Manipur to Delhi University: For three 18-year-olds, it’s such a long journey

“I left with nothing but the clothes I was wearing. I had no books with me and I had barely prepared for my CUET exam. The Army escorted us to a refugee camp in Kangpokpi,” says Rosy.

They later learnt that their ancestral house in the Kangpokpi village had been burnt down. “We were devastated. There were so many people in the camp who were crying. Everyone was so unhappy. We got food, but it was always so little that it never filled our stomachs,” says Rosy, who stayed at the camp for three days, before the family moved to her relative’s house in the district.

Rosy’s CUET examination centre was at Imphal, but since there was no way she could have gone to the Valley, she opted for a change of centre to Nagaland.

“A day before the examination, we hired a car and went all the way to Nagaland,” she says.

While Rosy, a humanities student, is pinning her hopes on getting into Delhi University, she knows there could be hiccups – it’s mandatory for students registering for CUET to choose three subjects besides English, but Rosy ended up picking just two: Sociology and Political Science.

Her elder brother Albert, 21, who helped her fill the form, lives in Delhi. “Since the violence began, my family has been homeless. I am here in Delhi, unable to meet them, and feeling helpless about it. So I thought I would at least help my sister with the admission process. When I applied to DU, we had the cut-off system, so the CUET format was confusing for me. I didn’t realise I had to choose three disciplines apart from the language subject. I just hope the university gives her a chance,” says Albert, who graduated in Political Science from DU’s Deshbandhu College last month.

“I wanted to study at Miranda House and I have been dreaming about going to Delhi University for quite some time. If this doesn’t work, my only hope is to apply to St. Stephen’s College through the Christian quota,” says Rosy, adding that she wants to be an “airhostess and travel the world”.

She is now preparing for the interview round at St Stephen’s. “I feel safe for the time being since I am surrounded by people of my community. I am trying my best to focus on my preparation, but all the news I hear is so scary,” she says.

Away from his home and his parents in Manipur’s Chandel district, Thangminlen, who has been staying at a rented accommodation in Delhi, says he hoped to study Sociology in the Capital’s Hindu College, but is now worried as he believes his CUET scores are not up to the mark.

“I filled up my DU college preference list yesterday but am not sure if I will get in. I was under severe mental pressure when I sat for the exams,” says Thangminlen, the elder of two siblings. His father is a farmer back in the village and his mother a homemaker.

A couple of years ago, Thangminlein and his brother moved to Imphal to complete their Class 11 and 12. The two boys stayed in a rented flat in the Hatta Golapati area.

“On the evening of May 3, I was at a clinic in our neighbourhood in Imphal when I saw a video of a Meitei mob attacking people from my community. I rushed back to my room and decided to flee. The next morning, we left with nothing but our certificates,” says Thangminlein.

For five days, the family stayed at the 1st Manipur Rifles’ camp, before he and his brother flew out to Delhi on May 8 with help from a cousin, who lives in the Capital. “My parents assured me they would be safe – they live in one of the most remote villages in Manipur,” he says.

Thangminlein, who studied Science with Maths and Biology in his Class 12, appeared for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, English and General Test in his CUET examination.

“My CUET exam centre was in Imphal, but I changed it to Delhi. When I sat for the exam, I felt like I had forgotten whatever I had studied. Now I am not sure I will get into Hindu College,” says Thangminlein.

He scored 94.04 percentile in English, 83 percentile in Biology, 11.13 in Chemistry, 25.29 in Maths and 91.88 General Test.

When DU opened Phase 2 of its admission process on July 17, Thangminlein picked BA Honours in Sociology as his course of choice and Hindu College and Sri Venkateswara College as first and second preference respectively.
“I always wanted to go to Delhi University. I am very keen on learning Hindi. I hope to be an IAS officer some day,” he says.

Kishan Kangabam, a Humanities student in Imphal, says with the poor internet connection and the depressing news all around, appearing for the CUET exam was a struggle.

The younger of two siblings, his mother is a government school teacher; his father passed away a decade ago.

“First our CUET exams were postponed. And when it was finally held, I faced trouble downloading the admit card. Every time I stepped out to go to my exam centre, I had to show my admit card to the police and authorities. Also, even when I had to fill the DU form or make changes, I had to go to a college nearby and pay about Rs 100 to use the internet for two hours,” he says.

Kishan appeared for Political Science, History, Sociology and English in his CUET exam and hopes to study Political Science at Hindu College in DU.

Kishan has an overall score of 537 in his CUET examination and is currently waiting for DU’s merit list. He has also applied to Jamia Millia Islamia.

“My first preference has always been DU. I believe I will learn so much from moving to Delhi. My mother is the only earning member in the family. It will be a relief for all of us if I get into Delhi,” he says.