On Tuesday, 09.02.2021, a team from Ramakrishna Mission, Imphal, reached out to the villagers of Ze-Mnui, popularly known as Yangkhullen: the Hanging village of Manipur in Senapati District. Situated at a distance of 135 Kms from Imphal, it took around 4 hrs drive to reach there.
This remotely located, historic & traditional village, surrounded by natural beauty, is built like a fortress over a hill slope said to be slanted almost to a 90 degree angle and thus came to be known as ‘the Hanging Village’. All the residents of the village belong to the Zemei tribe, who still follow their age-old customs & traditions. There are also some prohibitions regarding visiting & photography inside the village.
The villagers offered a very cordial welcome & were very happy to receive the team. After brief interaction & introduction we distributed some relief materials to the villagers. Overall 60 males, 50 females & 50 children were provided with clothing material (Jackets, Trousers, Tops & T-shirts). Stationery items & snacks were also given to the children.
The recipients were visibly moved by this gesture and conveyed their heartfelt joy & blessings on the visiting team. They also very lovingly treated the whole team with lunch made from their organic farm products and also gave fruits & vegetables from their farms as parting gifts. Even though none of us have ever visited this village earlier, still, the village chief, along with his family, even came down the hill to see us off.
The whole visit was possible only due to the initiatives of Miss. Suinila Joseph, a trained nurse by profession and a humanitarian by passion, who, through her contacts, communicated & co-ordinated with the village authorities and also got necessary permissions for us to visit, take pictures, etc. Miss Suinila, wants to reach out to the unreached, providing support & spreading awareness about health & hygiene in remote areas across Manipur.
We are grateful to Miss Suinila for helping us in reaching out to the villagers at Yangkhullen and wish her all success in her noble endeavors.
Some images of the scenic beauty, captured during the visit, of the distribution programme & of the village interiors are being shared herewith.
