Famine dampens Christmas festive mood in Churachandpur

By S Singlianmang Guite

CCpur, Dec 27 : On Christmas eve a crowd usually swarm the dusty corri- dors of this second largest township in the State but this chilling winter evening is ostensibly different.

The crowd and the ample smile on their faces that reminds vendors of the brisk deals they had in this time of the year is lacking.

Famine has taken its toll on the community. Everything seems set for the perfect celebration � armed groups that usually blot the festivity is now under Suspension of Opera- tion with the government, NREGS is there to shell out the extra bugs required for merriment, late night Christmas carols begins to re-appear, Musical Concerts were organized since October, Assam Rifles and the SoO group have treated the people with a vibrant and trouble-free musical night, mobile manufacturer Nokia has brought its mobile band in town; but everything fails to adopt the mood of this fun loving community. �Our tickets were usually sold-off from the last part of November in other years, but this year the rush began only yesterday and even that was unfit to called a sold-off,� Chingboi, a travel ticket dealer for the interior areas who had been in the profession for the last ten years said.

Thangkhosat of Tuila village in Henglep sub-division visits the town today, but unlike other years they were to procure rice that should sustain them for one week.

�I could only afford money for the rice, and I can�t go shopping, but I still consider myself lucky,� he said. Many of their villagers could only stock rice for two days.

�Our paddy this year was unusually healthy but rats have gobbled them up before we could reap it,� Ngaikonieng also from Tuila said. When asked, a woman who manned the ticket counter for Tipaimukh Road unassumingly said, �Bang dang ziek ahi dia! - What else!� The Mautam devastation has visibly taken its toll, crowds that swarmed the township corridors were decline al least in two fold and many vendors have felt the thinning away of their customers. Remi, proprietor of �Jingle Bell� � a dealer in stationery items said, �look for yourself; how can I said this is good,� when enquired if her business was affected.

A makeshift vendor in New Bazar, Pari claimed that she sold more than Rs.10,000 worth of good for two consecutive weeks in the last two years at this season sold Rs.3000 yesterday - the highest this year.

Ready made retailer JP Selection and foreign good dealers too felt the impact. Khailet Haokip, who just returned from Henglep after delivering a truck load of rice at the sub-divisional hqtrs visibly felt the pained within the interior populace.

�The villagers played aloud Christmas songs though a PA system in the morning, it is very enchanting but the fun ends there, they have nothing to feed themselves,� he said.

People from far flung villages came to the sub-divisional hqtrs to purchase rice with whatever money they had, but there was no rice.

The truck load we brought along was sold off in no time. �I can�t truly express their suffering, I just feel pity,� he recounted of his encounter with the hungry popu-lace.

�The road leading to Henglep is pathetic, it is merely 35 kms from here but we travel one whole day.