Location: Imphal, Manipur, India

We get to hear more from Madam Irene Salam, Retd. Professor from Manipur University, as she shares a brief account of the books she has published so far and the projects she has taken part in. She talks about the surprising results of one of her international projects which was to measure the resilience of Manipuris between the age group of 16 to 19.

A known perception in Manipur is that the status of women of Manipur is much higher than that of the rest of India. Her book titled “Women of Manipur – An Alternative Perspective” shows that although the statement is true to a certain extent, it contains a lot of contradictions. Madam Irene shares her findings about her research on the status of women of Manipur. She talks about the spirited nature of the women which gives them the courage to stand at the fore front of any protest and to take action whenever they feel some injustice has been done in the society.

Madam Irene also brings to light the hardships many women of Manipur face in spite of the known perceptions. As an example, she shares about the life of women vendors of Ima Market who have to leave their homes early in the morning without having meals, carrying hefty perishable goods to earn their livelihood. And when they get home, the household responsibilities are again not shared by anyone.

Tune in to listen more to what Madam Irene Salam found on her research on women of Manipur and about the challenges she faced when she came to Manipur for the first time.

Catch up her first part of the interview at  S03E03 FindingTheVoices with Irene Salam, Retired Professor from Manipur University

Location: Imphal, Manipur, India

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh and of Goan ethnicity, Madam Irene Salam, retired Professor from Manipur University, shares her account of coming to Manipur for the very first time in the 70’s and getting adjusted to the conditions in the state. It was a moment of total transformation and rejuvenation as everything was a firsthand experience for her, including the food, culture and society of her newly embraced home. Madam Irene recollects her experience on how she got adjusted and settled to the conditions even though she had never seen or heard about Manipur. She also talks about how she patiently overcame the difficulties she faced in teaching the students at Manipur University in the early days because of the language barrier.

We also got to know her view on the impact of frequent bandhs, blockades and curfews on education and about students of the state getting involved in numerous protests. She also talks about how the teachers in the University manage the schedule and examinations despite the disturbances and unpredictable situations.

Madam Irene also shares about a workshop on Historical Research Methodology and starting a project, which was aimed at collecting various historical essays written by different faculty members including her and a number of research scholars.