In a region scarred by violence and fear, where classrooms have been replaced by chaos and textbooks by the echoes of gunfire, one young boy’s unwavering will to learn has become a symbol of hope for many. Amidst the turmoil of Jiribam, 16-year-old Heibithabam Sanjoy Singh, a student of Raising Sun School, refuses to let displacement or intimidation stop him from chasing his dreams.
Sanjoy is one of four students currently taking shelter at the Borobekra Police Station Relief Camp, set up in the aftermath of a brutal attack by armed Kuki militants. The village they fled from now lies silent, its people uprooted, its future uncertain. In this war-torn zone, where even infants and women have not been spared from the violence, stepping outside the camp is a matter of life and death.
The camp, under tight security surveillance, has been declared a no-exit zone for all internally displaced persons (IDPs). Food, water, and daily needs are supplied by security personnel, but for Sanjoy and the three other students preparing for the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination, the greatest need was something that could not be packed in a relief truck — access to education.
Deprived of books, notebooks, and teachers, the students were left with only determination and the fading hope that their academic journey would not be buried under the rubble of conflict. The HSLC exams were recently announced, but there were no lessons, no revision, and no clear sign that they would even make it to the examination hall.
It was then that a silent call for help from the relief camp reached the right ears. The Relief Committee Manipur, moved by the plight of these children, took swift action. Four educators from Imphal answered the call without hesitation. Wangkhem Rabichandra, Director of Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Porompat, Thounaojam Joykumar Singh, Principal of Hill Valley Academy, Lamlai, Asem Naba, retired lecturer of Lamlong Higher Secondary School and Maisanam Chanchal Chanu, Assistant Graduate Teacher, Lamlong Higher Secondary School by carrying nothing but knowledge and compassion, they made their way to the relief camp, where they began coaching the students through focused question-answer sessions, determined to give them the fighting chance they deserved.
Meanwhile, the District Administration of Jiribam, along with the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) and local security personnel, coordinated efforts to relocate the students to a safer location where they could appear for their exams without fear.
Sanjoy, the son of Sadhu Singh from Lamdai Khunou, remains the heart of this story. Even now, he continues to reside at the Borobekra camp, preparing day and night, with nothing but resilience fueling his efforts. His journey is not just about passing an exam — it is about proving that bullets cannot silence dreams and that even in the darkest hours, the light of education can still burn bright.
He is more than a student. He is a message to the world — that hope still lives in Jiribam.