"Home is where the hearth is; A short narrative of my native village."

In existence as a community since the 18th century, Sita village is perched on a lofty hilltop-1420 m above mean sea level (Ayapurel Hill Range, Tengnoupal Sub Division). It is 87 kms away from Imphal and roughly about 20 kms west to the Indo-Myanmar border. Sita village was one of the several scenes of intense battle during the 1st World War(in the form of Kuki Rebellion against the British) and 2nd World War. The village is inhabited by households belonging to various clans of the Kuki tribes. Throughout its history, these kinsmen have been living as a closely-knitted peace-loving community, while also maintaining a peaceful and cordial relationship with the neighbouring villages and tribes.

Sita, like any other Kuki villages is governed by the HaosaPu/InpiPu (Chief), along with his Semang-Pachong (Council of Ministers) who are elected by the village electorate during their Annual Assembly-‘ Chaangchi kho’ in local parlance. The village Inpi (Assembly+Secretariat+Court) acts as the guardian of the village and works for the welfare of the people. In this modern era, apart from traditional governance, they see to it that the State-sponsored welfare and development programmes reach the intended stakeholders of the village (despite all the odds of 'greasing palms' and ‘Manipur gi chatnabi’).

The present generation Chief is Pu Paokholun Haokip, son of Pu Thangjalet Haokip and great-grandson of Pu M. Lunkhothang Haokip@Sita Paboi who played a pivotal role during the Kuki War of Independence/Kuki Rising,waged by the Kuki tribesmen from 1917-1919 against the Imperial British army. Decades later, many warriors from the village joined the camp of the Indian National Army during the Second World War, the patriotic blood of theirs still with us- the contemporary generation.

The villagers of Sita own a large tract of forest land with nature in its pristine glory catering to most of the needs of the villagers. The forest cover, despite Jhum cultivation is thick as compared to many other hill areas where logging and profit-oriented deforestation is rampant. The village has a traditional forest reserve and logging is normally limited to construction materials for household use within the village habitation area. While agriculture through Jhum cultivation is still the major occupation of the villagers, since decades back, Education has been taking a firm root in the village with the establishment of the Sita Government High School. Since then, many of the villagers have had great achievements in the field of education and skilled services.

In the development sector, during the period 1997-2007, the Sita Women's Development Association (SWDA), a women-oriented NGO registered as a society, worked with the villagers on an Integrated Rural Development project through funding from EZE, Germany courtesy AFPRO, Delhi. This brought immense positive changes in the lives of the villagers thereby taking them to a higher level of socio-economic wellbeing. The village has since been looked upon as a catalyst initiating positive changes in neighbouring villages. Adding on, the village has a strong and active Youth club which works together with the Eastern Youth Action for Development (EYAD).

It is all because of the Chief's sacrificial concern for the development of the village community that the village has come this far. Still, there is a long way to go in rural development. It is our wish and belief that the Chief of Sita, throughout this generation as well as in the generations to come, will keep working for the welfare of the people in his sacrificial capacity, as well as in coordination with external agencies concerned, as always- in ways that best suit the local needs, interests and priorities. Taq Chapa!! "Long Live the Chief!!" “God Bless the Village!”

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Sita Khopi, Chandel district, Manipur-795135