Our e-khoy paid just arrived via remit, and the bank clerk at State Bank wanted two different proofs of invoice before he'd touch it. Took the afternoon chasing down a client’s digital signature in Delhi while my father waited on the verandah with the roasted corn getting cold. Numbers say freelancing in Manipur costs us an extra 7% in unofficial friction fees compared to Delhi—nobody’s studying that, but eigi khonjel feels it every month.

Eigi khonjel sinks every time I read about another female grandmaster losing sponsors after a few losses. Back home in Manipur, I watched a girl win the district school championship only to be told she 'should focus on her grades.' The pattern is old, but the data still shocks.