Manipur is a northeastern state called the “Jewel of India”, known for its stunning landscape. The Imphal Valley is a flat, fertile expanse of paddy fields with slow rivers at the centre, while the hills around rise into dense subtropical forest with rare wildflower blooms and rich biodiversity. This striking contrast is also home to two ancient communities with equally vibrant cultures, the Meitei in the valley and the Kuki in the mountains.
Yet beneath this beauty, in May 2023 ethnic conflict broke out between the two, leading to violence that included arson, sexual assault, and the destruction of buildings. More than 60,000 people were displaced and hundreds more killed on both sides.
Two years later, a husband-wife team from Amritapuri arrived to support healing for both sides through training in Amma’s Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique (IAM). By the time the visit concluded, the instructors had travelled to 17 locations and 28 schools across Manipur, moving between both the Meitei and Kuki regions. Each visit left them with a deeply moving story to tell.
A valley that remains divided
When they first arrived, it was obvious to Narinder and Shweta the wounds were still raw. The two communities had barricaded their own areas from one another, with Government of India soldiers posted at the boundaries. Crossing, they were told, could cost you your life.
Walking into one of the schools in the Imphal Valley, they weren’t quite prepared for what they found: bedding spread across classroom floors and into corridors, clothes hanging out to dry on ropes. These were belongings of families who had lost their homes. A large portion of the school had been made into a shelter.
Pointing to one of the families, the principal explained, “They had built a big mansion just a couple of months ago by taking a huge loan. They had not even finished furnishing the house when the violence broke out. To save their lives, they left their home behind and ran for shelter.”
Facing the worst of atrocities
This was the story of many families. The team had seen countless burnt-out houses on the roads as they drove. Structures that looked like ancient ruins, even though the fires had just gutted them in 2023.
Inside the classroom at this school, sadness hung in the air even before anyone spoke. The students all sat together, a little surprised that a team had travelled more than 2500 kilometres from Kerala to offer them support. The state is still a place many consider too dangerous to visit.
These students have witnessed a lot of violence in recent years, from killings of their loved ones to watching people being burned alive.
Local teacher
Regardless, the team prayed to Amma for strength and began the meditation training. Slowly, as the session went on, the students began to relax. For a little while, at least, it seemed they were able to set down their emotional burdens.
After the session, one girl put it simply, “I had a lot of fear in my heart. This program showed me a way to get rid of it. After such a long time, I felt very light, as though I was smiling from inside.”
The girl’s school teacher added, “These students have witnessed a lot of violence in recent years, from killings of their loved ones to watching people being burned alive. It is a trauma most people cannot imagine. The students feel some relief today, as this program has helped them unburden themselves.”
An understanding beyond words
At another school, the session almost didn’t happen at all. It was late afternoon, exams were on, and school was about to let out. The meditation session was on the verge of being cancelled when the school teachers came up with an idea—give a shorter version so the children can gain some relief.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Amrita team began. The students responded by throwing themselves into it, and then completely lost track of time. After the experience, one after another, they came up to share how they felt, with many speaking in their own Manipuri dialect.
“It didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand every word,” said Shweta. “We could feel exactly what they meant.”
There was one moment at this school the Amrita instructors will never forget. An older girl began to speak, “I am in Class 12th. My mind had a lot of…” But then she broke down crying, quickly sitting down on the floor. A friend rushed up from the crowd and hugged her tightly. Through tears, she managed to continue, “It felt like my life’s entire load was dropped.”
“Honestly, there wasn’t a dry eye left in that room,” Narinder recalled. “If we’d cancelled that session, we would have missed one of the most moving moments of the entire trip.”
I had a lot of fear in my heart. This program showed me a way to get rid of it.
School student
Elsewhere in the valley, the team’s vehicle wound through narrow streets and at one destination, stopped outside a building with no signboard at all. They met a teacher who pointed to a few rooms and explained, “This is now the temporary school.”
The actual school building, it turned out, sat in the other community’s territory. After the conflict started, they had to begin running classes out of this makeshift space, and that too with just a handful of teachers.
Another teacher told the Amrita team, “Many schools have such limited infrastructure and are short on teachers due to regional transfers, so our workload has increased a lot. Plus there is constant stress due to job uncertainty. This, along with family pressures, makes it almost unbearable for us. The program today showed us a way to release the stress and stay focused, peaceful and strong in such challenging situations.”
Different sides, same experiences
From the valley, the team headed up into the mountains where the Kuki community lives. They drove a couple of hours to a tiny village school perched on a hilltop. It was small enough that every student and teacher fit into one classroom. One teacher stayed quiet through most of it, just listening intently and then, over tea afterward, she opened up.
“My mother had a chronic issue and she was undergoing treatment in the hospital when the violence broke out. We had to immediately move her to a safer spot,” she explained. Unfortunately there were no specialists available in the area, and it took them six months to find a suitable doctor in a neighbouring state.
But even more tragic, she said that some of the other patients who had to be taken from the hospital died soon after. Most of Manipur’s established hospitals sit in the valley, which now makes them inaccessible to people from the hills. Families like hers have to look for care in an entirely different state.
The teacher continued, “The Amrita meditation program has given us much relief. Such sessions are important not just for the students, but for us teachers also. We are so grateful for your visit. We will definitely come to Kerala and seek Amma’s Darshan.”
As a thank-you, the school went out of its way to arrange chapati and vegetable curry for the team’s lunch, not the usual fare in Manipur, where boiled vegetables, a meat dish and rice are more typical. “It’s a small gesture,” the team shared. “But it says everything about the warmth we constantly received, wherever we went.”
There is always a light
For Shweta and Narinder, facing an area of such deep conflict and violence was something they had never imagined. They concluded, “We keep coming back to the same thought, ‘Who else but Amma could have brought this much love and light into a situation so dark?'”
