Manipuri to English:
ꯐꯥꯇꯃꯥ ꯕꯦꯒꯝ ꯑꯁꯤ ꯍꯧꯖꯤꯛ ꯐꯥꯎꯕꯗ ꯃꯌꯥꯝꯒꯤ ꯃꯃꯥꯡꯗꯒꯤ ꯆꯍꯤ ꯀꯌꯥ ꯂꯥꯞꯅ ꯂꯩꯔꯨꯔꯦ, ꯃꯔꯝ ꯑꯁꯤꯅ ꯃꯤꯗꯤꯌꯥꯗ ꯑꯃꯨꯛ ꯐꯥꯎꯕ ꯋꯥꯍꯪ ꯄꯥꯎꯈꯨꯝꯒꯤ ꯊꯧꯔꯝꯗ ꯁꯔꯨꯛ ꯌꯥꯗ꯭ꯔꯤꯕ ꯚꯥꯔꯠꯀꯤ ꯃꯃꯤ ꯀꯨꯝꯍꯩꯒꯤ ꯑꯍꯥꯟꯕ ꯅꯨꯄꯤ ꯑꯁꯤꯅ ꯏꯪ ꯲꯰꯱꯳ꯒꯤ ꯃꯦ ꯳ꯗ ꯋꯥꯔꯤ ꯁꯥꯅꯁꯦ ꯌꯥꯔꯛꯄꯗ, ꯑꯩꯍꯥꯛꯅ ꯃꯥꯒꯤ ꯃꯆꯥ ꯅꯨꯄꯤ ꯖꯨꯕꯩꯗꯥꯒ ꯂꯩꯃꯤꯟꯅꯔꯤꯕ ꯃꯇꯝ ꯑꯃꯗ ꯌꯥꯝꯅ ꯐꯖꯔꯝꯕ ꯑꯗꯨꯕꯨ ꯍꯧꯖꯤꯛꯇꯤ ꯅꯤꯡꯈꯥꯏꯔꯛꯀꯗꯣꯔꯕ ꯃꯌꯨꯝ ꯗꯟꯔꯥꯖ ꯃꯍꯥꯜꯗ ꯐꯠ ꯂꯥꯎꯅ ꯆꯠꯈꯤ꯫
Fatma Begum has lived a life away from the arc lights for several years now, so when this first lady of Indian cinema, who's never given a media interview, agreed to speak to me on 3 May 2013, I promptly made my way to her once-impressive but now crumbling residence in Dhanraj Mahal, where she lives with her daughter Zubeida.