India Report 21st January - 9th February 2011

Growing up in the West Midlands (Coventry) I frequently came into contact with Indian culture from a young age, with many of my school friends having Indian roots. Therefore I was really eager to sample the culture of this huge land which is home to Bollywood, Biryani¹ and Bhangra!

Stepping off the plane after a fourth flight in over twenty-four hours of travelling I was glad to have arrived in the city of Imphal in the North Eastern state of Manipur. I was also extremely surprised by the scene that greeted me upon my arrival; not a selection of sari’s and the vision of India I had been picturing in my mind since leaving Heathrow, but a community that more closely resembled Myanmar than Mumbai! The Manipuri people (known as Meiteis) are of ancient Mongolian descent and have a culture and appearance that is distinctly South East Asian rather than like that of the Indian subcontinent.

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