For Manipur’s displaced, home is just a memory

In Manipur, ethnic clashes have displaced families like Thoibi's, who now live in cramped conditions, struggling with loss and uncertainty.

It is late afternoon. Thoibi Laiphrakpam, 39, sits on a metal chair, sewing a jute tote bag inside a 15X15 feet room. The only noise puncturing the silence is the metronomic whirr of the rotating levers of the machine, followed by a gentle thump as she presses down on the foot pedal.

Security personnel fire tear gas shells to disperse protesters during a curfew in Imphal on September 10. (AFP)

Her two dogs – Coco and Tintin – are dozing next to her. The hypnotic mechanical sound is only interrupted by the sighs of her mother-in-law, sitting a