Joining hands for Manipur in Pune: ‘Peace is possible’

On Wednesday evening, a group of mainly members of the Manipuri community settled in Pune gathered at the basketball court of Vidyanchal School in Aundh and pledged an oath for peace in the riot-hit state. “We love Manipur, long live Manipur,” they said.

Candles were lit and two minutes of silence was observed for all those who lost their lives and those who were suffering from the violence. The “peace gathering” was organised by the Association of Manipuri Diaspora (AMAND).

Pune Manipuri community at the basketball court of Vidyanchal School in Aundh.

“It’s a really simple message that we want to give. We wish for restoration of peace and harmony in Manipur. We have to join hands — leaders from all communities. So many communities stay in Pune,” said Jitensingh Irom, an exporter who has been living in Pune since 1989.

“I am really saddened by the violence and so many people have suffered. But the past is past now. At the moment, our idea is to think of how to restore peace and bring back previous relationships,” said Irom, who is also vice president of the AMAND foundation.

Urmila Thounaojam, a fourth-year student of Sinhgad Law College, came to know about the violence through a call from her father. “The message we want to send now is that we are all together in this. There is no division. And we just wish that everything remains peaceful. It’s very unfortunate that all of this happened back home. I don’t know what my city looks like right now. But we pray that everything settles soon,” she said.

In Manipur, meanwhile, the relief camps have started emptying out and curfew was eased with no major incidents of violence over the past three days. According to Chief Minister N Biren Singh, the state witnessed 60 deaths in the violence that broke out on May 3.

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At the Pune gathering, Pushpita Aheibam, a food blogger turned entrepreneur who has been based in Pune since 2017, said, “We come from a state with a diverse group of people. We wish for the good old days to come back. We are gathered here today to pray for peace and hope that it prevails soon. If anyone gets hurt, it affects all of us because we have been living as a family since ages.” Aheibam is also the vice president of the women’s unit of AMAND.

The gathering ended with the chant: “We want peace”.