Burning Bright Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur

The true story of the 'Iron Lady of Manipur' who fasted for 16 years against AFSPATen innocent people were mowed down by security forces in Malom a village near Imphal in November 2000. The perpetrators were not punished protected under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act which empowers military and para-military personnel to arrest shoot even kill anyone on the grounds of mere suspicion. In response to this tragedy--one among many such atrocities--Irom Sharmila a young Manipuri began an indefinite hunger strike. The government arrested her and force-fed her through nasal tubes. She was released and re-arrested innumerable times but she stood by her demand. In July 2016 Irom brought her sixteen years of hunger strike to an end and decided to contest the elections. Burning Bright is a hard-hitting account of a people caught between the crossfire of militants and security forces of a once-sovereign kingdom whose culture has been brutally violated of the many voices of dissent-from underground groups to the Meira Paibis a women's movement opposed to all forms of violence whether by the state or insurgents and a moving portrait of 'the Iron Lady of Manipur'. About the Author Deepti Priya Mehrotra's published works includeGulab Bai The Queen of Nautanki TheatreHome Truths Stories of Single MothersA Passion for Freedom The Story of Kisanin Jaggi DeviWestern Philosophy and Indian FeminismEkal Maa and Bharatiya Mahila Andolan. She has a PhD in political science and a post-doctoral thesis in philosophy. She remains actively involved with varied social organizations and has an enduring interest in people's movements feminist peace-building popular theatre healing and creative education. She teaches part-time in Agra University.