S03E13 FindingTheVoices with RK Ranendrajit: Why did he leave the Indian Air Force and go back to Manipur ?

July 9, 2016July 28, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / 2 Comments

S03E13 FindingTheVoices with RK Ranendrajit: Why did he leave the Indian Air Force and go back to Manipur ? (Part 2)

Guest Speaker :RK Ranendrajit, Social Activist, a former fighter pilot of the IAF and former editor of Freedom in Manipur.
Language: Interview in Meteilon

Location: Bir Tikendrajit Memorial complex, Manipur, India

Presenting the second part of RK Ranendrajit ’s interview. In this episode, we go in detail about RK Ranendrajit’s education and his experience of being a fighter pilot in the IAF. After studying till 10th standard in Manipur, he pursued for further studies in Kolkata and then in Shillong. He then applied

to join the IAF as a fighter pilot during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. After 2 years of training, he was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the IAF in 1964. He performed his patriotic duties valiantly as a bomber fighter pilot during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 and 1971. But sadly, he decided to resign from the IAF as he couldn’t work under the constant surveillance by the organization and his integrity questioned. RK Meghen alias Sanayaima, the chairman of the banned insurgent group United National Liberation Front is the brother of RK Ranendrajit.

After coming back to Manipur, he tried farming and then opened a school for children who were deprived of education. But unfortunately, the school was raided by the Assam Rifles because the then Government suspected the school to be a revolutionary school. Including extra-curricular activities such as mountaineering, horse riding, martial arts etc. are being questioned. The raid in the middle of the night pointing guns on these young children tainted the reputation of the school and trust of the parents.

He also shares a brief detail of how the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex was constructed. He also tells us about the incident where around 200 homes were evicted in and around the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex.

Catch up his first part of the interview at S03E12 FindingTheVoices with RK Ranendrajit, knowing your cultural roots and Identity of Manipur.

About FindingTheVoices:

Born and raised in the violence-torn landscape of Manipur, I have a vision to promote and spread inspiring, empowering, educative & entertaining stories. I believe that we can create contents bringing the positive side of Manipur. I believe we can do this together by finding the voices, voices which needs to be heard and shared, voices of our own people, people of Manipur and well-wishers of Manipur. I believe that these voices will bring a change and connect all of us.

I welcome you to join me in my journey to finding the voices at Http://FindingTheVoices.com/

Beautiful Dzukou lily blooming at Dzukou Valley, Manipur

July 9, 2016July 9, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / 1 Comment

Another year have passed, another season gone by. But without fail, the beautiful Dzukou lily appeared blooming beautifully at the expected time at Dzukou valley, Manipur, India. Many from far and near travelled and walked to get a glimpse of the beauty. And I still couldn’t make it this year too. Maybe another year, another season. I saw these pictures of Simon Laishram and he has kindly agreed to share with FindingTheVoices.

Dzukou Valley of Manipur. Photographer: Simon Laishram

Dzukou lily blooming in Manipur. Photographer: Simon Laishram

And I hope that I will go to this beautiful spot someday …

S03E12 FindingTheVoices with RK Ranendrajit: knowing your cultural roots and Identity of Manipur.

July 2, 2016July 28, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / 3 Comments

S03E12 FindingTheVoices with RK Ranendrajit, knowing your cultural roots and Identity of Manipur.

Guest Speaker :RK Ranendrajit, Social Activist, a former fighter pilot of the IAF and former editor of Freedom in Manipur.
Language: Interview in Meteilon

Location: Bir Tikendrajit Memorial complex, Manipur, India

We are at the residence of RK Ranendrajit, a former fighter pilot of the IAF and former editor of Freedom, an audacious newspaper of Manipur during the 90’s. In this episode, RK Ranendrajit expresses the need to teach the children more about the history of Manipur and the importance of building a good character. He also shared his concern about the fact that the children of today are slowly getting drifted away from their cultural roots. Although the children today have gained a good amount of knowledge in the field of science and technology, they certainly lack knowledge of the history of their own state. He says that a good character needs to be imparted to the growing children to teach them about the correct way of life and to provide them with not only education, but also wisdom and patriotism. He stresses the importance of knowing one’s cultural roots and history as this will give the children a sense of belongingness and understand their rights. This will in turn give them self-confidence and a reason to be proud of the state and country. RK Ranendrajit says that there are not many properly organized institutions that have a collection of information concerning the history Manipur, including which king ruled when and where. But a few local clubs and a few schools and colleges have started adopting the idea of teaching about the history of Manipur and hopefully more will follow.

About FindingTheVoices:

I welcome you to join me in my journey to finding the voices at Http://FindingTheVoices.com/

S03E11 FindingTheVoices with Tampha Oinam Gupta founder of Kone Wovens: Going international with Grandma’s hand woven towels in Manipur

June 25, 2016July 28, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / Leave a comment

S03E11 FindingTheVoices with Tampha Oinam Gupta, going international with Grandma’s hand woven towels in Manipur.

Guest Speaker : Tampha Oinam Gupta, founder of Kone Wovens.

Language: Interview in English

Location: Video Interview with our Guest Speaker joining in from London.

Kone Wovens. The name is a combination of the Manipuri word “Kone” which is the word for the traditional weaving machine and the English word “Woven”. Tampha Oinam Gupta, the founder of Kone Wovens, came up with this clever name. The company is slowly gaining popularity worldwide and the demand has been increasing among the Manipuri living away from home. All of the products are plush hand woven towels made of pure cotton. Tampha says that the heart and soul and the secret behind the skillful weavings of her products is her grandmother who is an excellent weaver. While Tampha is settled in London, her team is working from Manipur. In this interview, she shares how she actually manages the company and the difficulties one faces in such circumstances.

Tampha says that she was able to fulfill her dream of starting her own textile firm because she never gave up on her dreams. She tells us about the various hurdles she had to go through before she could start the company. Right now, Kone Wovens products are available on the two e-commerce website etsy.com and giskaa.com. Tampha is hopefull of expanding and making more range of products in the near future with all the support she is getting.

A beautiful inspiring story showing how 3 generations are working together with the production in Manipur and the design and marketing from London. We ended the interview with a beautiful message from her “Never give up your dream”

About FindingTheVoices:

I welcome you to join me in my journey to finding the voices at Http://FindingTheVoices.com/

S03E10 FindingTheVoices with Devakishor Soraisam: Changing lives and volunteers connecting with the people of Manipur

June 18, 2016July 28, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / Leave a comment

S03E10 FindingTheVoices with Devakishor Soraisam, Changing lives, volunteers connecting with the people of Manipur and rising together in the midst of natural disaster.

Guest Speaker : Devakishor Soraisam, founder of Mangaal Sustainable Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Language: Interview in English

Location: Imphal, Manipur, India

Here’s the second part interview of Devakishor Soraisam, founder of Mangaal Sustainable Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The solar power systems company that provides customized design solutions has slowly gained recognition and has become a trusted name especially to their customers. Mangaal has been visiting the rural areas of Manipur and has helped set up electricity in a number of homes. According to Devakishor Soraisam, one of the best accomplishments of the solar company was helping people work more number of hours, thereby increasing the productivity of cottage industries. This has helped many cottage industries that were unable to work either because of poor visibility or total unavailability of electricity. Devakishor Soraisam also has plans to lend support in the education arena, like developing solar powered projectors to be used in schools.

Devakishor and his team have also been showing their humanitarian support. In this interview, he shares how he and his team lent support during the January, 2016 earthquake that hit Manipur. He also shares the about the problems they faced during the operation. In spite of all these troubles, there was no support from the government at the time. Devakishor and his team still continue to help the victims in case of any natural calamities in the state. We can all contribute directly or indirectly through their Facebook page “Flood Relief Manipur”.

Catch up on the first part of his interview at S03E09 FindingTheVoices with Devakishor Soraisam sharing about providing sustainable energy solutions in Manipur.

About FindingTheVoices:

I welcome you to join me in my journey to finding the voices at Http://FindingTheVoices.com/

S03E09 FindingTheVoices with Devakishor Soraisam: Providing sustainable energy solutions in Manipur.

June 11, 2016July 28, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / 1 Comment

S03E09 FindingTheVoices with Devakishor Soraisam sharing about providing sustainable energy solutions in Manipur.

Guest Speaker : Devakishor Soraisam, founder of Mangaal Sustainable Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Language: Interview in English

Location: Imphal, Manipur, India

Mangaal Sustainable Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a social enterprise that works on solving the energy crisis in Manipur, especially in the rural areas where the electricity condition is much worse. Devakishor Soraisam, who is the founder of the enterprise shares about how he came back to Manipur to start up his company. The main thing that sets this company apart from the rest is the idea of a customized design solution based on actual needs. So even if someone has no idea about solar or how much power is actually needed, the Mangaal team will analyze and design the optimal machinery. Apart from this, Devakishor Soraisam has also started associating with banks in the state to provide loans for buying the solar power systems.

Since getting legally established in January, 2016, Mangaal has so far catered to the needs of 400-500 houses. That is an impressive number taking into account the condition of private sector in Manipur. However, Devakishor Soraisam states that the company has not been able to grow as much as they can because of the lack of skill and experienced personnel in certain areas and also because of the lack of faith in the private sector by the masses. Another hindrance is the problem of bandhs and curfews in Manipur. Devakishor Soraisam feels the need to work more number of hours and catch up in order to bring the private sector of Manipur at par with the other states of India.

He shared the challenges and tweak in changing the work culture to fit into the unique situation in Manipur with frequent Bandh and balancing to attend invitation to rituals which falls on a working day.

About FindingTheVoices:

I welcome you to join me in my journey to finding the voices at Http://FindingTheVoices.com/

S03E08 FindingTheVoices with Mr. Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Senior Journalist and Author sharing about Manipur.

June 4, 2016July 9, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / 1 Comment

S03E08 FindingTheVoices with Mr. Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Senior Journalist, Author and founder-director of Reachout Foundation sharing about Manipur.

Guest Speaker : Mr. Kishalay Bhattacharjee author of “Che in Paona Bazaar” and “Blood on My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters”

Language: Interview in English

Location: Delhi, India

We are joined by Senior Journalist and Author, Mr. Kishalay Bhattacharjee, who is the founder-director of Reachout Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan foundation whose main goal is to work on issues around stereotype and discrimination by empowering entry-level journalists. Mr. Kishalay has been with broadcast television for more than twenty two years, seventeen of which he spent at New Delhi Television (NDTV) where he was a Resident Editor covering conflict in India’s North-East as well as in the Maoist corridor. He is a recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Award (2006-07) which he was awarded for his coverage of internally displaced people, a Panos Fellow for HIV/AIDS (2007) and an Edward Murrow Fellow in Journalism (2006). As a film maker, Mr. Bhattacharjee has made several documentaries one of which, “Santi, Lucy and Thoibi” was screened at international festivals in Goa and Barcelona.

Mr. Kishalay Bhattacharjee mentions a few things he loves about Manipur. He is fascinated by the mixture of different cultures, particularly the traditional entities that have a touch of modernism. We discuss in brief about his two books – “Che in Paona Bazaar” and “Blood on My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters”. In this interview, Mr. Kishalay Bhattacharjee reveals a horrifying underground activity which is apparently still in practice. His second book contains confessions from army officers and it is sure to shock you if you don’t already know! Why it has not been circulated by the media at large or why it has not become a controversial issue is unknown and rather very surprising. You be the judge!

FindingTheVoices_Kisalay_Delhi2016 (4) - Copy

About FindingTheVoices:

I welcome you to join me in my journey to finding the voices at Http://FindingTheVoices.com/

S03E07 FindingTheVoices with Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei: Unity and progress in Manipur.

May 28, 2016July 28, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / Leave a comment

S03E07 FindingTheVoices with Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei, sharing about his vision of unity and progress in Manipur.

Guest Speaker : Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei

Language: Interview in English

Location: Delhi, India

Here’s the second part of Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei’s interview. The Executive Officer in the Lok Sabha Secretariat continues telling us about his life experience from his college days and the struggles he and his family faced back in those days in the Churachandpur. We find out how Mr. Chung worked hard and what motivated him to face whatever trouble came his way and became the person he is today from the small beginnings. It is very important to have something in life that drives us and motivates us and make us keep going without giving up, something that gives us the strength and enables us to do the impossible in times of difficulties. Mr. Chung was kind enough to share and illustrate a drawing that he pasted on the wall in his room. This drawing and the Bible verse became his source of strength and it helped him get back on track and pass his college exams successfully when he was feeling very down and low.

In this episode, Mr. Chung also tells us a few stories about his early days in the village. He says that even though they were financially very poor, they were emotionally very strong as a family. He also remembers that it was his father who taught him how to dream. We learn from Mr. Chung’s story that even though we come from small beginnings, we are able to achieve and fulfill our dreams if we work hard and never give up. He ends the interview sharing his vision on unity and progress in Manipur.

Catch up the first part of his Interview at S03E06 FINDINGTHEVOICES WITH MR. KHAUTE GINLAL CHUNG VAIPHEI, GROWING UP AT CHURACHANDPUR, MANIPUR.

About FindingTheVoices:

I welcome you to join me in my journey to finding the voices at Http://FindingTheVoices.com/

S03E06 FindingTheVoices with Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei: Growing up at Churachandpur, Manipur.

May 21, 2016July 28, 2016 / Monica Ingudam / 1 Comment

S03E06 FindingTheVoices with Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei, growing up at Churachandpur, Manipur.

Guest Speaker : Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei

Language: Interview in English

Location: Delhi, India

Mr. Khaute Ginlal Chung Vaiphei, currently working as Executive Officer in the Lok Sabha Secretariat, has got an inspirational story to tell us. Born and brought up in Churachandpur, one of the most impoverished districts of India, Mr. Chung Vaiphei has come a long way from humble beginnings to

become the successful man that he is today. He worked very hard and persevered through thick and thin to create a legacy of his own. Mr. Chung Vaiphei has his parents to thank to for giving him one of the most important things in his life–Education. Although his father was deprived of education because of family traditions, Mr. Chung’s parents made sure their children got the best possible education they could provide in the remote village. In this episode, we go down the memory lane with Mr. Chung narrating about his early days in the village and telling us how his father paved the way for a brighter more fruitful life for the family. He also shares about his college days and the hardships he faced during the time–how he had given up his ambitions but got back up in life by carrying on with inner strength and by God’s grace. Tune in to listen to the story of how Mr. Chung cleared all the hurdles in life and finally got the job in Delhi. This is the first part of his interview.