Opinion A medical student from Manipur writes: I felt helpless at a relief camp…this made me more determined to become a doctor

I still hope and believe that there will be a way for me to find comfort and shelter, that wounds will slowly heal and offences forgiven and forgotten

People from violence-hit Manipur at relief camp

A doctor treats voilence-affected people from Manipur, at a relief camp in Cachar district of Assam, Tuesday, May 16, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Benedict Suantak

May 27, 2023 04:31 PM IST First published on: May 27, 2023 at 03:37 PM IST

The ongoing conflict in Manipur, which began on May 3, has affected many aspects of people’s lives — one of the most crucial being education. Students from schools, colleges and universities as well as those preparing for competitive examinations are in a difficult position. With the mass displacement of students from different fields, our lives have been brought to a standstill. This hindrance to our education has resulted in lost opportunities and affected our prospects. The extent of this loss is hard to comprehend right now. But with our right to knowledge at risk, we know that our future is in peril.

For medical students like me, it is hard to switch to another field. The apron each of us wears stands for truth, uprightness and helping others even in times of conflict. My friends and I have toiled day and night to earn it. We often felt discouraged but we kept going — we had taken an oath to honour the “Charak Shapath”, and we could not forget or let it go. This will all be in vain if our education in Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology is left unutilised. I am unsure of what my future would look like if I am unable to continue with this line of study. I am in a state of uncertainty because it’s difficult to ascertain how classes would even go on now, and even if they did, whether I would be able to join them. Would it be better for me to go to a different, peaceful environment and reconsider my choice? Going back to a conflict-torn place is not the answer. The place that once held a sense of familiarity and identity for me now makes me feel uneasy and unsafe.

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I trust and hope that the central government can pave a path for all students. Recently, students from the valley, who were studying in the only medical college in the hills, were shifted and accommodated in colleges back home, but this is yet to happen for students who are from the hills.

After being rescued from the deputy commissioner’s office where I was taking shelter from the violence, I was taken to a relief camp. I felt helpless as I held my apron and looked around. Being only in my second year of medical school, I was medically unqualified to check on people who had sustained injuries and needed help. It was there and then that I became more determined to become a doctor. I could also see the confusion in the eyes of children who still had their school bags and ID cards and were clustered together in the back of an Assam Rifles truck, wondering why they were taken out of school so suddenly. Do they know that the place they cherished might never be the same again?

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My mind is in a constant state of turmoil — how do I carry on with my life after losing all my belongings, with only memories of the place that I call home? Looking back, there is nothing but ash and dust waiting for me and many others — our dreams seem to have been dashed. Yet, I still hope and believe that there will be a way for me to find comfort and shelter, that wounds will slowly heal and offences forgiven and forgotten. Either way, life will have to go on, no matter how long and however difficult it may be for us right now.

The writer is a second year MBBS student at Shija Academy of Health Sciences, Manipur