Quest for safe future keeps Manipur students away from home during Durga Puja
They are among a group of about 13 students from Manipur who are studying at the North East Institute of Management Science (NEIMS) in Jorhat.
«It's not safe back home. Moreover, we don't have much money to travel,» Sanathoi told PTI.
«My family is barely being able to make both ends meet. My father is a farmer and mother runs a clothes store. But there is hardly any sale as the economy has been badly hit,» she rued.
Eldest of five siblings, Sanathoi is pursuing a Masters degree in Tourism Management at NEIMS, while her younger sister is studying to be an engineer in Assam's Sivasagar and the rest are at home in Thoubal with their parents.
«I am lucky that our home and its vicinity have been untouched directly by the violence. But my aunt lost her all material property and has been staying with us for months now,» she said.
Chinglemba's parents who live in Imphal West district have seen the worse. They continue to take shelter in a market every night, even after nearly six months since ethnic strife first erupted in their state.
«My parents stay at home and attend the farm during the day, but it's not safe to spend the night in the village.
So everyone stays together in a market at night,» he said.
Chinglemba said his father had a shop but it has been closed since May, and the family is barely being able to earn enough to feed themselves.
He has two younger sisters, with one studying nursing in Imphal while the other is in class 10.
Chinglemba, just like several others at NEIMS in the current batch, is studying under a special scholarship scheme.
«Our tuition fees are being taken care of for the time being. But we have to pay the hostel fees.
