Ukhrul: Ever since the Framework Agreement was signed in 2015, there has not been much forward movement in the Indo-Naga peace talks. Both parties insist that certain demands are non-negotiable and despite encouraging signs, the talks remain stalled for now.
But one village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district has its eyes firmly set on the next few days and for good reason. Somdal village may look like a regular Naga village but it has its name etched in history: it is the village of Thuingaleng Muivah, who has spearheaded the Naga movement for decades now, but has not returned to his village for over 6 decades.
Th Muivah is dearly addressed as ‘Avakharar’ by the Tangkhuls. In the Tangkhul dialect, the eldest in the family is addressed as Avakharar.
Recalling his childhood days spent in the village, Asui Muivah, 81, the younger brother of Muivah, told EastMojo that all the four brothers and one sister grew up together closely like any other normal family at Tangrei (locality) in the village.
“Most of the time, my brothers, including Th Muivah, went away from home for studies. But I clearly remembered us going together to the paddy field and doing the work each time they came home for vacation,” Asui told EastMojo.
Somdal, a Christian village, was originally called ‘Shongran’ and is said to be one of the oldest villages of the Tangkhul community.
In 1971, when Muivah came home after joining the Naga movement, he bid farewell to his parents and family. Asui vividly recalls the day: “We had our Church dedication celebration that day and my elder brother Th Muivah told my parents to forget about him because he wouldn’t be there when they died and that they would not see his last day on earth too,” said Asui, is the youngest among the five siblings in the family. Asui is blessed with four sons and four daughters.
Dear Reader,
Over the past four years, EastMojo revolutionised the coverage of Northeast India through our sharp, impactful, and unbiased coverage. And we are not saying this: you, our readers, say so about us. Thanks to you, we have become Northeast India’s largest, independent, multimedia digital news platform.
Now, we need your help to sustain what you started.
We are fiercely protective of our ‘independent’ status and would like to remain so: it helps us provide quality journalism free from biases and agendas. From travelling to the remotest regions to cover various issues to paying local reporters honest wages to encourage them, we spend our money on where it matters.
Now, we seek your support in remaining truly independent, unbiased, and objective. We want to show the world that it is possible to cover issues that matter to the people without asking for corporate and/or government support. We can do it without them; we cannot do it without you.
Support independent journalism, subscribe to EastMojo.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
Also Read | Manipur heading towards better times: DG Assam Rifles
Trending Stories
- Meghalaya: Over 3,000 people to join Sohra intn’l half-marathon
- Could online abuse drive women out of political life?
- Assam workshop highlights DNA tech’s role in wildlife crime investigation
- Assam: Rice as a peace offering in India’s human-elephant conflict capital
- Nagaland: Three NSCN-K (Niki) cadres held with weapons cache
- Are sexual harassment victims ‘silenced’ at Tripura University?
