A strong voice

Shanti Kshetrimayum, 60 (pictured on the right), has a formidable, room-filling presence. The mother of four is the president of the aforementioned organisation. “I was elected democratically to represent the 4,000 women of the market. Why? Because of my strong voice,” she said. This is palpable throughout her interviews; when Kshetrimayum speaks, everyone in the room listens.

Through her, it becomes clear that the imas do not draw a distinction between themselves, the market, and Manipur as a whole. An issue of importance to the state is one that they will fight for. When asked about the most significant action the imas have taken in living memory, she told a story that has been paraphrased as follows.

In 1958, to quell secessionist and revolutionary forces in India’s restive north-east, the Indian government passed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). This granted special powers to the region’s security force, the Assam Rifles paramilitary organisation, which has frequently been accused of abusing such powers, interpreting the AFSPA as a ‘shoot to kill’ licence. Until 2004, the 17th battalion of the Assam Rifles was housed in the very heart of Imphal at Kangla Fort, an ancient palace of the Kangleipak Kingdom. Just a few hundred metres from the market, this was an inauspicious location and somewhere ordinary citizens could not enter.