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This is a private archive project on selected editorials, comments and other articles/news (from online media), relating to the contemporary social, political, economical, historical and cultural issues of Manipur. Opinions expressed by the commentators / writers / journalists do not necessarily reflect the views of the blogger.


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Lamyanba Hijam Irabot (Two-article series)

One IRABAT AND THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL AWAKENING IN MANIPUR By Prof. Elangbam Nilakanta Singh This article is sourced from The Manipur Page ( http://themanipurpage.tripod.com/history/irabat.html ) Jananeta Irabat, was a renaissance man. He was a versatile personality: Social reformer poet, artiste, intellectual, sportsman and revolutionary - all rolled into one. But he was a much misunderstood personality neglected, abused and forshaken by the elites and the mainstream people of the freedom struggle in Manipur. The last three decades of the 20th Century has resurrected him and raised him rightly to the pedestal of Jana-Neta (Leader of the people). The people have increasingly discovered the sterling qualities of his head and heart, his vision and the spirit of dedication to his land and her people. Hemango Biswas, his one time artiste colleague called him Simanta Prahari (Sentinel of the Frontier), which means sentinel of the Eastern Frontier. He has now become almost a legend an...
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CONTEMPORARY MANIPURI SHORT STORIES

This article by Nahakpam Aruna originally appeared in Manipuri as one of the chapters titled Houjikki Matamgi Manipuri Warimacha in her book Nongthangleima Amasung Taibang , which was published in 2001. It was abridged and translated by Dhiren A. Sadokpam in 2008. E-pao and Hueiyen Lanpao republished the article in May 2015. The development of Manipuri short story passed through various stages linked by an organic continuum from its conception to the age of maturity and sparks . Despite the resistance to recognition of its contemporary form and the near rejection of the same by established littérateurs and critics, the embryonic genre emerged as a formidable literary corpus acquiring a life of its own. In the twilight of the last millennium, the short story emerged as a potent and mature genre despite its late entry into the varied Manipuri literary traditions. The genre was shaped and chiselled in the early part of twentieth century. With the new education system launched by the Br...
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FORMATION OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN MANIPUR DURING THE 17th AND 18th CENTURIES

This article by Md. Chingiz Khan was published in five parts by e-pao in April-May 2014 [The writer is presently a research scholar in the Centre for Historical Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His area of research is in the History of Origin of Muslim Settlements in the North-East India.] Abstract : The state, Manipur, extending between latitudes 23° 50' and 25° 4' north and longitudes 93° 2' and 94° 47' east and acquiring an area of 22,356sq.km, is sited as the easternmost border of India which has a lucid geographical unit comprising of hills and valleys. It is a land populated and lodged by the hill and valley inhabitants together since eternity. Veritably, one cannot subsist without the other, the hill is nothing without the valley and so is the valley without the hills. It has neighbouring states, namely, Nagaland on the north, Myanmar on the east, Cachar (Assam) on the west and Chin hills of Myanmar and Mizoram on ...
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Meetei Mayek : a brief history

Dhiren Sadokpam sadokpam@yahoo.com Courtesy: http://tabish.freeshell.org/eeyek/history.html It is indeed difficult to trace the exact period of the origin of the Meetei Mayek. The burning of vital historical documents or the Puyas of Kangleipak (Manipur) written in Meetei Mayek during the reign of King Pamheiba in the early 18th century, made the effort all the more difficult. The earliest use of Meetei Mayek is dated between 11th and 12th centuries AD. A stone inscription found at Khoibu in Tengnoupal district contains royal edicts of Kiyamba - this was the beginning of Chietharol Kumbaba - the Royal Chronicle of Manipur. According to the very few Puyas that survived, such as, Wakoklon Thilel Salai Singkak, Wakoklol Thilel Salai Amailon, Meetei Mayek comprised of 18 alphabets. Even during the reign of King Pamheiba (1709-1748), all documents were written in these 18 alphabets. Pamheiba embraced Hinduism in 1717. Few years after this, he ordered the destruction of pre-Hindu place...
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CHEIRAOBA AND THE CHEITHAROL KUMBABA

by Chabungbam Amuba Singh Former Vice Chancellor, Manipur University  This article was published by the E-pao ( http://e-pao.net  ) on  December 19 2011 at  http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Festival_of_Manipur.Cheiraoba_and_the_Cheitharol_Kumbaba The appearance of Cheiraoba on two different dates in the same year in the MANIPUR calendar issued by the DIPR is a display of intellectual bankruptcy of the Government of Manipur. While the people, in a secular democracy, should be free to observe the festival on a date of their choice, based on belief and custom, a Government who values its authority has only one choice to make and hence the Government's decision to have two one-day holidays on two different dates for the same occasion—the beginning of the new year—only reflects its inability to exercise its moral authority. 
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THE SEARCH AND MAKING OF A CHIEF MINISTER

By Usham Dhananjoy Singh This article was originally published by the Sangai Express on 28 Nov 2008 The election to the Manipur State Assembly began on 11th June 1948 and continued upto 27th July 1948. Out of the 53 seats, 30 seats were for the valley, 18 seats for the hills, 3 seats for the Muslims and 2 seats for the professional groups. In the election that followed, Krishak Sabha won 6 seats, Congress 14 seats, Prajashanti 12 seats and 18 seats were won by the Hill men. Praja Shanti formed a coalition Govt with the support of the Krishak Sabha and the Hillmen. In the given situation Maharaja Bodhachandra Singh did not even confide his own brother, MK Priyobarta Singh who was a potential claimant to the post of Chief Minister. The other claimants to the post were Sanasam Gourahari Singh, Maharaja's Private Secretary and Rajkumar Setu Singh.
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A RECOLLECTION OF THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN MANIPUR

by Prof. Ksh. Bimola Devi This article was originally published by Manipur Mail on 19 Oct 2010 The Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947 marked a very important chapter in the political history of Manipur. It was the fulfillment of a long cherished dream of the people to be under a democratic system having a government run by their own representatives. In a sense it took about 20 years to achieve the desired goal of having a democratic government in Manipur.
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A CRITIQUE OF HINDU PROSELYTIZATION IN MANIPUR

Ordeals and upheaval By Thingnam Kishan Singh This essay was originally posted by E-pao.net Part I As the majestic Himalayas gradually loop and descend in size and altitude towards the Southeast Asian frontier, interspersed with green valleys and blue hills, before immersing in the waters of the sea lays the land of Manipur washed with the Barak basin on the west and the Chindwin River on the east. History bears testimony to the travails of a civilization of the people of this land running through a course of two thousand years. Known as Kathe to the Burmese, Meklee to the Ahoms, Mooglie to the Cacharies, Cassey to the Shans, the people of this ancient Asiatic land presently called Manipur have experienced numerous upheavals as a result of encounters with different cultures and powers.
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ANNEXATION OR MERGER OF MANIPUR

By: Lt. Col. H. Bhuban Singh (Text courtesy: Imphal Free Press 7 June 2015) The following is an article by Lt. Col. H. Bhuban, author of the book “Merger of Manipur”. We are reproducing this article published in the IFP 15 years ago as a homage to the respected ex-Army officer, who was also minister under the Wahengbam Nipamacha Singh MSCP ministry, a state party which is now defunct. The maverick who is also known for his scholarly researches into the history of Manipur of the colonial period,breathed his last recently. There has been a strong notion of recent origin in Manipur that the State became independent from midnight of 15 August 1947, when the suzerainty of His Majesty (of the United Kingdom) over Indian states lapsed and further that this independent status was lost from the noon of 15 October 1949, when Manipur got merged into the erstwhile Dominion of India. There is no denying that Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh was coerced into signing the Merger Agreement after long and ...
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A BRIEF HISTORY (PUWARI) OF THE MEITEIS OF MANIPUR

By Pukhrambam Lalit This essay from his blog http://themanipurpage.tripod.com/history/puwarimeitei.html CONTENTS GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF MANIPUR HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF MANIPUR (i) The Ancient Period (ii). The Early Period (iii) The Medieval Period (iv) The Modern Period Main Sources References Cited Further Readings
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