Abel Hmar
One fine and beautiful Sunday afternoon, right after the Morning Church Service, I took a lazy stroll down the well known Tiddim road. People of all ages and hues, and lovers in their Sunday’s Best could be seen walking up and down the road. The Restless Youths – The Cocktail Generation who prefers leading their lives at a quarter mile per hour were seen indulging in their youthful revelry, having a Joy Ride on their automobiles at a speed which obviously thrills but will also surely kill.
Sunday is always a day which is really looked forward to by the local populace of this pre-dominantly Christian town. I could see many a group of well dressed young men and women, with Bibles in their hands making a bee-line or crowding around the many Paan-Dukans that dotted the landscapes of this town, waiting eagerly to partake ‘Paan – the essential green and leafy Sacrament’ which most of the residents of this town young and old alike, educated or illiterate could not do without.
I trudged on, admiring my fellow brothers and sisters at their ability to find great joy in simple and uncomplicated pleasures; for I know living a life here between the Guns is never easy and it can really get you down, when fear and uncertainty are the only constant and omnipresent companions. I passed by the most noticeable Land-Mark as one enters the commercial heart of the town from northern direction of the State – The Police Station. The Police –Station has been getting a long over due face-lift; the old tattered and weathered half concrete structure are now giving away to Concrete Building equipped with ‘ Two Watch-Towers’ at both the far end corners of the station. ‘This Place is now really looking like a Police Station’ I said to myself, happy that I could see ‘a development’ at-least in one sphere in this town of ours.
As a Ccpurian and a local resident of this town I salute the S.P. of Churachandpur Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo, IPS for all the good work done and that He will continue doing. He has lived up to the expectations of the people and has redefined what Policing is all about. The Police under his capable leadership have been going on from strength to strength. L.D.Lhatoo has turned the Police force around; he has lifted the sagging morale of the men in khakis and has transformed them into an energetic force competent enough to deal with any eventualities that may arise.
‘A handsome policing and a fair sense of administration with justice for all’ is the big change noticeable in the once arrogant and high handed Ccpur Police ever since L.D. Lhatoo assumed charge as S.P., Churachandpur. Could it be co-incidence that the Police Station is being rebuilt only after Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo took charge? What ever may be the case, it is so very assuring to know that we have a noble soul in charge of the Police force here in Ccpur. In the words of a top Leader of a prominent philanthropic organization of the town and the district ‘Our Superintendent of Police Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo, has the same mentality as us Lamkaites, he knows and can feel the people’s pulse, He is not like us but one of us, unlike the other bureaucrats with their shove it down attitude’. I walked pass the Police Station with a smile on my lips and a joy so great in my heart that something in some spheres are changing in Ccpur for - The better.
I welcomed myself into a Café or a ‘Tea-Hotel’ as it is more popularly known in the Lamka Lexicon. I made myself at home at one of the tables facing the road, and ordered for myself ‘Chai-Garam’. The Waiter soon placed a hot steaming cup of tea on the table in front of me; I could smell the scent of the ‘Garam Chai’.
I had just taken a sip of the tea, when a scruffy young man, with an overflowing jacket armed with a Radio-set walked in and sat at one of the tables adjacent to me. He seemed to be a restless young man as he kept fiddling with his Radio-set, turning the knob of his radio, playing with the frequency waves –changing from one station to the other, disturbing the peace and tranquility of the lazy Sunday afternoon. He was really getting on my nerves, and I had even contemplated of turning around and telling him to switch his ‘Noise-Box Set’ off. When a familiar song from the 80’s came playing out from his Radio, a song I knew so well, a song which goes like
“Here I am again in this mean old town
When you are so far away from me
Where are you when the sun goes down?
So far away from me”
Yes! I am talking about the Dire Strait’s Classic ‘So Far Away From Me’. Immediately, all the thoughts of reprimanding the Radio Man for disturbing the peaceful ambience of the lazy Sunday afternoon melted away. And before I knew it, I was swept away back in time – ‘to those long gone days of yore’ by the beat, the words and the rhythm of the Classic Song. To those good old days when the Sky was of a different blue in Ccpur and when Fear was an unknown word. My heart kept pace with the rhythm of the song and my mind sang along; as I nostalgically drank the tea, flooding myself with thoughts of yesterday… staring into the wide open spaces… and drowning myself into ‘a sea of memories’.
When a face – A Familiar Face, passes by in front of my eyes, like a fleeting shadow, like a wind that blows, like a mirage in a desert, I was awoken by this ‘Face’ which struck a note in my mind. And the next instant I found myself scratching my hair and trying hard to remember the face and the name of the person. After exercising the muscles of my brain for quite sometime, I was able to recall the face, and the name of the person who had awoken me from my ‘yesteryears dreams’… the person who passed by my sights that lazy Sunday afternoon was none other than Miss Rebecca – The First and the only officially proclaimed ‘Miss Churachandpur’… Yes Rebecca was crowned Miss CCPUR in the year 1985/86.
Very unlike the ugliness and mess that we see all around now in the present day Ccpur, Ccpur/Lamka way back in the 80’s was the most thriving and the most progressive town of the State of Manipur. And many Pundits felt that it would soon overtake Imphal in terms of development. Ccpur/Lamka was then a vibrant town on the move towards modernity, and its mosaic societal set-up adds a cosmopolitan touch to the town. Lamka in those days symbolize progress and development in all spheres of life.
Since culture and religion is always inter-related, the people here have always preferred Jeans and other western apparels than to Kurtas, Lungies or Saris. People here sway their hips, sashayed and shake a leg to Western Music than to the drowsy renderings of the Raags or the Bhajans (No disrespect meant to the Indian Classical Music, I am a big fan of the Bhajans and the Ghazals myself). Lamka was needless to say ‘very westernized’ right from as long as I could remember.
The Swinging Sixties also had a lot of influence on the then youths of Ccpur/Lamka… Ccpur had its own version of ‘The Beatles’ in ‘The Blue-Stars’ – who were legends in their own right, then there were also other Bands like ‘The Magnetos’ with the flamboyant Lienchungnung Gangte as their drummer. Then there was the one and only inimitable Jimmy Lamboi who had a cult like following of fans cutting across the then almost non–existent Communal lines with his hit songs like ‘Tuolthing Sahei Nahi’. Ccpur was the most happening district in Manipur right from the 60’s to the late 80’s.
Churachandpur was flowering in all aspects of life, and her sons and daughters were distinguishing themselves at the highest echelons of powers and rendering yeoman service to the nation as bureaucrats, diplomats, professors etc. It was a town which was making a name for itself as a viable destination –No wonder whenever Schools in the Valley have an excursion trip they come to Ccpur/Lamka! Like mentioned earlier the ‘Westernized Lamka/Ccpur Town’ symbolizes progress, youth, enthusiasm and vibrancy, and a zeal for life. It was without a doubt the most ‘beautiful and the most promising district of the State of Manipur’. The mind was way back then definitely without fear, and the heads held high. Communalism was till caged and handcuffed to be ever of a threat to development, and the good of all was always paramount. And the ‘creative and enterprising spirit of the people roamed restlessly searching and seeking for ways to express itself’.
Like mentioned earlier unlike the present day Churachandpur, which is nothing but ugliness and mess and communal distortion of Life. The Ccpur of the by gone years was a much better and a more peaceful place to live in. Not only that, Ccpur/Lamka was a beautiful and as fast developing town which was also a home to a bevy of beauties – beauty in its purest form, few selected lucky individuals on whom God must have spent a little more time than the rest of us. Angels – who mesmerized and enchanted their generation with their beauty, grace, poise, smile and exuberance, and whose beauty has ever remained etched in the minds of those who were privileged to see these angels at the height of their beauty, and in all their pristine glory.
These bevies of beauties charmed the men of their generation and held them always in rapt attention, thronging them with proposals. As every ‘Men worth their salt’ played out against each other ‘in these Angel’s court of love’ hoping to emerge the eventual winner. Because the winner always gets to take it all – the love, the attention, the affection and most of all the lifetime commitment of this heaven’s sent angels in the form of Women. Let us trace the first ‘official proclamation of Beauty’ in the town of Churachandpur.
When the larger part of India was still to wake up to the concept of Beauty Queen and Beauty Pageants; when girls parading down a ramp in a firangi swimsuit was still too much to take, and consider a taboo by many Indians, and seen by the watchdogs of the Society as a defilement of the Indian Culture. Ccpur/Lamka saw its first ‘Beauty Contest’ in the form of ‘Miss Churachandpur Contest’ organized by UFO (I have no clue though if it is the same UFO that is in the News recently for all the wrong reasons) with the theme ‘Beauty is a Joy Forever’, in the year 1985-86.
The Beauty Contest for the Miss Churachandpur, I still do remember was held at the Light House Cinema, the hall was packed with people whose enthusiasms was evident in their sighs and whisper as they watch ‘beauties in swimsuits’ sashaying and parading down the ramp. Every contestant was greeted with cheers and applauded loudly as they wear their best poise and contested keenly with each other in a bid to be crowned the first Miss Churachandpur.
The Hosts for the Show were one smart gentleman and one elegant lady who had a cool head above her shoulders, and she did a great job introducing the contestant to the Crowds, and highlighting the best point and quality in each contestant as they walk down the ramp in style. After all the required proceedings and rounds were over; the judges finally reached their decision. The host and the hostess kept the people in suspense, and many jaws wide opened as they take their own sweet time in announcing the eventual winner, prolonging the thick air of suspense which had encompasses the hall.
Then finally after much anticipation, the decisions of the Judges were announced. There was pin drop silence in the hall when the hosts announced.. “And the winner of the first Miss Churachandpur Contest is contestant No.7 Miss Rebecca’. Whistling and cheers of approval and applause reverberated through the hall; a very good indication that the Crowd agreed whole-heartedly with the Judges’ decision. The ‘Wembley applause’ of the Crowd did not die down as Miss Rebecca stepped out gracefully to be crowned the ‘First Miss Churachandpur’. ..
That was exactly 19 years ago… Almost two decades. Times and things were different then, and Miss Rebecca as the first Miss Ccpur became the face of Ccpur/Lamka, and in many ways she symbolizes the young vibrant spirit, and the zeal for life of the then fastest developing town in the state of Manipur. She became the most well known face in town, the face of Ccpur. A Face which had people turning and straining their neck in an owl like manner just to get a glimpse of her whenever she passes by.
I must disagree with Oscar Wilde when he said ‘Real beauty ends where intellectual _expression begins’. For Ccpur/Lamka was a home to real beautiful women, women with intellectual and high emotional quotient, Women of strong personalities, Women of substance who could have given the Marilyn Monroes, Madonnas and the Elizabeth Taylors a real inferiority complex and the chill had they been in Hollywood. They were the loveliest of the loveliest; the fairest of the fair, chiseled to perfection by the Creators Loving hands, and blessed with a beauty that could make dying ain’t much of a living for the men who saw them at the peak of their beauty, if they could not make these divine beings their own. The angelic daughters of Churachandpur/ Lamka whose beauty spread to every nook and corner of the State, I just cannot help but mention the “Miss Kuts” who charmed a whole generation of the men of the state and any man who set their sights upon them.
Ccpur like mentioned earlier was ‘A Home of Angels’… Angels whose voices were like the whispers of a warm wind through the pines and whose smiles could reach the souls of any men. Ladies and Gentlemen! Let us take a journey back in time and meet the beauties par excellence. Beauties unto whom songs and poems were composed and rendered; Beauties who were inspiration; Beauties who set a standard of beauty, perfection and charm, so high that it is becoming hard for the successive generation of Women to follow them, emulate them or even come close to them. For a Women of Substance is not born among us humans every day, for beauty is God’s given gift; a divine blessing, and Beauty is a higher form than genius and in the words of J.Keats ‘ A Joy Forever’.
I thought angels only lived in Heavens as celestial beings…but it won’t be much of an exaggeration to state that they once lived in Ccpur and they once did spread theirs wings of beauty and grace, charm and perfection, and were the inspirations for singers and poets alike, and a role model for the then teenage girls who wants to be just like these ‘human incarnation of Angles and beauty in its purest form’.
The Outstanding Senoritas et Mademoiselle of the Ccpur town who captivated a generation of men…and who have etched their names in gold in the Ccpur’s Beauty Hall of Fame; and whose names will always be mentioned without fail as long as people continue to talk about Beauty in this town of Ccpur
REBECCA:
Like stated above, Rebecca was crowned the first Miss Churachandpur at the first Miss Ccpur Contest held at the Light House Cinema Hall. When the ‘Crown of Beauty’ was placed on her head, she was a young beautiful girl with one cool head upon her shoulders. She stood tall among the other contestants and looked absolutely stunning in her blue swim suit. A resident of the famous Tiddim road – the commercial hub of the town, She is the ‘Alpha – the genesis, the beginning’ as far as official proclamation of Beauty in Churachandpur is concern. She has the unique distinction of being the first Miss Churachandpur and she will remain that way now and forever.
PARPUI GANGTE:
A beauty with an aristocratic touch; A beauty who can keep you spell bound with her charm and her well cultured personality. Not at all a Bimbo, but a Woman who is bold and smart enough to stretch her wings and mind and fly towards self-definition and identity. A Woman who is a combination of unique excellence and unsurpassable beauty, a phoenix who always rose back to the sky with a never say die attitude even when the going in life gets a little bit tough. An ‘Asset’ for the Gangte Community; and a big sense of Pride for us Ccpurian to know that a true Woman of substance and unbelievably Strong personality like her actually belong to this town of ours -Lamka.
Parpui is now happily married and live in the Country of the Union Jack.
LALRINPUI (RINTE):
Who can forget Miss Lalrinpui (Rinte)? Every self respecting man in Ccpur, and every teenage boy in those days knew who Rinte was and her house at Tipaimukh Road became ‘Mecca’ for Romeos who come far and wide to try their luck or who just wanted to have a look at her. She was the role Model for the locality and the Neighbors little Girls who would ape the way she walked and talked; and who want to be ‘Just like U Rinte’ when they grow up.
Musically Rinte’s favorite music group those days was NKOTB (The New Kids on the Block). Those of you who were familiar with the music scene of the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s I am sure you must have heard of them –NKOTB. They were one the most successful boys band with hits like ‘Hanging Tough’, ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘The Right Stuff’, ‘I will be loving U forever’, ‘Cover Girl’ etc. And Rinte was a Cover Girl no doubt about that… She was a beauty whose face could launch a thousand ships.
Rinte was Churachanpur’s Cleopatra! And her life-size poster adorned the walls of many of the State Governments establishments; I felt a deep sense of pride as a Ccpurian when a life size poster of Rinte dressed in her traditional best, her hair tossed back, greeted me at the Imphal Airport and the Manipur Bhavans across the Country, some years back.
Rinte did not only make Ccpur proud, but the whole state of Manipur, when she represented the State in many occasions at the National Level. She was for awhile the ‘Face of Manipur’ the exotic and exquisite blend of the Hill and the Valley.
Rinte is now married to the man of her dreams and together they make up a beautiful pair among the crème de crème of Manipur. A Man who has endured and passed the ‘Trial by Fire of the UPSC’ and declared competent enough by the Commission to man the top administrative post of this vast sea of humanity called India.
Recently I chanced to see ‘this lovely Angel of Ccpur’ after a good long many years at the funeral of her relative. And even in time of grief, heartache, pain and of immense sorrow so great, her radiant beauty and loveliness could still shine through the thick clouds of desperation just like the sun after rain. Rinte and the word ‘Beauty’ are synonymous of each other. Generations of Lamkaites to come will find it real hard to believe that such beauty did actually walk upon the face of Churachandpur/ of their own town in the years to come.
JULIANA:
I will not be doing justice to this write up on the angels of Ccpur if I fail to mention Juliana.
The lovely Juliana, a fair one is she, her sharp lovely eyes, her milk white complexion, shiny black hair and the way she carries herself gracefully mesmerized many a gentleman who were always lost for words when someone else mentions her name. If my memory is still intact I believe she was crowned Miss Kut in 1987. Fair and lovely as can be; she had men swooning and women wanting to be like her. No wonder many ‘knights in shining armor along with their squires’ came to win her heart. It must be a tough choice to make sometimes when you had the best of men clamoring for your attention.
I think she made the right choice, though I believe few hearts were broken, when she got married to ‘the Knight’ who truly and really deserves her – A knight who had passed the Trial by fire of the UPSC. I think they make ‘a beautiful pair’- The Men in Uniform I guess no other profession comes close in terms of being smart, efficient, disciplined, well dressed and manly. Beautiful Women and Officers in Uniform have always made up for a stunning combination, and have always complimented each other. The last time I saw this beautiful daughter of Ccpur was at a shop in Imphal, and she was looking just the same ‘Young and beautiful’….I believe now that some Beauties do stand the test of time, and only get better like wine with age!
CAROLINE LALMALSAWMI:
The sultry siren with a Kajol type complexion cause many a man’s hearts to flutter with her exquisite charm and mesmerizing eyes. She was young and naive teenage girl when Miss Kut Crown was placed on her head – the first from the Vaiphei Community to win the crown if I am not mistaken. Academically too she was a very brilliant girl ‘A true Beauty with brains a la Amisha Patel’. She was also a classically trained Pianist, and her nimble fingers could play the music of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven with ease and proficiency that was simply just unmatched. No wonder she was the ‘music’ of many dashing and handsome young men who wanted to make her their own.
Many thought she would also be swept off her feet by an officer… but that was not to be. For Caroline Lalmalsawmi found a person whom she truly love and would devote her life to in “Jesus the Nazarene”. And in a new light she saw and realized that the glories of this world were nothing but a mere shadow in the light of her Lord Jesus Christ. She married a Singaporean with the same calling… and the last thing I heard about her was that she and her husband were in Tibet working for their Lord among the Tibetans. Keep on trucking for the Lord Sista!
JOY NUNTHAR PUDAITE WHALEN:
Joy Nunthar does not need any introduction for the men of this town. She was indeed ‘the Diva’ of the Churachandpur town back in the mid 1990’s, when life was a little bit different than it is now. She was truly a Diva for she was a combination of beauty and brains, of curves in the right places, and also a high emotional quotient. Not only that, she is also blessed with a deep rich voice that could make the hearts of men skip a beat. The Americanized Joy Nunthar was ‘a sensation’ that captivated the imagination of the town. Music Lovers who had the chance to see her perform ‘that beautiful duet’ with Ccpur’s Ozzy Osbourne Jessy Ralte at a concert for Aids Awareness held at the Lamka Community Hall in the mid 90’s would know very well why she ‘was the melody’ of many a young man’s hearts in the early 90’s.
She was also crowned ‘Miss Kut’ – Miss Kut has become a parameter to measure beauty in this State. After many years of searching for the perfect man – Joy finally found ‘ a love of a life time’ in Don Whalen, a Canadian and the two of them are now happily married and are living Bombay, though most of the time they keep shuttling between Mumbai-Bombay and the USA, Canada, and of course our dear ‘Eigi’ Manipur’s Churachandpur.
Joy Pudaite Whalen is now ‘A regular’ on the third page of the papers in Mumbai… and counts Channel V –Veejay Kim, Kelly Dorjee, the Girls from the cosmetically manufactured girls band VIVA et al as her closest friends. In short she moves among le crème de crème of the Mumbai High Rise Society.
KIMBOI VAIPHEI:
The Ravishingly beautiful Kimboi Vaiphei – the fair one in which beauty embedded itself and manifest itself to its truest, purest and fullest form. Kimboi Vaiphei – the very mention of her name is enough to get a Man talking to the Moon or walking in the rain. For she is a beauty who is picture perfect from every angle; sculpted painstakingly by the Master sculptor working out each and every intricate detail. Kimboi in her prime was no doubt a sight to behold for the eyes of men.
She was also crowned Miss Kut… and her popularity soared, and she became the undisputed queen of many a man’s hearts. She was the perfect hanger for any dress… she would look good even in the simplest of dress… though I must agree that cosmetic do enhance a person’s look. Beauty is God’s perfect cosmetic and no chemically and artificially manufactured cosmetic products would come close to that. Some women don’t have to try too hard to look good; they look good just the way they are and Kimboi
Vaiphei is one of those rare group of Women who don’t have to try too hard to look good or to get noticed. She is the embodiment of perfection and is perfectly proportionate in every curve and form…. Like I mentioned earlier ‘She is a Picture Perfect from any Angle’.
Apart from the above mentioned women there were also a few others who cause the hearts of men to flutter like Muanno Tunglut, Lamthangpui, Lalduhawmi Chakchuak, Elizabeth etc.
The above mentioned Women – Rebecca, Parpui Gangte, Lalrinpui @ Rinte, Juliana, Caroline Lalmalsawmi, Joy Nunthar, Kimboi Vaiphei were in their prime beautiful enough to make even the goose pimples of man gets goose pimples. Women who were blessed and laden with beauty so divine by the Creator that they don’t have to try too hard to get that perfect glamorous look like the ATMS (Aunties Turned Model) of today who spends endless hours and money at the beauty parlors for a manicure, pedicure, hair perm and what not. The Aunties Turn Model fails to see that ‘Beauty is not only skin deep’. It may be pertinent to mention here that ‘Beauty’ can be a gift; a blessing and as well as a curse. Some have used it in the way God wanted them to; but a few others have misused it to their own down fall and dragged themselves into life’s miry clay…. ‘Life in the fast lane it sure will make you lose your mind; Life in the fast lane anything all the time’.
The beauties and the Ccpur we dealt with was a decade or so back. Let us come back to the present time of today Ccpur… now the town is not so beautiful anymore. Public Functions and civil programmes are usually held under a cloud of fear. The Enterprising and creative Spirit of the people of this town is now suppressed and held hostage by the lawlessness all around…though of late things are starting to look up. Curfew has become Ccpur’s middle name…no more singing songs of serenade under a starry night with the guitars in hand for the youth of this town. We all have become a prisoner of FEAR and chained by the insecurity of living our lives between the guns and the damages done.
I tracked down the Elegant Lady who was one of the hosts at that First & Last Miss Churchandpur Contest held at the Light House Cinema in 1985/86, and asked her if we could organize a follow up or a similar event like that. She sounded a bit skeptical and said ‘That was almost 20 years ago; Ccpur was not a communal ghost town like it is now, people were not as communal as they are now. Communalism had not reared its ugly head way back then’… Then with a pause she finished her sentence with a look of nostalgia writ large on her face ‘Things and Times were definitely so very different way back then and life was so much easier 20 years ago’. I just nodded my head in a complete and silent approval.
Hence Miss Rebecca is the first and the last officially crowned and proclaimed ‘Miss Churachandpur’…and looks like she will remain this way for a long time. And even if things do get better and events like Miss Ccpur contest were also to take place. Miss Rebecca will always be mentioned as the ‘First Miss Churachandpur’… and no one, not even one can take that away from her… She will always be the ‘First Miss Churachandpur’. For Miss Rebecca was at one point of the time ‘the face of Ccpur’ the very person who represented and embodied the spirit of progress, of the zeal for life of the then fastest developing town in the whole state of Manipur. Then Communalism based on Gun Culture raised its ugly distorted head… and the rest as they say is ‘one hell of a bloody history’.
Mademoiselles Rebecca, Parpui Gangte, Lalrinpui (Rinte), Juliana, Caroline Lalmalsawmi, Kimboi Vaiphei, Joy Nunthar Pudaite Whalen were in their prime a bevy of beauties whose enchanting beauty, graceful manner and soft modulated voices could soften the hardest of man’s heart and tamed even the firing wrath of Man.
The beauty of these ‘master-pieces’ of the Creator could each be individually best described in the following lines:
‘For her Face is like the King’s Command
When all the Swords are drawn’
And as a native of this town, I must add here that with all honesty and sincerity that
‘There ain’t nothing like a Woman with Lamka’s grace’
Churachandpur now paints a different picture from the time these beauties were in their prime. Now we live between the guns… the situation has become so bad so grim that we see camouflaged men everywhere. Peace has been crucified for the sake of false communal pride and inflated egos… and our security sacrificed. The Light House Cinema Hall where the first ‘Miss Churachandpur Contest’ was held is now occupied by the Security Forces…It has always been that way after the unfortunate Kuki/Paite ethnic clash. In this town of the guns drugs and the damages done…Yeah! You have to bleed sometimes just to know that you are alive. Ccpur has virtually turned into a ‘Theater of Death & Taxes and Uncertainty’
Angels did live once in this town… when guns were confined only to the television and the Celluloid Screen. This town was once so beautiful and progressive before the seeds of Communalism took strong roots… Yes! Ccpur was once ‘A Home of Angels’… but this mean old town unfortunately now is the ‘Devil’s Play Ground’.
Courtesy: http://hmar.net/index.php?cat=8&paged=6
One fine and beautiful Sunday afternoon, right after the Morning Church Service, I took a lazy stroll down the well known Tiddim road. People of all ages and hues, and lovers in their Sunday’s Best could be seen walking up and down the road. The Restless Youths – The Cocktail Generation who prefers leading their lives at a quarter mile per hour were seen indulging in their youthful revelry, having a Joy Ride on their automobiles at a speed which obviously thrills but will also surely kill.
Sunday is always a day which is really looked forward to by the local populace of this pre-dominantly Christian town. I could see many a group of well dressed young men and women, with Bibles in their hands making a bee-line or crowding around the many Paan-Dukans that dotted the landscapes of this town, waiting eagerly to partake ‘Paan – the essential green and leafy Sacrament’ which most of the residents of this town young and old alike, educated or illiterate could not do without.
I trudged on, admiring my fellow brothers and sisters at their ability to find great joy in simple and uncomplicated pleasures; for I know living a life here between the Guns is never easy and it can really get you down, when fear and uncertainty are the only constant and omnipresent companions. I passed by the most noticeable Land-Mark as one enters the commercial heart of the town from northern direction of the State – The Police Station. The Police –Station has been getting a long over due face-lift; the old tattered and weathered half concrete structure are now giving away to Concrete Building equipped with ‘ Two Watch-Towers’ at both the far end corners of the station. ‘This Place is now really looking like a Police Station’ I said to myself, happy that I could see ‘a development’ at-least in one sphere in this town of ours.
As a Ccpurian and a local resident of this town I salute the S.P. of Churachandpur Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo, IPS for all the good work done and that He will continue doing. He has lived up to the expectations of the people and has redefined what Policing is all about. The Police under his capable leadership have been going on from strength to strength. L.D.Lhatoo has turned the Police force around; he has lifted the sagging morale of the men in khakis and has transformed them into an energetic force competent enough to deal with any eventualities that may arise.
‘A handsome policing and a fair sense of administration with justice for all’ is the big change noticeable in the once arrogant and high handed Ccpur Police ever since L.D. Lhatoo assumed charge as S.P., Churachandpur. Could it be co-incidence that the Police Station is being rebuilt only after Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo took charge? What ever may be the case, it is so very assuring to know that we have a noble soul in charge of the Police force here in Ccpur. In the words of a top Leader of a prominent philanthropic organization of the town and the district ‘Our Superintendent of Police Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo, has the same mentality as us Lamkaites, he knows and can feel the people’s pulse, He is not like us but one of us, unlike the other bureaucrats with their shove it down attitude’. I walked pass the Police Station with a smile on my lips and a joy so great in my heart that something in some spheres are changing in Ccpur for - The better.
I welcomed myself into a Café or a ‘Tea-Hotel’ as it is more popularly known in the Lamka Lexicon. I made myself at home at one of the tables facing the road, and ordered for myself ‘Chai-Garam’. The Waiter soon placed a hot steaming cup of tea on the table in front of me; I could smell the scent of the ‘Garam Chai’.
I had just taken a sip of the tea, when a scruffy young man, with an overflowing jacket armed with a Radio-set walked in and sat at one of the tables adjacent to me. He seemed to be a restless young man as he kept fiddling with his Radio-set, turning the knob of his radio, playing with the frequency waves –changing from one station to the other, disturbing the peace and tranquility of the lazy Sunday afternoon. He was really getting on my nerves, and I had even contemplated of turning around and telling him to switch his ‘Noise-Box Set’ off. When a familiar song from the 80’s came playing out from his Radio, a song I knew so well, a song which goes like
“Here I am again in this mean old town
When you are so far away from me
Where are you when the sun goes down?
So far away from me”
Yes! I am talking about the Dire Strait’s Classic ‘So Far Away From Me’. Immediately, all the thoughts of reprimanding the Radio Man for disturbing the peaceful ambience of the lazy Sunday afternoon melted away. And before I knew it, I was swept away back in time – ‘to those long gone days of yore’ by the beat, the words and the rhythm of the Classic Song. To those good old days when the Sky was of a different blue in Ccpur and when Fear was an unknown word. My heart kept pace with the rhythm of the song and my mind sang along; as I nostalgically drank the tea, flooding myself with thoughts of yesterday… staring into the wide open spaces… and drowning myself into ‘a sea of memories’.
When a face – A Familiar Face, passes by in front of my eyes, like a fleeting shadow, like a wind that blows, like a mirage in a desert, I was awoken by this ‘Face’ which struck a note in my mind. And the next instant I found myself scratching my hair and trying hard to remember the face and the name of the person. After exercising the muscles of my brain for quite sometime, I was able to recall the face, and the name of the person who had awoken me from my ‘yesteryears dreams’… the person who passed by my sights that lazy Sunday afternoon was none other than Miss Rebecca – The First and the only officially proclaimed ‘Miss Churachandpur’… Yes Rebecca was crowned Miss CCPUR in the year 1985/86.
Very unlike the ugliness and mess that we see all around now in the present day Ccpur, Ccpur/Lamka way back in the 80’s was the most thriving and the most progressive town of the State of Manipur. And many Pundits felt that it would soon overtake Imphal in terms of development. Ccpur/Lamka was then a vibrant town on the move towards modernity, and its mosaic societal set-up adds a cosmopolitan touch to the town. Lamka in those days symbolize progress and development in all spheres of life.
Since culture and religion is always inter-related, the people here have always preferred Jeans and other western apparels than to Kurtas, Lungies or Saris. People here sway their hips, sashayed and shake a leg to Western Music than to the drowsy renderings of the Raags or the Bhajans (No disrespect meant to the Indian Classical Music, I am a big fan of the Bhajans and the Ghazals myself). Lamka was needless to say ‘very westernized’ right from as long as I could remember.
The Swinging Sixties also had a lot of influence on the then youths of Ccpur/Lamka… Ccpur had its own version of ‘The Beatles’ in ‘The Blue-Stars’ – who were legends in their own right, then there were also other Bands like ‘The Magnetos’ with the flamboyant Lienchungnung Gangte as their drummer. Then there was the one and only inimitable Jimmy Lamboi who had a cult like following of fans cutting across the then almost non–existent Communal lines with his hit songs like ‘Tuolthing Sahei Nahi’. Ccpur was the most happening district in Manipur right from the 60’s to the late 80’s.
Churachandpur was flowering in all aspects of life, and her sons and daughters were distinguishing themselves at the highest echelons of powers and rendering yeoman service to the nation as bureaucrats, diplomats, professors etc. It was a town which was making a name for itself as a viable destination –No wonder whenever Schools in the Valley have an excursion trip they come to Ccpur/Lamka! Like mentioned earlier the ‘Westernized Lamka/Ccpur Town’ symbolizes progress, youth, enthusiasm and vibrancy, and a zeal for life. It was without a doubt the most ‘beautiful and the most promising district of the State of Manipur’. The mind was way back then definitely without fear, and the heads held high. Communalism was till caged and handcuffed to be ever of a threat to development, and the good of all was always paramount. And the ‘creative and enterprising spirit of the people roamed restlessly searching and seeking for ways to express itself’.
Like mentioned earlier unlike the present day Churachandpur, which is nothing but ugliness and mess and communal distortion of Life. The Ccpur of the by gone years was a much better and a more peaceful place to live in. Not only that, Ccpur/Lamka was a beautiful and as fast developing town which was also a home to a bevy of beauties – beauty in its purest form, few selected lucky individuals on whom God must have spent a little more time than the rest of us. Angels – who mesmerized and enchanted their generation with their beauty, grace, poise, smile and exuberance, and whose beauty has ever remained etched in the minds of those who were privileged to see these angels at the height of their beauty, and in all their pristine glory.
These bevies of beauties charmed the men of their generation and held them always in rapt attention, thronging them with proposals. As every ‘Men worth their salt’ played out against each other ‘in these Angel’s court of love’ hoping to emerge the eventual winner. Because the winner always gets to take it all – the love, the attention, the affection and most of all the lifetime commitment of this heaven’s sent angels in the form of Women. Let us trace the first ‘official proclamation of Beauty’ in the town of Churachandpur.
When the larger part of India was still to wake up to the concept of Beauty Queen and Beauty Pageants; when girls parading down a ramp in a firangi swimsuit was still too much to take, and consider a taboo by many Indians, and seen by the watchdogs of the Society as a defilement of the Indian Culture. Ccpur/Lamka saw its first ‘Beauty Contest’ in the form of ‘Miss Churachandpur Contest’ organized by UFO (I have no clue though if it is the same UFO that is in the News recently for all the wrong reasons) with the theme ‘Beauty is a Joy Forever’, in the year 1985-86.
The Beauty Contest for the Miss Churachandpur, I still do remember was held at the Light House Cinema, the hall was packed with people whose enthusiasms was evident in their sighs and whisper as they watch ‘beauties in swimsuits’ sashaying and parading down the ramp. Every contestant was greeted with cheers and applauded loudly as they wear their best poise and contested keenly with each other in a bid to be crowned the first Miss Churachandpur.
The Hosts for the Show were one smart gentleman and one elegant lady who had a cool head above her shoulders, and she did a great job introducing the contestant to the Crowds, and highlighting the best point and quality in each contestant as they walk down the ramp in style. After all the required proceedings and rounds were over; the judges finally reached their decision. The host and the hostess kept the people in suspense, and many jaws wide opened as they take their own sweet time in announcing the eventual winner, prolonging the thick air of suspense which had encompasses the hall.
Then finally after much anticipation, the decisions of the Judges were announced. There was pin drop silence in the hall when the hosts announced.. “And the winner of the first Miss Churachandpur Contest is contestant No.7 Miss Rebecca’. Whistling and cheers of approval and applause reverberated through the hall; a very good indication that the Crowd agreed whole-heartedly with the Judges’ decision. The ‘Wembley applause’ of the Crowd did not die down as Miss Rebecca stepped out gracefully to be crowned the ‘First Miss Churachandpur’. ..
That was exactly 19 years ago… Almost two decades. Times and things were different then, and Miss Rebecca as the first Miss Ccpur became the face of Ccpur/Lamka, and in many ways she symbolizes the young vibrant spirit, and the zeal for life of the then fastest developing town in the state of Manipur. She became the most well known face in town, the face of Ccpur. A Face which had people turning and straining their neck in an owl like manner just to get a glimpse of her whenever she passes by.
I must disagree with Oscar Wilde when he said ‘Real beauty ends where intellectual _expression begins’. For Ccpur/Lamka was a home to real beautiful women, women with intellectual and high emotional quotient, Women of strong personalities, Women of substance who could have given the Marilyn Monroes, Madonnas and the Elizabeth Taylors a real inferiority complex and the chill had they been in Hollywood. They were the loveliest of the loveliest; the fairest of the fair, chiseled to perfection by the Creators Loving hands, and blessed with a beauty that could make dying ain’t much of a living for the men who saw them at the peak of their beauty, if they could not make these divine beings their own. The angelic daughters of Churachandpur/ Lamka whose beauty spread to every nook and corner of the State, I just cannot help but mention the “Miss Kuts” who charmed a whole generation of the men of the state and any man who set their sights upon them.
Ccpur like mentioned earlier was ‘A Home of Angels’… Angels whose voices were like the whispers of a warm wind through the pines and whose smiles could reach the souls of any men. Ladies and Gentlemen! Let us take a journey back in time and meet the beauties par excellence. Beauties unto whom songs and poems were composed and rendered; Beauties who were inspiration; Beauties who set a standard of beauty, perfection and charm, so high that it is becoming hard for the successive generation of Women to follow them, emulate them or even come close to them. For a Women of Substance is not born among us humans every day, for beauty is God’s given gift; a divine blessing, and Beauty is a higher form than genius and in the words of J.Keats ‘ A Joy Forever’.
I thought angels only lived in Heavens as celestial beings…but it won’t be much of an exaggeration to state that they once lived in Ccpur and they once did spread theirs wings of beauty and grace, charm and perfection, and were the inspirations for singers and poets alike, and a role model for the then teenage girls who wants to be just like these ‘human incarnation of Angles and beauty in its purest form’.
The Outstanding Senoritas et Mademoiselle of the Ccpur town who captivated a generation of men…and who have etched their names in gold in the Ccpur’s Beauty Hall of Fame; and whose names will always be mentioned without fail as long as people continue to talk about Beauty in this town of Ccpur
REBECCA:
Like stated above, Rebecca was crowned the first Miss Churachandpur at the first Miss Ccpur Contest held at the Light House Cinema Hall. When the ‘Crown of Beauty’ was placed on her head, she was a young beautiful girl with one cool head upon her shoulders. She stood tall among the other contestants and looked absolutely stunning in her blue swim suit. A resident of the famous Tiddim road – the commercial hub of the town, She is the ‘Alpha – the genesis, the beginning’ as far as official proclamation of Beauty in Churachandpur is concern. She has the unique distinction of being the first Miss Churachandpur and she will remain that way now and forever.
PARPUI GANGTE:
A beauty with an aristocratic touch; A beauty who can keep you spell bound with her charm and her well cultured personality. Not at all a Bimbo, but a Woman who is bold and smart enough to stretch her wings and mind and fly towards self-definition and identity. A Woman who is a combination of unique excellence and unsurpassable beauty, a phoenix who always rose back to the sky with a never say die attitude even when the going in life gets a little bit tough. An ‘Asset’ for the Gangte Community; and a big sense of Pride for us Ccpurian to know that a true Woman of substance and unbelievably Strong personality like her actually belong to this town of ours -Lamka.
Parpui is now happily married and live in the Country of the Union Jack.
LALRINPUI (RINTE):
Who can forget Miss Lalrinpui (Rinte)? Every self respecting man in Ccpur, and every teenage boy in those days knew who Rinte was and her house at Tipaimukh Road became ‘Mecca’ for Romeos who come far and wide to try their luck or who just wanted to have a look at her. She was the role Model for the locality and the Neighbors little Girls who would ape the way she walked and talked; and who want to be ‘Just like U Rinte’ when they grow up.
Musically Rinte’s favorite music group those days was NKOTB (The New Kids on the Block). Those of you who were familiar with the music scene of the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s I am sure you must have heard of them –NKOTB. They were one the most successful boys band with hits like ‘Hanging Tough’, ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘The Right Stuff’, ‘I will be loving U forever’, ‘Cover Girl’ etc. And Rinte was a Cover Girl no doubt about that… She was a beauty whose face could launch a thousand ships.
Rinte was Churachanpur’s Cleopatra! And her life-size poster adorned the walls of many of the State Governments establishments; I felt a deep sense of pride as a Ccpurian when a life size poster of Rinte dressed in her traditional best, her hair tossed back, greeted me at the Imphal Airport and the Manipur Bhavans across the Country, some years back.
Rinte did not only make Ccpur proud, but the whole state of Manipur, when she represented the State in many occasions at the National Level. She was for awhile the ‘Face of Manipur’ the exotic and exquisite blend of the Hill and the Valley.
Rinte is now married to the man of her dreams and together they make up a beautiful pair among the crème de crème of Manipur. A Man who has endured and passed the ‘Trial by Fire of the UPSC’ and declared competent enough by the Commission to man the top administrative post of this vast sea of humanity called India.
Recently I chanced to see ‘this lovely Angel of Ccpur’ after a good long many years at the funeral of her relative. And even in time of grief, heartache, pain and of immense sorrow so great, her radiant beauty and loveliness could still shine through the thick clouds of desperation just like the sun after rain. Rinte and the word ‘Beauty’ are synonymous of each other. Generations of Lamkaites to come will find it real hard to believe that such beauty did actually walk upon the face of Churachandpur/ of their own town in the years to come.
JULIANA:
I will not be doing justice to this write up on the angels of Ccpur if I fail to mention Juliana.
The lovely Juliana, a fair one is she, her sharp lovely eyes, her milk white complexion, shiny black hair and the way she carries herself gracefully mesmerized many a gentleman who were always lost for words when someone else mentions her name. If my memory is still intact I believe she was crowned Miss Kut in 1987. Fair and lovely as can be; she had men swooning and women wanting to be like her. No wonder many ‘knights in shining armor along with their squires’ came to win her heart. It must be a tough choice to make sometimes when you had the best of men clamoring for your attention.
I think she made the right choice, though I believe few hearts were broken, when she got married to ‘the Knight’ who truly and really deserves her – A knight who had passed the Trial by fire of the UPSC. I think they make ‘a beautiful pair’- The Men in Uniform I guess no other profession comes close in terms of being smart, efficient, disciplined, well dressed and manly. Beautiful Women and Officers in Uniform have always made up for a stunning combination, and have always complimented each other. The last time I saw this beautiful daughter of Ccpur was at a shop in Imphal, and she was looking just the same ‘Young and beautiful’….I believe now that some Beauties do stand the test of time, and only get better like wine with age!
CAROLINE LALMALSAWMI:
The sultry siren with a Kajol type complexion cause many a man’s hearts to flutter with her exquisite charm and mesmerizing eyes. She was young and naive teenage girl when Miss Kut Crown was placed on her head – the first from the Vaiphei Community to win the crown if I am not mistaken. Academically too she was a very brilliant girl ‘A true Beauty with brains a la Amisha Patel’. She was also a classically trained Pianist, and her nimble fingers could play the music of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven with ease and proficiency that was simply just unmatched. No wonder she was the ‘music’ of many dashing and handsome young men who wanted to make her their own.
Many thought she would also be swept off her feet by an officer… but that was not to be. For Caroline Lalmalsawmi found a person whom she truly love and would devote her life to in “Jesus the Nazarene”. And in a new light she saw and realized that the glories of this world were nothing but a mere shadow in the light of her Lord Jesus Christ. She married a Singaporean with the same calling… and the last thing I heard about her was that she and her husband were in Tibet working for their Lord among the Tibetans. Keep on trucking for the Lord Sista!
JOY NUNTHAR PUDAITE WHALEN:
Joy Nunthar does not need any introduction for the men of this town. She was indeed ‘the Diva’ of the Churachandpur town back in the mid 1990’s, when life was a little bit different than it is now. She was truly a Diva for she was a combination of beauty and brains, of curves in the right places, and also a high emotional quotient. Not only that, she is also blessed with a deep rich voice that could make the hearts of men skip a beat. The Americanized Joy Nunthar was ‘a sensation’ that captivated the imagination of the town. Music Lovers who had the chance to see her perform ‘that beautiful duet’ with Ccpur’s Ozzy Osbourne Jessy Ralte at a concert for Aids Awareness held at the Lamka Community Hall in the mid 90’s would know very well why she ‘was the melody’ of many a young man’s hearts in the early 90’s.
She was also crowned ‘Miss Kut’ – Miss Kut has become a parameter to measure beauty in this State. After many years of searching for the perfect man – Joy finally found ‘ a love of a life time’ in Don Whalen, a Canadian and the two of them are now happily married and are living Bombay, though most of the time they keep shuttling between Mumbai-Bombay and the USA, Canada, and of course our dear ‘Eigi’ Manipur’s Churachandpur.
Joy Pudaite Whalen is now ‘A regular’ on the third page of the papers in Mumbai… and counts Channel V –Veejay Kim, Kelly Dorjee, the Girls from the cosmetically manufactured girls band VIVA et al as her closest friends. In short she moves among le crème de crème of the Mumbai High Rise Society.
KIMBOI VAIPHEI:
The Ravishingly beautiful Kimboi Vaiphei – the fair one in which beauty embedded itself and manifest itself to its truest, purest and fullest form. Kimboi Vaiphei – the very mention of her name is enough to get a Man talking to the Moon or walking in the rain. For she is a beauty who is picture perfect from every angle; sculpted painstakingly by the Master sculptor working out each and every intricate detail. Kimboi in her prime was no doubt a sight to behold for the eyes of men.
She was also crowned Miss Kut… and her popularity soared, and she became the undisputed queen of many a man’s hearts. She was the perfect hanger for any dress… she would look good even in the simplest of dress… though I must agree that cosmetic do enhance a person’s look. Beauty is God’s perfect cosmetic and no chemically and artificially manufactured cosmetic products would come close to that. Some women don’t have to try too hard to look good; they look good just the way they are and Kimboi
Vaiphei is one of those rare group of Women who don’t have to try too hard to look good or to get noticed. She is the embodiment of perfection and is perfectly proportionate in every curve and form…. Like I mentioned earlier ‘She is a Picture Perfect from any Angle’.
Apart from the above mentioned women there were also a few others who cause the hearts of men to flutter like Muanno Tunglut, Lamthangpui, Lalduhawmi Chakchuak, Elizabeth etc.
The above mentioned Women – Rebecca, Parpui Gangte, Lalrinpui @ Rinte, Juliana, Caroline Lalmalsawmi, Joy Nunthar, Kimboi Vaiphei were in their prime beautiful enough to make even the goose pimples of man gets goose pimples. Women who were blessed and laden with beauty so divine by the Creator that they don’t have to try too hard to get that perfect glamorous look like the ATMS (Aunties Turned Model) of today who spends endless hours and money at the beauty parlors for a manicure, pedicure, hair perm and what not. The Aunties Turn Model fails to see that ‘Beauty is not only skin deep’. It may be pertinent to mention here that ‘Beauty’ can be a gift; a blessing and as well as a curse. Some have used it in the way God wanted them to; but a few others have misused it to their own down fall and dragged themselves into life’s miry clay…. ‘Life in the fast lane it sure will make you lose your mind; Life in the fast lane anything all the time’.
The beauties and the Ccpur we dealt with was a decade or so back. Let us come back to the present time of today Ccpur… now the town is not so beautiful anymore. Public Functions and civil programmes are usually held under a cloud of fear. The Enterprising and creative Spirit of the people of this town is now suppressed and held hostage by the lawlessness all around…though of late things are starting to look up. Curfew has become Ccpur’s middle name…no more singing songs of serenade under a starry night with the guitars in hand for the youth of this town. We all have become a prisoner of FEAR and chained by the insecurity of living our lives between the guns and the damages done.
I tracked down the Elegant Lady who was one of the hosts at that First & Last Miss Churchandpur Contest held at the Light House Cinema in 1985/86, and asked her if we could organize a follow up or a similar event like that. She sounded a bit skeptical and said ‘That was almost 20 years ago; Ccpur was not a communal ghost town like it is now, people were not as communal as they are now. Communalism had not reared its ugly head way back then’… Then with a pause she finished her sentence with a look of nostalgia writ large on her face ‘Things and Times were definitely so very different way back then and life was so much easier 20 years ago’. I just nodded my head in a complete and silent approval.
Hence Miss Rebecca is the first and the last officially crowned and proclaimed ‘Miss Churachandpur’…and looks like she will remain this way for a long time. And even if things do get better and events like Miss Ccpur contest were also to take place. Miss Rebecca will always be mentioned as the ‘First Miss Churachandpur’… and no one, not even one can take that away from her… She will always be the ‘First Miss Churachandpur’. For Miss Rebecca was at one point of the time ‘the face of Ccpur’ the very person who represented and embodied the spirit of progress, of the zeal for life of the then fastest developing town in the whole state of Manipur. Then Communalism based on Gun Culture raised its ugly distorted head… and the rest as they say is ‘one hell of a bloody history’.
Mademoiselles Rebecca, Parpui Gangte, Lalrinpui (Rinte), Juliana, Caroline Lalmalsawmi, Kimboi Vaiphei, Joy Nunthar Pudaite Whalen were in their prime a bevy of beauties whose enchanting beauty, graceful manner and soft modulated voices could soften the hardest of man’s heart and tamed even the firing wrath of Man.
The beauty of these ‘master-pieces’ of the Creator could each be individually best described in the following lines:
‘For her Face is like the King’s Command
When all the Swords are drawn’
And as a native of this town, I must add here that with all honesty and sincerity that
‘There ain’t nothing like a Woman with Lamka’s grace’
Churachandpur now paints a different picture from the time these beauties were in their prime. Now we live between the guns… the situation has become so bad so grim that we see camouflaged men everywhere. Peace has been crucified for the sake of false communal pride and inflated egos… and our security sacrificed. The Light House Cinema Hall where the first ‘Miss Churachandpur Contest’ was held is now occupied by the Security Forces…It has always been that way after the unfortunate Kuki/Paite ethnic clash. In this town of the guns drugs and the damages done…Yeah! You have to bleed sometimes just to know that you are alive. Ccpur has virtually turned into a ‘Theater of Death & Taxes and Uncertainty’
Angels did live once in this town… when guns were confined only to the television and the Celluloid Screen. This town was once so beautiful and progressive before the seeds of Communalism took strong roots… Yes! Ccpur was once ‘A Home of Angels’… but this mean old town unfortunately now is the ‘Devil’s Play Ground’.
Courtesy: http://hmar.net/index.php?cat=8&paged=6
