In young company- Memoirs from Manipur

A trip to Imphal as an External Examiner for the MBBS Examination turned out to be a most enriching experience. While the days were spent in the rigourous examination schedule, I was entertained in the evenings by a bunch of young energetic post graduate doctors, who wanted to give me the best possible experience of Imphal within the limited timeframe. In order to keep pace with them, I myself was surprised at my own energy levels.

While Day 1 was a trip to Kangla Fort, and the War Cemetery, the next day was a trip to the Govindjee Temple in full Manipuri attire which was arranged for me by one of the young lady doctors. Peach or pink phanek ( mekhela) is normally worn to temples. I was awestruck by the graceful and acrobatic, traditional Pung Cholum dance within the temple premises as it was the auspicious Basant Panchami week.

The third day was a trip to Loktak Lake and this unusual and unique lake took my breath away. It is the largest freshwater lake in North East India famous for the floating vegetations upon it called phumdis. As I savoured every moment with these youngsters, time stood still. Age became just a number. I felt I was one of them. We chatted, we laughed, we rejoiced and we embraced the natural beauty around us.

Celebrating life in faraway places with new people who were half my age made me relish each moment with these young hearts and free spirits. There were no barriers, no labels, no demarcations. It is the joy of small things and the simplicity of life that eventually matters. I was happy and content with these young souls.

As we returned from Loktak, we halted at the ISKCON Temple, reaching just in time for the evening Aarti. The doors seemed to have opened just for us, as we realised we were the only ones in the temple apart from the priest.

Once again, I bow down to the Universe in gratitude.