Soibam Ongbi Momon Leima (1951-2021) died on July 16 at 7.15 pm in a hospital in Imphal, Manipur, due to Covid-19. It is important for us t...
Soibam Ongbi Momon Leima (1951-2021) died on July 16 at 7.15 pm in a hospital in Imphal, Manipur, due to Covid-19. It is important for us to remember that her contribution went far beyond just the one dramatic protest she took part in outside the Kangla Fort on July 15, 2004, when 12 women stripped naked holding a massive banner with the words “Indian Army Rape Us.”
Ima Momon, as she was known, was born on July 28, 1951 in Imphal. She passed out of Wangkhei Girls’ High School. She took part in sports and traditional dance in her school and at home she learnt to spin and weave. But she finished only up to class eight and at the age of 13 she was married to a school teacher, Soibam Shamungun, and she had six children.
Ima Momon was first and foremost a proud Meira Paibi, or a part of the famous torch bearer movement that started in Manipur in the 1970s. The movement was popularly known as a nisaband (anti-liquor movement). In the early 1970s, there were 65 foreign liquor shops and two bonded warehouses for a population of hardly 20 lakh people.
The Meira Paibis would publicly shamed and paraded alcoholics and substance...
