944, when a handful of ordnance men, trained to be clerks and storekeepers, led by Major Boyd held out for 3 consecutive days against the fury of a vastly superior Japanese force, buying time to move away the ammunition from the depot they were guarding. Major Boyd was awarded the Military Cross for his feat. The memorial conveys the message that “ordnance personnel, apart from being professional logisticians, should occasion demand are equally capable of being excellent soldiers”. Tradition demands that AOC officers upon being commissioned visit this memorial to pay tribute to the martyrs. Painted on the walls are the insignia and motto of AOC as evolved over the years, beginning with the original Sua Tela Tonanti (To The Thunderer). Right opposite the memorial I spot a cop on top of a tree; he has climbed in the fond hope of receiving stronger signal on his phone. Very amusing indeed!

A nondescript and totally irrelevant signboard marks the next stop at Kangpokpi, where a tranquil pastoral scene greets us. Here is the famous “Milestone 109”, where the Siege of Imphal ended on 22^nd June 1944, when Indian Division from Imphal and British Division from Kohima met. There is virtually nothing here to commemorate the end of a very historic battle.

It was already dark when we crossed the unostentatious border to enter Nagaland. And for some inexplicable reason my heart was heavy.

Next, I will take you to the Kangla Fort in Imphal, where the soul of Manipur resides.