72-hour general strike hits normal life in Manipur
The Hindu
The World Meitei Council is protesting against the alleged negligence of the non-tribal Meiteis by the BJP- led coalition Government.
Normal life in the valley districts of Manipur was affected by the 72-hour general strike called by the World Meitei Council protesting against the by the BJP- led coalition Government.
Movement of all non-essential vehicles is not allowed along the national highways which are being patrolled by police teams. There is no report of untoward incident.
Normal life in the hill districts had been thrown out of gear since Friday midnight as a result of the “indefinite economic blockade” called by the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur and other federation students and civil organisations of the tribals. They are protesting against the refusal of the State Government to recommend the Autonomous District Council Bill, 2021.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”