Category: Manipur Diary

This photograph is a daytime long shot of three mobile bio toilet units installed on the Indo-Myanmar Road in Imphal city, Manipur. A fourth unit is also there for maintenance and equipment storage purpose. The toilets are gender neutral and don’t have any gender marker. A piece of paper that simply says “Toilet” is stuck on the outer wall of the toilet closest to the camera. The toilets are installed along the pavement running on the Kangla Fort side of the road, and are positioned to face the pavement. Single step iron stools are placed on the pavement to help people enter the toilets. The materials used for the structure of the toilets seem to be mainly steel and plastic. The toilets have a portable septic tank and a water reservoir on the top. Specific bacteria in the septic tank help to convert human waste into an odourless liquid that can be removed safely using a special machine, and then recycled for irrigation in gardens. The toilets don’t need any sewage connection. In the picture, all the toilet doors are closed, while the storage unit’s door is open. A large blue plastic bucket can be seen inside. A similar bucket is also kept outside on the pavement. It’s a rainy day and the road and pavement are wet; there is water accumulated next to the pavement. Some distance away from the toilets are two women seated on plastic chairs under a large stationary umbrella. A man has also taken shelter under the umbrella with a large sack placed on the ground and is talking on a mobile phone. In the background, traffic on the road, people walking on the pavement, and several trees planted along the pavement can be seen. Photo credit: Bonita Pebam

Insight, Manipur Diary Jul '18

Trans inclusive public sanitation in Manipur needs a bigger push

By Bonita Pebam

Bonita Pebam on where the transgender inclusive public sanitation efforts have reached in Manipur

This illustration is a combination of Beyonce’s face picture and accompanying text, which says: “Beyonce’s story, like many other trans persons’ stories, is one of relentless struggle. At home she had to deal with her father’s expectations. During MBBS studies in Imphal, it was not just the class mates who teased her, but also faculty who demeaned her. Even the patients had a laugh at her expense. When she joined her first job in Delhi, she somehow escaped a physical screening that could have put her in trouble right at the start. And now, she has had to give up her job in Delhi and return to Manipur as she couldn’t arrange fresh identity documents in time to reflect her transgender identity.” In the photograph, Beyonce can be seen in long black hair and makeup, both markers of her initial steps in coming out as a transgender woman while she was in university. Photo courtesy: Beyonce

Manipur Diary, People Jun '18

Systemic (trans)gender injustice yet again!

By Santa Khurai

Santa Khurai narrates medical doctor Beyonce’s struggles around her transgender identity

This main illustration is a collage of two photographs and an accompanying text box. The photographs show scenes from the Thabal Chongba event held for transgender women in Imphal on April 14, 2018. In each photograph, a number of individuals dressed in colourful and traditional Meitei attire can be seen holding hands in a long human chain and dancing merrily to the sound of music. The participants are a mix of many genders, though most of them are transgender women. The event venue is an open ground, lit up brightly with LED lamps attached to bamboo frames erected at the edges of the ground. In the background, a number of onlookers can be seen sitting on benches or standing around. Behind them are houses and shop fronts with shutters closed. The accompanying text is a quote from a participant at the event: “I’m happy with this event where we’re empowered to come out openly in public with our trans identities. I wish the organisers are able to repeat such events every year!” Photo credits: Bonita Pebam

Happenings, Manipur Diary May '18

Transgender assertion and joy through Thabal Chongba in Manipur

By Bonita Pebam

For transgender women in Manipur, Thabal Chongba, a popular folk dance associated with the Yaosang or Holi festival, provides a welcome respite from a stigmatized existence. Bonita Pebam reports on...

The photograph is a close-up shot of Oinam Hemba, the author of this article. He is speaking at a community event in Manipur. He is speaking into a stationary microphone. Behind him is a colourful curtain forming a back screen. The curtain has a pattern of illustrations of flowers and comic characters. To the left, the curtain is drawn apart a bit and an old wall clock and a wooden shelf can be seen behind it. The author’s photograph is accompanied by a quote from the article: “This was a clear case of misuse of the law – Dona and Tang were both adults, and how could Section 377 be applicable just because they were a lesbian-trans man couple? And this was happening in spite of the Honourable Supreme Court’s NALSA verdict on transgender rights! The question that keeps bothering me is when will the rights of queer people be truly respected in our society?” Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Happenings, Manipur Diary May '18

Wrong arm of the law!

By Oinam Hemba

Oinam Hemba reports on a recent ordeal with the police in Manipur when he was falsely accused of helping a trans man abduct his lesbian partner from her home. And...

Tagged Under: Manipur Diary

Trans inclusive public sanitation in Manipur needs a bigger push

Systemic (trans)gender injustice yet again!

Transgender assertion and joy through Thabal Chongba in Manipur

Wrong arm of the law!

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