Manipur News

By Korou Khundrakpam

A Roadwidener does just that. It widens roads. I was only six when I first saw a Roadwidener myself. I was walking along the east-dyke when I saw it lazing around sprawled on top of a mound of earth. It was lying perfectly still. I would have thought it was dead if not for its grin and the tongue slipping out from between its blunt teeth occasionally to lick the damp earth beneath. A single lap every five six minutes. I stood there slouched against the earthen wall for about an hour observing it, so I know. In those days they were few in number and very hard to find. So it was natural for a six years old child to be intrigued by an actual sighting of the beast. Far from the uninspired picture of the Roadwidener in my school textbook, seeing this huge beast in real was very overwhelming, what with the rows of booted legs and the perpetual grin on its face. And it was not that it was grinning at me. It didn’t even notice my presence. They are extremely shortsighted creatures, a thing I learnt later on, and its other organs of perception are equally blunt. The grin was a permanent attribute of its face, it remained so whether it was grazing or walking or drowsing off. And it had these long rows of horns sticking out along both sides of its belly. Like the kind of huge ships you see on TV with oars sticking out from both sides of its hull. They looked dirty and worn out, with mud still dripping off from it. It is just back from work perhaps. After quietly observing it for some time I thought I would let it let it rest in peace. Also, I had to reach home before it grew dark.

This is how I first saw a Roadwidener. That was almost twenty years ago and since then; their population has steadily kept on increasing. In fact, since the last few years some people have started voicing their concern about the alarming rise in their number and the impact it may have on our lives. I was never too interested in the validity or even the nature of their concern. But all these years I have been fascinated by the sheer enigma of the beast’s existence! I have spent a fair share of my idle days scouting for a Roadwidener and observing it at length when I found one. It is only since the last three years that I stopped doing so on account of my weakening ankle. I even used to maintain an exclusive sketchbook where I made sketches of the beast from observation. These sketches, now yellowed, are strewn with notes I made on its behaviour. It is again that time of the year when you can’t take a walk around the neighbourhood without passing by at least three of them on the way. They are often seen idly basking in the summer sun. Not that I claim to be an expert in the physiology or behaviour of the beast, but I learnt a thing or two about it from my observations. They are solitary creatures and fiercely territorial. While on the move, and terribly slow they are, it makes a peculiar rattling sound from its huge belly. One would think its rib bones are all broken and hanging like wind chimes inside. Some say it sounds like drum beats, and some like a hailstorm.

How they first came to our village is still a conundrum. Some say they were brought with the influx of migrants from the west. Some discern they have been here since the beginning of mankind, citing primitive charcoal drawings found in the southern caves that vaguely resemble its form. Recently, a rumour is doing the rounds that they are in fact reincarnation of our Gods. And that they are here to save us from our predicament.

The most fascinating of all idiosyncrasies regarding the beast is the Roadwidening Parade. However it is not as much an aspect of the beast as it is of us humans. It is a ritual carried out with much furor and an almost religious zeal. It takes place when the Town Lord decides a particular road needs to be widened to let in a free flow of good fortune. The Parade is led by the Town Lord wearing a grin on his face as a reverence to the Roadwidener. He holds a long barbed leash in his hand. The length of the leash is equal to three fifth of the width of the town along the path of the sun. Next in line is the Roadwidener led by the barbed leash. But the length of the leash is such that there is a span of several days between the times the Beast and the Lord reach a particular place. And by the time the beast arrives, the road would have been properly dug up by the barbed leash like a freshly tilled field ready for sowing seeds. The beast then goes down to work, widening the road like it was born just for that; its movements brisk and economic, as if guided by an instinctive impulse vital for its survival. One of the fourth cousins of the Town Lord rides on the back of the beast. It is often someone with a tongue black from frequent contact with the leather of black polished boots. He lashes his tongue at the beast in an effort to either push it on or slow it down. I was never too sure about it.

Believers from all over the town gather to witness this ritual which, they are convinced, will bring them great fortune from beyond. They follow eagerly behind the beast as it advances forward. Those who were standing along the path of the Roadwidener either runs off to a safe distance or joins the crowd behind the beast where it is both safe and hopeful. Those who somehow happen to be on the path of the beast are either crushed by the horns on its belly or trampled upon by its rows of booted legs. But it is a rare incident as people themselves are cautious of their life and the Town Lord takes special care to avoid such mishap. At times when such cases arise, it is the general consensus that it be deemed a sacrifice necessary to bring in great fortune to the town.

It is customary for new creatures from outside the town to join the crowd as the parade advances. The people of the town reckon them to be symbolic of the fortune promised of the Parade and, with the consent of the Lord, build shrines all over the town where the creatures are shown reverence and gratitude with offerings of fruits of the town.

Today, after a few years, I am spending a few idle hours again observing a Roadwidener in a Parade. I have taken out an old sketchbook with a few blank pages for the occasion. I am scribbling this on my sketchbook as I sit on our porch watching the beast inch along our street. I am waiting. Hoping I can manage a detailed sketch this time: Of a boot perhaps!

(Korou Khudrakpam is an artist-writer-filmmaker based in Manipur)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/roadwidener/

By Paonam Thoibi

‘Sleep disturbance becomes a medical condition when it is serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental, social and emotional functioning and it has got a lot of classifications and types.’

Q. 1. Dear Madam, I have been following your column. And it is very educative. I am referring to one of the questions from last week column. You have mentioned that a the effectiveness of counseling on drug user depends on the person’s willingness and support from the family etc. I agree with that. But is there ways and means to instill the sense of willingness, I mean, can we go the other way round like educating the family members first? Sunil, Thangmeiband

Ans: Dear Sunil, it is indeed a pleasure to know that this attempt to make the public aware about mental well-being is reaching the public.
All health professionals will positively agree with your question on how important the family’s role is in managing psychological issues, not just drug use and its management. In the previous column, my answer revolves around a person who was 25 years of age and how his individual decision to get rid of his drug use behavior becomes the utmost important resolution in the drug treatment. When it comes to younger individuals, the family’s decision is very important. All in all, “psycho-education” about the substance the person is using- its mechanism and how it works on the body and how behavior is influenced or altered; what health issues may be encountered, the progression of treatment and the short and long term goals of the treatment program; measures to avoid relapse, etc., ‘should’ be discussed with the family member or whoever is the immediate care-giver of the person in question.
Also, family therapy/ counseling may be necessary most of the time as a person’s drug use habit affects the people around him, mostly the family members who are taking the role of care-givers and making them more vulnerable to stress and burn-outs which can also adversely affect the progress of the drug-use treatment.

Q. 2. Dear Madam, I often get into violent rage if things don’t work my way or when I have to spell things out to people even very simple things. Am I being a control freak or showing symptoms of borderline personality disorder? Name withheld, Singjemei kshetri leikai.

Ans: Getting angry is a basic human emotion and everyone experiences it most of the time when things don’t turn out as expected or planned; when people disappoints you or when you are upset with your own doings. Its takes a bit of introspection or going deep in the ‘situation’ which triggered the anger and sorting out the issues before it goes out of hand. If the problem is something which is difficult to manage, on a regular basis, an ‘anger management’ session becomes necessary for certain individuals.
The particular issue raised here needs a thorough study and check to conclude on anything. I would suggest you meet a counselor at the nearest health Centre with counseling facilities so that you can discuss the problem more accurately by citing incidents and situations; or if necessary going through some series of self-administering tests to know what exactly is the problem. Also, I would advise you to avoid making assumptions about yourself by deriving symptoms which you must have come across from the internet or any medium; because by doing so you may be inducing more stress upon yourself making situations worse.

Q.3. Is sleeping disorder a psychological problem? I have been going through this problem of staying awake whole night. I will sleep only for three hours wee hour in the morning. Dipanker, Imphal west

Ans: Most people have experienced sleep disturbances at some point in their lives. Sleep disturbance becomes a medical condition when it is serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental, social and emotional functioning and it has got a lot of classifications and types. Also, it is very important to know the duration of disturbance in sleep cycle or if there is any underlying conditions like stress, allergies, infections of the upper respiratory system, digestive system or other emotional or medical conditions. A check on your lifestyle and habits – like the amount of coffee/ tea intake, any mood altering substance like alcohol, cigarettes etc., work routine and pressure, physical exercise and exertion, use of mobile phones or the internet for long hours, all becomes very important to know the cause of your sleep disturbance.
The complaint you have put across is likely that of ‘Insomnia’ which is difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, if there is no obvious cause and if had lasted for the past four weeks or more.
Most of the time management of sleep disorder/ disturbance should focus on the underlying conditions. My suggestion for you would be to promptly visit a doctor to know the cause of your sleep disturbance and follow a management regime- either with medication or behavioral therapy or both combined.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/mind-matters-2/