UKHRUL: In what could be seen as an unusually hopeful message in a crisis-ridden state, divided on ethnic lines, students from the Meitei and Kuki communities came together on one stage, learning, performing and praying side by side in full public view at Mapao Zingtun village in Kangpokpi district, Manipur, where the Meiteis and the Kukis continue to co-exist.
In a jointly organised Peace Initiative Program by the Needy Home Academy (NHA), Sorshia Christian College and Mapao Zingtun village at the Needy Home Academy campus on Thursday, students from the Meitei and Kuki communities sent out a message of hope and the longing for peace and unity.
“The programme, held at the Needy Home Academy campus is being regarded as one of the earliest structured efforts since the violence began in which Meitei and Kuki youth have intentionally shared the same platform. In a landscape increasingly marked by separation, Mapao Zingtun quietly demonstrated that the idea of Meitei–Kuki harmony is not just a distant aspiration but a living practice that can still be protected and nurtured,” a release stated.
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The event opened with the unveiling of a peace stone by Rev. R. Ayui, aged 106, a revered pastor who has spent more than six decades travelling the hills and valleys of Manipur preaching peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.
AMCO president Rev. L. Simon Raomai, who led the event described the stone as a permanent reminder that, beneath the noise of conflict, the people of Manipur still desire healing more than hatred.
A welcome song by the staff of Needy Home Academy, followed by greetings and invocation from Rev. Ayui, set a prayerful and reflective tone, with special intercession for children growing up amid fear, displacement and uncertainty.
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Welcoming the gathering, Tuisin Raman, Dean of Students, Needy Home Academy, recalled how Mapao Zingtun consciously chose to remain a shared space even as tensions rose elsewhere. He highlighted that students from both Meitei and Kuki communities continue to study and live together under one roof, the release stated.
In a vibrant cultural segment on “Unity in Diversity,” Meitei, Kuki, Naga and Pangal students presented their songs, dances and traditional attire on the same stage, not in separate blocks but woven into a single sequence.
This was followed by a short drama and a poem on the “Unity of Manipur”, performed by students of Sorshia Christian College, which depicted both the pain of separation and the fragile possibility of rebuilding trust through shared spaces, shared stories and shared responsibilities.
A special song by the Children Home of Needy Home Academy added an emotional centre to the programme, giving voice to children’s simple desire for classrooms instead of relief camps and for playgrounds instead of barricades. The Needy Home Academy Choir also rendered the song “Heal the World”, which became the emotional high point of the event. Many in the audience joined in softly; Meitei and Kuki participants could be seen singing the same words and sharing the same hope, even if their recent experiences have been very different.
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Urging the young people to become “bridge-makers” between Meitei and Kuki communities, choosing words and actions that calm rather than inflame, R. K. Nimai, Retd. IAS, observed that no durable peace could ever be imposed from outside; it has to be slowly built in localities like Mapao Zingtun, where ordinary families decide that they will not pass on hatred to the next generation.
Also speaking at the event, Lokho Puni, Retd. IFS and Former Member of the Manipur Public Service Commission, reminded the gathering that Manipur’s history is one of deep interconnections between hills and valley, and that the economics, cultures and kinship ties of different groups have long been intertwined.
Representing the civil administration, Sithonliu Pamai, Sub-Deputy Collector (SDC), Island Sub-Division, Kangpokpi District, congratulated the organisers and the village for protecting a living space where Meitei and Kuki children can still grow up together.
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Meanwhile, Needy Home Academy chairman R Chance expressed deep gratitude to village authorities, church leaders, faculty members, student bodies, civil society representatives and volunteers who made the programme possible despite a tense environment. He reaffirmed the commitment of Needy Home Academy and Sorshia Christian College to remain open, shared spaces of learning, friendship and honest conversation for young people from all communities, with a special responsibility to keep Meitei and Kuki students.
The programme concluded with a Pledge and Prayer for Healing led by Rev. Achung Zingkhai, Pastor, TBC Lamphel. Participants pledged to reject rumours and hate speech, to question narratives that demonise entire communities, and to become responsible messengers of peace in their homes, churches, neighbourhoods and online spaces.
“The organisers emphasised that the Peace Initiative in Mapao Zingtun is not an isolated event but the beginning of a longer journey of rebuilding relationships that have been strained or broken,” the release added.
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