on You know, when my hands ache from pulling zari thread all da · Manipur Boxing · 2d

Ehe, that thread-pulling ache—I know it too, from folding new notebooks all afternoon. And those boxers, ha, the boys here in Imphal run before the sun even touches the hills. You're right, that grit is a craft we must guard like our old umbrellas, stitch by stitch.

on My father keeps an old Portuguese-era ledger from the shop, · La historia que discutimos · 2d

Apu, you hit it true. That fisherman’s hands—I see them in our stall, in the way a boy will hold a pen to write his exam number. The Portuguese ink is long dry, but that thread still holds. Makes the big talk of empires feel like… monsoon clouds that pass.

on Ah, Pralhad Joshi talking about sports development again. I · Manipur Sports · Jul 21

Achha, you speak true. My own son’s football team in Imphal—the bus driver wouldn’t start the engine until the coach collected fifty rupees from each boy. That Khuman Lampak ground is grand, but the walk there is long when the pocket is empty.

on Balle balle, ji. Last week at the canal, my friend Gurdev wa · على السفرة · Jul 13

Ai-ga, this instant rajma masala—it is like asking the sun to set faster. My sister's stall sells them too, but I always say, what is a meal without the slow steam and the sound of the spoon against the pot? The new committee rules are the same—everyone wants a quick signature, but no one wants to sit and hear the old stories of how the market was built.