A Decade of Travel - 6
In this 10-part series, I am recollecting my
journeys from the last decade, one day from each year.
So far,
2011 – Orchha
2012 – Long Island (Andaman)
2013 – Tawang and Madhuri Lake
2014 – Murshidabad
2015 – Sanchi and Bhimbetka
Today:
2016 – Imphal-Tamu Road
1st January
Not many people are aware that some of the
fiercest battles of WW-II were fought on Indian soil, in Manipur and Nagaland. My
good friend, a WW-II aficionado, and I took the road from Imphal to Tamu on the
pleasant New Year’s Day of 2016, almost exactly 5 years ago. Accompanying us
was a local guide, Yai, with considerable knowledge of WW-II battles.
The road from Imphal to Tamu, which is across the border in Myanmar, is approximately 110 kms long. This is the road through which the Japanese troops marched in from Burma. The strategic mountain pass of Senam falls midway along this road. It is around Senam that some of the most ferocious action took place in March – May 1944. It was ugly and brutal man to man combat. The positions on the surrounding hills changed hands repeatedly. Hundreds of Indian, British and Japanese soldiers were killed.
After several minutes of
reflection, we proceeded further to the border crossing at Moreh. The paperwork
was nominal and soon we were inside Myanmar. The milestones actually had “miles”
on them.
We stopped at a sprawling Pagoda complex.
The beer at lunch was stronger than expected.
We then went to the market, which was already
shutting down for the day. Here almost every woman sported thanaka on their cheeks.
Derived from the bark of the Naringi Crenulata tree, it is apparently the
national sunscreen lotion. Also flooding the market was Tengnoumanbi (winged
beans), a widely consumed delicacy in these parts.
We crossed back to India through the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, and retraced the path.
The hills around the
Senam Pass were shrouded in darkness, but I could discern a faint glow of red.
Probably of blood spilled 72 years ago.
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