Amid Manipur strife, a school for harmony that bridges Kuki-Meitei divide | India News – Times of India

IMPHAL: An airy classroom bathed in soft daylight, filtered through large windows. The wooden desks and red plastic chairs, neatly arranged in rows, await the lively whispers of curiosity. The image captures the heart of learning, hope and coexistence at Needy Home Academy, undisturbed by the outside world’s tumult.
Located in Mapao Zingtun village, about 25km north of Imphal, the academy is home to 632 students and 42 teachers from various ethnic backgrounds. The sprawling 30-acre campus — with a four-storey building daubed in mauve at its centrepiece — is an oasis where Meiteis and Kukis, who are otherwise locked in conflict, play, sing, and live together.
This residential school is a living embodiment of unity and harmony in Manipur, where the deepening ethnic crisis between Meiteis and Kukis has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced nearly 60,000 people since May 2023.
Students and teachers from different communities coexist peacefully. “Though the number of students drastically dropped after the violence erupted, those who choose to remain live in harmony without any untoward feelings against each other,” said school principal Themshang Sasa.
Chemistry teacher Maikado Moirangthem recalled the initial fear of conflict spilling into the school. “When the violence broke out, I thought of leaving the school, fearing that we might even fight among ourselves. But our uncle Dr Chance Raman convinced us to stay. Here we are today, living as a big family,” he said.
Founded in 2004 by Tangkhul Naga couple Raman and R Angam, the school aimed to provide modern education infused with moral principles to rural children. The couple, both professors at DM University in Imphal, started the school with 50 students and five teachers, eventually expanding it to offer classes up to class 12 in both arts and science streams.
Over the years, the school has grown in reputation, attracting students from surrounding Kuki and Meitei villages. “We have literally invested 100% of our salary to come up to this level. But the Covid pandemic hit hard, and then the ethnic violence,” Raman said.
Mapao Zingtun, a Tangkhul village with 80 houses, has also distinguished itself by being declared “intoxicant-free” following the establishment of the school. “This place is like a beautiful garden where all kinds of flowers grow amidst the turmoil around us,” said Moirangthem.
His Kuki colleague Ngamkhogin, who has been a warden for 11 years, smiled in agreement. “We are all here for the cause of imparting education to the students. Why should we fight each other for a cause that does not concern us?” Moirangthem added, with his colleague Ksh Oken nodding silently.