A little dab of honey and a lot of tears – that’s what Irom Sharmila’s public appearance on 9 August was about. It wasn’t just any other day. It marked the end of the iconic activist’s 16-year-long fast to fight against AFSPA in her home state of Manipur.
The morning after, on 10 August, Sharmila forgot about food.
I had forgotten about food in the morning. I only remembered food after the doctor reminded me.Irom Sharmila
Sharmila’s meal consisted of honey and water first, then Horlicks and Chabon, a Manipuri rice soup.
The Transition
For many years now, the 44-year-old ‘Iron Lady’ has been force-fed through a plastic tube. Hence, Sharmila’s transition into a normal life isn’t going to be easy.
Sharmila is now under supervision at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal, where she’s been put on a special liquid diet.
Her long-running abnegation of solid food has made it hard for her to transition back immediately, a senior doctor
For a while, Sharmila will be on liquid diet, and will likely stay in the hospital room for medical back-up support until she is in a situation to take solid food and recover physically.