IT News
Imphal, Oct 29:
In the tender hours before sunrise, Imphal’s Khwairamband Keithel—a marketplace lovingly known as the “Mother’s Market”—awakens to a scene both timeless and resilient. While the city remains wrapped in the quiet of early morning, and government offices wait for their 10 a.m. start (or even later for some), the women of Imphal—many of them mothers—have already braved the streets, taking charge of the economy while others are still enjoying their sweet dreams.
By 4 a.m., the streets of Khwairamband Keithel are alive. These women, shaking off the remnants of sleep, line the roadside with baskets of vegetables, fish, and other local produce, bringing their best offerings to early customers. Against the backdrop of an ongoing economic crisis now stretching past 17 months, these women—undaunted by the challenges—carry forward a legacy of strength and self-sufficiency that has become the beating heart of Imphal’s early morning economy.
As the clock inches toward 7 a.m., the familiar figure of the traffic police signals the close of this fleeting marketplace. The vendors, understanding the delicate rhythm of this arrangement, pack up their goods as the roads begin to stir with traffic. Their work, however, is already done—they have provided for their families and upheld a vital economic pulse long before the rest of the city stirs.
In 2017, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s attempt to introduce “Imphal Evening” hinted at extending the city’s marketplace hours, but the morning scene has since proven itself more enduring. This dawn market, a union of necessity and grit, serves as a powerful testament to Imphal’s women—women who rise while others sleep, fueling their city’s economy with each daybreak and embodying a steadfast spirit that no crisis can quelled with each dawn.