How to experience the best of Manipur, Assam, and Meghalaya in 2 weeks and a bit (Part I) MANIPUR Manipur is not for the faint-hearted, we were told, before we flew to Imphal on March 20. Yes, we were aware of the economic blockade and we knew the state had been wracked by years of unrest, so we were pragmatic about what awaited us on the first leg of our Northeast trip. But, for some time, we had been following closely all the news from Manipur. Elections for a new state government had been held on March 4 and 8. The results were declared on March 11. Three days later, after much political drama, the BJP was invited to form the government , toppling the Congress, which had been in power for 15 years. With the BJP taking charge, the first thing to happen was the lifting of the economic blockade on March 19, one day before we arrived. How fortuitous was that? The blockade had crippled life in Manipur for more than four months. Now citizens who had been so...