Manipur: Swimming in the Ningthem Pukhri
One of my favorite past times and a major refuge for me here has been being able to go for swim, though swimming isn’t a very common thing for the average Manipuri living in Imphal, especially adults (My aunty Nandini told me she loved swimming, though if she were to swim people would talk about the mou (married women) swimming, so not very appropriate). Adults usually only use the local Pukhri’s (ponds) for cleaning themselves or fishing, but for children it’s still considered an appropriate form of recreation. Besides the local sports complex, there are few places for the children in Imphal to learn how to swim, Ningthem Pukhri however is one of those places. If it weren’t for the local swim club I would be left to swim alone, but luckily when I head for a swim I know a few members will be out splashing around. I took the opportunity the other night to take some pictures of the swim club conducting lessons and running races. It really brought back memories of waking up early and jumping in freezing water for swimming lessons accompanied by kick boards, lines, goggles and a coach with a very big stick…oh wait, never had that!
Historical Note: Ningthem Pukhri is one of the largest pukhris in Imphal, when it was originally dugout it produced no water, which would be very rare for Imphal valley as it was originally more of a marsh then anything else. As the pukhri sat dry, and after much consternation, prayers and speculation, a priest came up with the solution that a woman who was breastfeeding needed to spill a drop of milk from her breast in the center of the pond. When a woman was found, and the breast milk applied, the pukhri began to fill! Some from the Leikai (neighborhood) say that on rainy days if one looks out on the pukhri, a woman can be seen breastfeeding her baby in the middle.
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