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Solapur teacher brings 14 kids from conflict-torn Manipur back to the classroom
Allishe had travelled to Manipur in April this year to drop off the students for their summer holidays.
“When I was returning with the students, we encountered the mob in Churachandpur. They blocked our path and inquired as to where I was taking the children. They finally let us go after the students in the local dialect informed them that I was their teacher and was returning with them to their school in Maharashtra,” said Anant Allishe, a teacher at Jnana Prabodhini School in Solapur, who brought back 14 students so that they can resume studies.
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The ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has thrown life out of gear for citizens since early May, leading to widespread deaths, violence and displacement.
Allishe had travelled to Manipur in April this year to drop off the students for their summer holidays. Days later, when violence erupted in the northeastern state, he returned to Manipur and brought the students with him so that they can begin the next academic year.
The school offers education to the children of remote areas, especially in the country’s border states, including Manipur.
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Under the initiative, in 2022, Allishe stayed in Manipur for three months, and after spending over 90 days in three different districts, he gained the trust of locals and got the kids along with him to Solapur with the aim of imparting education among them.
A total of 14 students from Manipur are currently studying in the school, one in Class 7, nine students in Class 6 and four in Class 5.
“Along with the school curriculum, the students also get training in computers, programming, and coding programmes,” said Allishe.
As the violence erupted, their return looked thin as parents were worried to send them back.
A father of one of the students, Jaidinglung Pamaye from Dailong village in Tamenglong district, said, “We were worried to send our children back to school due to the conflict, as travelling back was very risky. At the same time, we realise that education opportunities are very thin here with the unemployment rate high.”
When Allishe came all the way to Manipur to receive them, parents agreed to send the students back.
“My son, like the other students, has an opportunity to receive high-quality education, even if it is in a different state. So, when a teacher came all the way to Manipur, we decided to send our children back,” said Pamaye.
The students who returned to Solapur are mostly from three districts of Manipur - Tamenglong, Pukhri and Churachandpur. It was Churachandpur where the violence initially began in the first week of May, days after students returned here on April 27.
For the next many weeks, violence continued at Churachandpur even as Allishe reached there during the first week of July to bring other four students.
“Four students of our school were stuck in Churachandpur, a riot-hit area. After the initial fear, the parents wanted to get the children out of that situation and return to studies,” said Allishe.
As the internet service was marginally restored after two months, the school got a call from the parents, requesting them to take the students back.
Nagmilen Hawkip, the father of a student from Songpi village in Churachandpur district, said, “My son has been studying at Jnana Prabodhini School in Solapur district of Maharashtra for the last one year. He has learnt many new things at the school. So, once the situation improved a little, we called the school officials and requested to take our children back.”
Even though the school was not willing to send a teacher, Allishe decided to visit Manipur to bring the students back. “This time I decided to go to Manipur via Mizoram instead of going to Imphal. A parent told me that this route is relatively safe,” said Allishe.
Allishe recounted his experience of bringing the students back when he was staying at a student’s house in the forest area of the Aizu district in Mizoram.
This place was safe, but Allishe wanted to go to Churachandpur to bring back students and although the distance is 300-350 km and he had to travel for two days to cover the distance.
Due to the conflict, government vehicles were not available for commute.
“One gentleman known to the family I was staying with was going to Churachandpur on a train of foodgrains. I travelled with him for two days and reached Churachandpur from where I was returning to Mizoram with my students when we encountered the mob,” Allishe said.
“Finally, on July 5, I returned to Solapur with my students safely,” he said.
Now, these students are back to their normal lives in Solapur. Along with their studies, they are also learning other like playing harmonium, tabla and singing.
Themjan Horam, father of a student from Kharasonam village in Ukhrul district in Manipur said, “I am happy my son is now studying in a good school despite several odds.”
