bird's eye view of Noney town seen from Lukhambi village.
photo by Manihar of sanjoy photo studio, Noney.
Noney – a beautiful and picturesque town of Tamenglong
district in Manipur lies 63 km west of Imphal. The town is inhabited by the
Rongmei Naga tribe popularly known as Kabui Naga. Situated on the left bank
of the Iyei river, its another name is Longmai. It connects Imphal with Silchar
in Assam. Lukhambi, Nungtek, Marangching, Langkhong etc. are surrounding
villages for which Noney is the commercial centre.
This land-locked small town is very popular for its bananas.
The area is literally full of bananas and bamboos. A delectable item called soibum made from fermented slices of
bamboo shoot is very much in demand. A
popular tree bean called yongchak (
pod of parkia javanica ) is grown in abundance and this bean makes quick cash.
Wet rice is cultivated in the fertile river valley. On the steep hill sides,
the slash and burn method of farming called jhoom is practised extensively. ( The practice is responsible for soil erosion and
resultant landslides ). Maize, cucumber, tapioca, chilli etc. are also grown
along with succulent oranges and other citrus fruits. Tea and cardamom are grown. A coffee farm is being mooted.
The tribal folks here make tea using leaves grown wild. They
prefer sipping it without sugar and milk seated around a fire. During the meal,
instead of water this tea is liberally drunk.
Like the Koreans and theThais, the people here eat dog meat.
Pork is another popular item. Small fishes caught from the crystal clear,
shallow water of the meandering Iyei river, which is a tributary of the Barak,
are fried fresh for catering to bus passengers. Crabs seeking shelter under the
slabs of gushing streams end up as statistics in the ledgers of local hotel
managers.
Hotel management (or rather kitchen management ?) is a
thriving business here. In fact more than half of the bazar area is covered by
hotels where passengers bound for Tamenglong, Jiribam and Silchar etc. usually
take their meals and refreshments.
The bazar, according to Shri K. Gaichui, secretary of the
village authority, is not older than twenty years or so. During this short
period it has grown fast simply because of the good roads maintained by the
border roads people. Had it not been for them the present position of the small
town could have been different.
Exotic orchids of epiphytal genera like khongunmellei (dendrobium chrysotoxum) and kwaklei angangba (red vanda) etc. are found in its exclusivity.
There are a couple of video parlours here where Arnold and Jackie Chan
cassettes rule the roost. Youngsters in their jeans and teeshirts happily sing
on guitars. The people are Christians by faith.
Far from the madding crowd of Imphal and an ideal spot for
picnicking – Noney is another feather in the wonder cap of mysterious Tamenglong district
Konjengbam Kameshore
(Courtesy: Prime Time, October 1994)
