Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

The women in Manipur as in certain other parts of the country have been glorified and extolled as those occupying a high position in society, as a section of the community that has a voice that is heard and taken into account. In Manipur for instance, Meira Paibis amongst the Meiteis are given near sacred positions in the public sphere related to uprisings against excesses committed by state armed forces. The same goes for various other women groups in the hills. Khasi women in Meghalaya are portrayed as following matriarchy though it is only the matrilineal system that they follow: in terms of property rights. Here again, there is a wide gulf between what is perceived and what actually is. For instance, any property arrangements in terms of its sale, is not in the hands of the woman. Rather, it is only with the sanction of the maternal Uncle that decisions can be taken. The ‘Dorbar” which is the traditional decision making body of the Khasis do not allow the participation of women in ...

Nurturing beauty among currents of violence: If the masthead of this newspaper (The Telegraph) were long enough, or if the type it used were smaller, this column could have carried the title: ‘MEETING A MAESTRO ON A MISTY MORNING IN MANIPUR’. Over the past decade, the little and beautiful state of Manipur has replaced the larger and even more beautiful state of Nagaland as the second most troubled part of India (the Kashmir valley, of course, being the first). Other insurgencies in modern India have been, for the most part, a straight contest — between the insurgents and the Indian State. True, the rebels have had their factions, but these are all united by the dream, or fantasy, of taking their territory out of India to construct a new, sovereign, nation. In Manipur, on the other hand, there are three distinct insurgencies in simultaneous operation. The first insurgency is led and staffed by the Meiteis of the Imphal Valley. This seeks to make the whole of Manipur, as it now stands, i...

Sanamahi followers want constitutional recognition: Imphal, Dec. 26: The followers of the Sanamahi faith, the traditional religion of the Meiteis in Manipur, are set to launch a campaign demanding Scheduled Tribe status. Nearly 200 leaders of the faith assembled in Imphal East last week and resolved to launch a campaign for constitutional protection. “We will soon approach the Centre and seek ST status,” president of the Laiyingthou Sanamahi Thougal Kanglup, an organisation of the Meitei community, Oinam Menjor Khuman said. A majority of the Meiteis converted to Hinduism nearly 300 years ago following Bengali missionary Santidas Gosai’s influence on King Pamheiba. After the king declared Hinduism as the state religion, the Meities who practised the traditional Sanamahi faith were forced to convert to Hinduism. Descendants of a few families who continued to practise the faith secretly have now launched the movement for reviving the traditional Meitei religion. The number of followers ...