Kanglatongbi

Kanglatongbi is a village in the Imphal West district of the Indian state of Manipur. As per the 2011 Population Census, the total population is 7,152. The average high temperature in Kanglatongbi is 24.3°C (75.7°F) and an average low-temperature of 6.3°C (43.4°F), January is the coldest month in Kanglatongbi.

Overview

History 

Kanglatongbi is known for one of the fiercest battles of world war II, which was challenged by the Ordnance personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot (AOD) between 6-7th April 1944 when the 15th Division of Japanese troops encompassed Imphal from the north to capture Imphal and the encircling areas.

Battle of Kanglatongbi  
Likewise, known as the “Normandy of the East”. 

Burma (Myanmar) in 1942 was seized by the Japanese Army after defeating the Commonwealth troops and established their strategic strength in Burma appropriating it as the “war-base” for the ‘attack’ on Imphal and Assam to contain the Chinese air forces across the Himalayas. 

At Kanglatongbi, a little yet settled positions of the 221 AOD corps set up hardened impediments against the propelling Japanese powers. 

The situation of 221 AOD was not in any demeanor note from a strategic perspective and was exposed to the adversary from all sides and needed to depend on its soldier intrepidity for its defense. 

After the annihilation in Burma, the British armed force had withdrawn to Imphal in India since it was the most expedient route from Burma. 

The British fortified the military foundation at Imphal by framing the 23rd Indian Division positioned in Manipur and new air-runways were developed.

The commonwealth armed forces were also augmented with enough armies and air force units, thereby making their primary healthcare, the general hospital utilitarian in late 1944. 

Considering Imphal’s quintessential significance, the Japanese powers launched an attack in Manipur in the spring of 1944. 

They began bombarding Imphal, cut off a piece of the highway interface among Imphal-Dimapur road, and continued attacking over Imphal for more than a quarter of a year. 

The fourteenth Army of the Commonwealth Forces battled furiously and copious difficulties of the Japanese powers were caused.

The attack of Imphal was lifted in the late spring of 1944, with the tough battle ending up on June 22, 1944, when British and Indian soldiers from Kohima and Imphal met at Milestone 109. 

For the Japanese armed forces, the prestige over Imphal, in the “wicked fields” was pricey concerning difficulties as almost 50,000 of their troopers losing their lives.

It is deemed that during the Second World War, the number of deaths in Kohima and Imphal capitals in India, was about 65,000 Japanese soldiers while the British had lost 17,000 armies slaughtered, and injured, while the Allies endured 12,603 losses. 

Significance of the Battle of Kanglatongbi

On their failed mission to demolish the Allied powers at Imphal and attack India, the Japanese were crushed once more into Burma confronting hefty misfortunes. 

The fight was additionally a part of the South-East Asian Theater of World War II.

Lt. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi had sacked the commanders of his divisions’ during the fight and consequently, he and Lt. Gen. Musaku Kawabe was dismissed of command subsequently. 

The Battle of Kanglatongbi is one such battle faced during the battle of Imphal which shook the Japanese to retreat after losing thousands of their own. 

It has always been the biggest defeat in Japanese history with many of the Japanese soldiers losing life from starvation, disease, and exhaustion suffered during their departure.

It is viewed as perhaps the most tumultuous skirmish of World War II resulting in the Japanese forces withdrawing.

Geography 
Kanglatongbi is located at 24.9666° N, 93.8808° E in the extreme part of Eastern India, with an eminence of 2600 ft. above sea level.

The climatic condition is humid subtropical with dry, cool winter days and moderate hot monsoon season.

Temperatures in the summer average about 24 to 26°C to down 6.3°C (43.4°F) in the winter. The month of January is the coldest.

The village receives about 1, 290 (51 in) of rain, June is the wettest month.

It is surrounded by two rivers, the Kanglatongbi river to the east near Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Makhan, Senapati district, and Sekmai river to the west of the village.

Imphal city lies to the north, connected through Imphal-Dimapur national highway no. 2 and Kanglatongbi war-memorial on the south.

Government and politics 
The village follows the civic administration of the city which is under Imphal Municipal Corporation, with its foremost district headquarters in Lamphelpat, Imphal, and sub-division in Lamshang. 

The Gram Panchayat acts as the cabinet of the village.

Kanglatongbi is further subdivided into six wards and each ward is represented by respective members. The ward members are elected by the villagers.

The Panchayat is chaired by the president and vice-president of the village, known as Pradhan and Oopa-Pradhan. 

The term of the elected delegates is of five years. Every five years, a general election takes place in the village. Villagers over the age of 21 can participate to vote.

The village strictly promotes women empowerment and reserves one-third of the seats for women candidates as well as scheduled castes and tribes.

Demographics 
Before the 2021 General Census, the total population of the village is 7152 people. Among them, 52% are female, and 48% are male. 

The bulk of the population is from the general caste, 8% from the Scheduled caste and scheduled tribes.

However, the child population of Kanglatongbi village is 13% under the age of 6-10 years. 

There are about 1600 houses in the village of Kanglatongbi.

Population  
The population has drastically increased by 65.3% between 2001 to 2011, with the reasonableness of a high accretion in the 2021 census of India. 

The female sex ratio as per the former census is 1083 females per 1000 males in the village.

The sex ratio in schedule caste is 1375, higher than the schedule tribe and the general caste at 1079 and 1115 respectively. 

On the other hand, the child sex ratio has decreased by 21 girls per 1000 boys further.

Wards 
Kanglatongbi village constitutes of six wards: 

 Shantipur 
 Assam Rifles (AR) Colony 
 Hatikhuwa
 Tispari 
 Vijayanagar 
 Mandir

Each ward is directed by its ward member, they work hand-in-hand with the Pradhan and oopa-Pradhan to maintain and promote the village’s welfare, development, socio-economic enrichment, cultural and safety arrangements.

Additionally, the Pradhans and the ward members are also accountable for any sort of issues- reimbursement, thereby intensifying peace at all levels in the village.

Apart from the panchayat system, there is another kind of inner-village unit called the women society, a form of ensemble-driven by the women residents of the village who act to restrain, moderate, and resist any form of brutality in and throughout the society.

There are several youth unions, an alliance of the young generation fellows, to treasure, preserve, and assist society by encouraging education, sports, and public safety.

Language, Community, and Religion 
The majority of the people living in the Kanglatongbi area are the Indian Gorkhas (also Gurkhas) who converse in Nepali, Hindi, Manipuri, and other local dialects.

One-third of the population speaks Nagamese, Kuki, Bhojpuri, and English. 

The main religions are Hinduism and Christianity. 50% of the population are Hindus and the other 40% are Christians whereas the 10% are other inherited religions inhabited by the people of mixed-race.  

Kanglatongbi is a diverse community, where individuals of distinctive ethnicity, religion, race, language, and beliefs bring a common interest, experience, and knowledge for the peace and welfare of the village.

Employment and infastructure 
The primary source of income is Agriculture. The majority of the villagers are farmers, small and medium business owners, and teachers. 

There has been rapid progress in many of the young generation and millennials to join the armed forces of India and that adds up to 1/4th of the population serving in the Indian Army and Para-military forces. 

Most of the women in the Kanglatongbi village are housewives, teachers, small retail shop owners, and only one percent of the women population are employed in the Government sectors. 

With the recent invention of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, an initiative by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Minister of Rural Development, most of the males and females in the society are taking a significant role in the improvement of the village toward infrastructure development. 

Currently, Kanglatongbi village has one major public market, namely Kanglatongbi Bazaar Board, and the other being outside the jurisdiction of Village, called Sekmai Bazaar, in Sekmai.The weekly market which rotates around the KPI area occurs in Bazar Board every Saturday where people have the options of buying fresh vegetables, second-hand clothes, meat, and other essential commodities.

Banks 
Kanglatongbi has one operating bank, Punjab National Bank, and one State Bank of India, ATM near Kanglatongbi, Mandir.

Post Offices 
Kanglatongbi has one post office as the main branch. The Postal code or PIN of Kanglatongbi is 795136 and the post office is located near the Kanglatongbi Mandir.

Football Ground 

The village hosts several events that allow the villagers to host many local and division tournaments in Hindi High School Football ground, near Vijayanagar.

The locals also called this ground ‘Roses ground’ due to the proximity of Roses English High school.

The same ground is also used to host other functions and occasions, like music concerts, social gatherings, meetings, etc.

Temples and churches 

There are numerous temples and few churches as the majority of the residents follow Hinduism however, that has nothing to do with any form of prejudice, class and other forms of anti-religion entropy as Kanglatongbi villagers are well-known for peace, integrity, and unison.

Every ward has its main temples, where major festivals like Durga Puja, Diwali, Makar Sankranti, and Krishna Janmashtami are celebrated.

Tourist attractions 

 Kanglatongbi River and Dam, also called by locals “Dang-Dunge Khola” is one of the main centers of attraction for many of the visitors in and out of Manipur. It is well-known for waterfalls, serene landscape surrounded by the beautiful Koubru mountains. It is also enriched with a lot of trees, clean water, and natural vegetation, with cool weather making it an excellent spot for a picnic, family gatherings, and an adventure.
Kanglatongbi war memorial cemetery, built to venerate the Ordnance Personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot who made their supreme sacrifice in the line of duty during the Battle of Kanglatongbi between 6 to 7 April 1944.
B.C Restaurant,located in Mandir, nearby the S.B.I ATM serves delicious fast food items. It is a great place to dine.

Transport

Air 
The nearest airport is the Tulihal International Airport which is 30 kilometers and has direct flights to Guwahati, Kolkata, and New Delhi.

Road 
Kanglatongbi is connected by the main highway, national highway 2, also known as Imphal-Dimapur road.

The major transport service from Kanglatongbi to Imphal is the private and public buses, auto-rickshaws, and a mini-van service.

For short distances, autos are commonly used.

Rail 
The only railway line that unites Manipur to other states of India is the Jiribam-Silchar railway which is due for construction.

The extension of the railway line is expected to be completed by 2022. If so ever, the distance from Kanglatongbi to Imphal railway station will be approximately 28 km.

Sport 

The major sports venue is in the Hindi High school Football ground, a natural grass football ground where it is used mostly for football tournaments.

It is under construction in leveling the ground. 

The most important tournament held is the “Khasi Tournament’, a local tournament organized every year by every village ward before the Durga pooja, the participating teams are six to ten and divided into team A and team B.

The players are only the locals representing their village. 

Initially, the champions were awarded, “khasi”, a Nepali word for a male goat.

This was the prize because of the so-called, Balli-day (the beheading of animals as a sacrifice, to offerings the Hindu goddesses) during the Durga Pooja festival, celebrated by the Hindus. 

However, with due respect to animal cruelty, and Animal welfare and rights in India, this practice of awarding khasi has been abolished by the seniors of the village.

Currently, the champion team is awarded trophies and cash prizes. 

Furthermore, the name “Khasi” was not renamed as the name has become popular and also the majority of the villagers are happy calling it, Khasi Tournament.

The other biggest tournament organized in a sequence of venue-selection is the All-Manipur Gorkha Football Tournament, held every year in the state of Manipur. 

The uniqueness of this tournament is that only Gorkha players are allowed to participate, nonetheless making it a super round-robin football tournament. 

Cricket is another game that is popular in Kanglatongbi. There are many local, inter-village tournaments going on every month. 

Kanglatongbi villagers understand the importance of sports, and their respect for any form of games has always been the consequence of how rich, and amicable the community has to be affirmed.

Education 
Kanglatongbi has a high literacy rate as compared to the entire state, Manipur.

This has been possible due to the villagers, massive awareness of the importance of education in the current world.

Many well-known and impressive schools produce toppers, scholars, and exceptional education enthusiasts.

There are many high schools in the villages, most of them are private institutions, and only one government-funded high school called Hindi High school, located at Vijayanagar, that produced many graduates, serving in the Indian Army.

There are many private high schools as well as higher secondary schools affiliated to the Council of Higher Secondary Education, (COHSEM) Manipur, and Central Board of Secondary Education, (CBSE) India.

The well-known and top-performing schools are:

 Roses English High School  
The Froebel English School
 Radiant Star Education center
 Olivia Higher Secondary School
 Chil-Chil Asian Mission English School

There is also a non-profit Student organization knows as the All-Manipur Gorkha Students Union, administered by the Gorkhas of Manipur to magnify, safeguard, strengthen, sustain, and support students from any background in any social challenges and education.

Healthcare 
The major hospital which serves the villagers in Kanglatongbi is the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, (RIMS) Imphal which is 26 km away from the village.

The other primary health care services is Sekmai Primary Health Care, Sekmai. It is 5kms away from the main village. 

There are also many privately run clinics in Kanglatongbi as well as local drugstores.

Notable people 

 Ajay Chhetri, footballer, Bengaluru FC

References

Other websites

Villages in India
Manipur