I will confess this up-front. I was never bothered by the stories of insurgencies in Manipur. However, the fact that this was my first job ever, made me slightly nervous. One thing I realized after spending a few days in Imphal is that, and I admit this with no hesitation, the people are far more polite and kind-hearted than most people living in metropolitan cities.
My journey to Chanura’s office was a short one. The CEO welcomed me and inquired about my whereabouts. He was curious if I am “completely non-vegetarian”. When I nodded yes, he retorted, “Then it is not going to be a problem”. Their conversation made me realize that more than me; they were concerned about my well-being. After spending one day at a hotel, they set me up in a nearby house. The house was owned by the father of one of my colleagues.
From the very first day, the couple ensured that I feel comfortable. While aunty was concerned about how thin I am, the uncle offered me tea at regular intervals. Their hospitality did not once make me feel homesick; rather, I think I found a home, even if it is for a short while.
Keeping this aside, one thing that really intrigued me about the house was the terrace. The terrace consists of a chicken coop. This might sound strange, but I always wanted to raise chickens for meat and eggs at home. My visits to the terrace mostly involved observing the chickens and admiring how well they are raised.
The most interesting thing about chickens is that they converse with more than twenty-four verbal communications. Each one of these has a distinctive meaning. Roosters try to entice hens by putting on a little dance, which primarily involves moving their heads up and down and making a specific call. Though it is a rooster, I could not help myself from naming one of the roosters as ‘Banshee’.
Furthermore, I stopped setting the alarm on my phone after a while. Banshee woke me up every morning.
I cannot wait to explore this portion of North-east India. In addition, I am determined that I will check out a game of Polo during my stay over here. This crazy chicken lady will be back with more updates soon, till then let the chicken cross the road.
