By – Yengkhom Gunchenba
For the youth of Manipur, the last few years have been a relentless journey through overlapping crises. First came the pandemic, disrupting education and deepening isolation. Just as recovery began, the May 2023 ethnic violence displaced tens of thousands, creating traumatic upheaval. Today, a generation stands at the crossroads of emotional exhaustion and fading hope caught between two major shocks, with insufficient support.
Pandemic Years: Silent Struggles Behind Closed Doors
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Manipuri students were among the hardest hit in India. Schools and colleges closed abruptly for months, eliminating not only education but essential social structures peer interaction, sports, cultural outings that youth rely on for balance and growth. Virtual learning was the go-to solution elsewhere, but in rural and hill areas of Manipur, poor internet coverage, inconsistent electricity, and lack of devices left many students stranded. Students from economically vulnerable families often dropped out entirely, as affording smartphones or data packs became impossible.
This digital divide widened educational gaps, but the deeper, more insidious impact was on mental health. Long periods of isolation disrupted daily routines and created a pervasive sense of uncertainty. Youth began reporting sleep disturbances, mood fluctuations, unexplained fatigue, and lack of motivation. Yet, in a society where emotional distress is often misunderstood or dismissed, early warning signs quiet withdrawal, irritability, increasing disengagement were overlooked or treated as laziness.
For many, the pandemic shattered not only their daily lives but also their developing sense of self-worth. The absence of counseling or mental-health support created invisible wounds. Without teachers, friends, or mentors to notice and help, youth were left to cope alone often internalizing fear, shame, and helplessness.
Conflict Crisis: A Deepening Wound
Just as some semblance of normalcy began to return post-pandemic, Manipur was plunged into ethnic conflict in May 2023. Violent clashes erupted across valley and hill districts, displacing over 60,000 people many youth among them. Homes were abandoned, livelihoods disrupted, and educational institutions converted into relief camps.
Schools and colleges remained shut for extended periods. Class 10 and 12 students missed crucial exam preparations and study routines. College aspirants lost coaching, library access, and online learning facilities due to network disruptions and fear of travel. For many, competitive exams and career plans came to an abrupt halt.
The psychological impact went deeper. Teenagers found themselves thrust into adult-like responsibilities caring for siblings, attending to injured relatives, scavenging for food and shelter while grappling with the trauma of witnessing violence. The sudden disruption of stable environments, peer relationships, and academic goals created a fertile ground for emotional distress.
For a generation already fragile from pandemic stress, this conflict was a second blow. Dreams were derailed, hope faded, and trust both in institutions and communities was deeply fractured. Without intervention, these emotional wounds threaten to become lifelong scars.
Mental Health: A Growing Emergency
The emotional and psychological well-being of Manipuri youth is now in a critical state. Local studies paint a stark picture:
– A May 2025 cross-sectional study of 75 adolescents aged 13 18 living in relief camps in Imphal Valley showed trauma symptoms strongly correlated with anxiety and psychological distress.
– A 2024 study of internally displaced persons (IDPs) reported that 65.8% had PTSD, while 24.8% exhibited moderate anxiety and 15.2% severe anxiety.
– Among COVID 19 survivors in Manipur, 67.5% reported PTSD symptoms in mid 2020.
This confluence of pandemic isolation and conflict-related upheaval has resulted in pervasive sleeplessness, mood swings, panic attacks, loss of motivation, and feelings of worthlessness. When youth cannot access professional mental-health support, many fall into destructive coping mechanisms substance use, self-harm, dropout, or extreme ideologies born not of conviction, but from neglect.
Mental well-being in Manipur remains misunderstood and stigmatized. Schools rarely have counselors, relief camps lack psychological support units, and community health centers prioritize physical ailments. In many communities, emotional distress is met with blame rather than empathy youth are told to be strong without being guided on how to heal.
Social media adds resistance: displacement and disrupted education leave youth watching peers living normal lives, amplifying isolation and self-doubt. The result is a generation bearing in visible burdens. If we do not act now, todays emotional wounds will calcify into tomorrows societal instability. Trauma, when ignored at scale, transforms from a personal struggle into a collective crisis.
What Needs to Change Now
To prevent long-lasting damage, Manipur must adopt a multifaceted approach:
- Mental Health First Response
Deploy trained youth counselors in schools and camps. Expand use of Tele MANAS and set up local help lines, mobile counseling vans, and peer-support networks. - Community-Based Healing
Promote arts, sports, yoga, storytelling, and music circles these proven methods reduce anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and encourage reintegration of traumatized youth. - Educational Bridge Programs
Offer tutoring, open-schooling options, and digital catch-up modules for youths who missed significant portions of their education. - Youth Peace building Initiatives
Empower youth through dialogue, mediation training, and inter-community projects. Turn trauma into tools for unity and collective resilience.
The Time to Act Is Now
Youth trauma often hides behind forced smiles or feigned indifference. Delay risks losing a generation not to violence or poverty, but to permanent emotional damage. If Manipur is to thrive, it must first heal its youth by offering empathy, skilled support, meaningful opportunities, and above all, a sense of hope.
This is the moment we must choose: allow this generation to turn pain into purpose or risk watching them drift further into silence and despair. But time is short, and the window for action is now.
(The author is a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi. Deeply engaged in student and youth activism, he has served as the General Secretary of the North East Students’ Society, Delhi University (NESSDU) and as the President of the Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD). He is currently the President of MAIYOND (Manipur Innovative Youth Organisation, Delhi), where he continues to champion youth empowerment, political awareness, and community-driven development.)