Imagine a world where the gateway to information, connectivity and opportunity suddenly vanishes.

This is precisely what happened in Manipur, torn by ethnic conflict since early May. Simultaneously, the state was plunged into a digital blackout. Hundred days later, mobile internet services still haven’t been restored.

Newslaundry has spent three weeks on the ground in Manipur. What’s it like living through violence with no connectivity? For one man, it’s missing the birth of his first child. For a remote employee, it’s packing up and moving to Mizoram, spending thousands of rupees just to keep his job. For journalists, it’s reporting in darkness.

That’s what this video, in collaboration with the Internet Freedom Foundation, unpacks. 

We learned there’s one thing that unites communities in the state – to lift the ban on the internet.

Watch.