First published in Indian Periodical, November 13, 2022

I acquired his drawings at the group exhibition
in New Delhi
in 1988.

I met the artist at the gallery,
and
conversed with him asking
where he originally came from,
because
he looked Japanese,
not
a typical Indian.

He answered
he was from Manipur.

Manipur, which borders Myanmar, has
the city of Imphal
—known as the Battle of Imphal in English—
as its capital.

Yes,
it is the only Indian state where
the Japanese soldiers invaded
and
were beaten by British army under the Second World War.

That’s why
I do not forget him
till now.

Recently,
I read the article on the Battle of Manila,
That reminded me of the Battle of Imphal.

Both battles resulted in the disastrous damage
and
huge suffering of many local residents,
caused
by the Japanese soldiers.

But
the situations were very different
as the warfare.

Manila was once dominated by Japanese army,
although for a few years,
and then,
the US forces came back to defeat Japan in Manila, that triggered
the Battle of Manila.

On the other hand,
Manipur was a princely state under the rule of British India
when Japanese army invaded it.
That’s why
the Battle of Imphal
is named as
“the Japan Laan”,
which means
the Japanese Invasion
in Meitei,
the state language of Manipur.

While leaving the gallery,
I asked if I could visit him someday,
and
he replied, “You are welcome,”
but
I haven’t fulfilled my wish so far.

I still dream of the day.