<p>They say old habits die hard. It turned true for 44-year-old Irom Sharmila Chanu, the human rights activist from Manipur on Wednesday when she forgot to have breakfast in the morning, a day after ending her 16-year fast.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Irom’s epic protest was to press the Centre to repeal Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act clamped on the state.<br /><br />“Honestly speaking, it was only when the doctor came for the morning check-up and pointed out to me that I am no more on fast that I remembered about food. I had honey with water, also had Horlicks and Chabon, Manipuri gravy rice…the day passed off smoothly,” Sharmila said during a chat with DH in the 300 sq ft cabin in the special ward of the Jawahar Lal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal.<br /><br />It is in this small cabin that Sharmila was kept under medical observation for 16 long years, while she was force fed through a nasal tube.<br /><br />Sharmila accepted the fact that her love for boyfriend Desmond Cutinho, a Goa-born British national, was a ‘key factor’ in the change of her mind.<br /><br />“There are many factors which influenced me, that very love issue…well, that is also a factor. It helped me understand that I have to be an embodiment of change and that’s why I am changing my strategy. I realised the ineffectiveness of my style of protest,” she said.<br /><br />The Iron Lady of Manipur gave up her fast after a local court in Imphal gave her bail on personal bond in a case of attempt to suicide, under which she was arrested. Sharmila has also announced that she is going to contest elections. She said she wants to become Manipur’s chief minister to repeal AFSPA.<br /><br />This decision did not go well with the civil society groups as well as the general public, who have kind of abandoned her. On Tuesday evening, after her release, she went to stay at different places but faced opposition and had to return to the same special ward where she had sacrificed 16 prime years of her life.<br /><br />“I remained confined here, in this room for 16 years without much public support. Supporters surrounding me cheated me by interfering with my writings, books, as if in actuality it was written by them. They always used my confines to push their agenda in my name and make others believe,” said Sharmila, making this startling allegation while explaining why she changed her mind.<br /><br />Asked how she would contest polls without political backing and popular support of voters, Sharmila shot back: “How does media know if I have political backing or not? I still have people who love and understand me.”<br /><br />Sharmila said her family, particularly her brother Irom Singhajit, and women’s organisations did not accept her new stand. <br /><br />“They do not want change themselves. I believe in real democracy which is absent in Manipur. Dirty minds lead to dirty politics. Thus, change is required. Before announcing my new step, I did inform the UCM and told them to inform the Manipuri mothers whom I want to consult about my new step. I hope they will change their mindset. Their views on my personality were absolutely incorrect,” Sharmila said.</p>
<p>They say old habits die hard. It turned true for 44-year-old Irom Sharmila Chanu, the human rights activist from Manipur on Wednesday when she forgot to have breakfast in the morning, a day after ending her 16-year fast.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Irom’s epic protest was to press the Centre to repeal Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act clamped on the state.<br /><br />“Honestly speaking, it was only when the doctor came for the morning check-up and pointed out to me that I am no more on fast that I remembered about food. I had honey with water, also had Horlicks and Chabon, Manipuri gravy rice…the day passed off smoothly,” Sharmila said during a chat with DH in the 300 sq ft cabin in the special ward of the Jawahar Lal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal.<br /><br />It is in this small cabin that Sharmila was kept under medical observation for 16 long years, while she was force fed through a nasal tube.<br /><br />Sharmila accepted the fact that her love for boyfriend Desmond Cutinho, a Goa-born British national, was a ‘key factor’ in the change of her mind.<br /><br />“There are many factors which influenced me, that very love issue…well, that is also a factor. It helped me understand that I have to be an embodiment of change and that’s why I am changing my strategy. I realised the ineffectiveness of my style of protest,” she said.<br /><br />The Iron Lady of Manipur gave up her fast after a local court in Imphal gave her bail on personal bond in a case of attempt to suicide, under which she was arrested. Sharmila has also announced that she is going to contest elections. She said she wants to become Manipur’s chief minister to repeal AFSPA.<br /><br />This decision did not go well with the civil society groups as well as the general public, who have kind of abandoned her. On Tuesday evening, after her release, she went to stay at different places but faced opposition and had to return to the same special ward where she had sacrificed 16 prime years of her life.<br /><br />“I remained confined here, in this room for 16 years without much public support. Supporters surrounding me cheated me by interfering with my writings, books, as if in actuality it was written by them. They always used my confines to push their agenda in my name and make others believe,” said Sharmila, making this startling allegation while explaining why she changed her mind.<br /><br />Asked how she would contest polls without political backing and popular support of voters, Sharmila shot back: “How does media know if I have political backing or not? I still have people who love and understand me.”<br /><br />Sharmila said her family, particularly her brother Irom Singhajit, and women’s organisations did not accept her new stand. <br /><br />“They do not want change themselves. I believe in real democracy which is absent in Manipur. Dirty minds lead to dirty politics. Thus, change is required. Before announcing my new step, I did inform the UCM and told them to inform the Manipuri mothers whom I want to consult about my new step. I hope they will change their mindset. Their views on my personality were absolutely incorrect,” Sharmila said.</p>
