BishnupriyaManipuri Online

Firaal: a 21st century BM magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:41:00 +0000

RK Rishikesh Sinha

Front cover of Firaal magazine

À magazine could be brought out without an office, without a dedicated team of writers and copyeditors, and even without a body; hitherto without any whereabouts of fund. A team of faceless persons connected by World Wide Web participate, contribute and collaborate and they come out with a magazine. All the planning and strategy has taken place over Internet and the release of the magazine is simultaneously held in Guwahati and Silchar. Firaal, the publication of Facebook group Bishnupriya Manipuri Discussion Forum (BMDF), is a classic example of crowdsourcing.

Firaal has the composition of 21st century elements: Speed and Mass. Speed at which the magazine has been processed and made public, and the mass of people involved makes Firaal a truly 21st century magazine. Any reader would find in it the continuity of the past, but at the same time would find a tinge of experiments done for the future. The contents of the magazine would surely content any Bishnupriya Manipuri world over.

Release of Firaal at Guwahati

Firaal

Why the name Firaal? (Firaal)… “is the symbol of peace that represents the inner characteristics of the people belonging to the (Bishnupriya Manipuri) society” writes Mihir Lal Singha from Bangladesh. Mihir has rightly defined the perspective following which the name of the magazine Firaal has been coined. Firaal, the flag, expresses many thoughts and messages of the Bishnupriya Manipuri mass.

The 100-page magazine is truly a manifestation of the Bishnupriya Manipuri mass. With its stark rawness, it brings forth the wishes and aspirations of common Bishnupriya Manipuri men and women. Firaal emphasizes that the period of rawness has come. It articulates rawness and should be the hallmark of a 21st century literary creation.

New Script

Many writers have jotted down imar thar in Roman script. Henceforth, Firaal has enunciated a new era where Roman script in Bishnupriya Manipuri language has been corroborated. In its inaugural magazine, it gives an impression that the thought has been given due advantage than getting into trouble spot of scripts.

International magazine

Keeping the diversity of the Bishnupriya Manipuris in context, Firaal is more encompassing and inclusive in its approach. The topics chosen are of wide range from general interest stories to Bishnupriya Manipuri-centric issues, to faagi yaari (humour), to travelogue, to soul-searching feature articles, to interviews. Tastes and preferences of the readers has been given due priority.

image courtesy: BMBooksGallery

Pratibha Sinha

Bishnupriya Manipuri publication released

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:44:00 +0000

GUWAHATI, April 19 – Bishnupriya Manipuri Discussion Forum (BMDF) celebrated a historic event by releasing the inaugural issue of its bilingual publication titled Firaal.

This publication is a collective team effort of the cyber-savvy generation of the community where they have tried to express their revolutionised thought process and deep concern for their community and culture by creating a global village on the web world, thus reducing mental barriers.

The function was brainstorming with active participation of the members of BMDF, intellectuals and litterateurs of the community.

Releasing the magazine, Dr Smriti Kumar Sinha of Tezpur University appreciated the initiative taken by the BMDF group. He highlighted the advantages of internet and the communication media.

Litterateurs and social workers Dils Lakshmindra Sinha, Col (retd) Bijoy Sinha, former Prof Kamini Mohan Sinha, Sushil Sinha, Sunil Kumar Sinha, Ramlal Sinha, Ranjit Sinha, Narendra Nath Sinha and Prof Dr Nalini Kumar Sinha spoke on the development of Bishnupriya Manipuri literature.

BMDF members Mousumi Sinha, Samar Sinha, Amir Sinha and Sunit Sinha also spoke on the occasion, sharing their experience and opinion on the publication released. Pratibha Sinha delivered her speech on behalf of the entire team. The concluding speech was delivered by Pronab Sinha.

Master Ritwick Sinha, who happens to be the under-11 champion of PC Baruah Age Group Chess Championship 2012, read out a poem while child artist Sweta Sinha presented a song.

In another function at Silchar, Firaal was released by Chandrakanta Sinha. The occasion was graced by popular litterateurs and social workers, namely Jugendra Kumar Sinha, Banabeer Sinha, Mathura Sinha, Jyotiprokash Sinha, Reeta Sinha, Suchitra Sinha, Sameer Sinha, Ashukanti Sinha, Dilip Kumar Sinha, Kanchanboron Sinha, Ranjit Sinha, Sudhanyo Sinha, Brajokishore Sinha and Madhu Rajkumar.

Courtesy: The Assam Tribune

Photo Courtesy: Pratibha Sinha

BMDF function turns brainstorming

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:27:00 +0000

Post Bureau

GUWAHATI, April 17

The Bishnupriya Manipuri Discussion Forum (BMDF) programme on the occasion of the release of the inaugural issue of its magazine, ‘Firaal’, turned out to be a brainstorming session with active participation by the members of the cyber-savvy yuppie generation in the community. The Generation Y tried their best to gauge the pulse of senior members of the community, some of whom are decision makers when it comes to wellbeing of their fellow members.

Releasing the magazine, Tezpur University professor Dr Smriti Kumar Sinha reflected on the internet and the benefits of its application in all spheres of personal and community life. On the current divisive wave that is delivering a near deathblow to the wellbeing of the community, Dr Sinha said: “It’s emotional illiteracy that always drives a wedge among the community members at a time when they badly need to work and fight unitedly. Emotional literacy is an area that we need to cultivate so as to be able to hammer out consensus on disputes.”

While litterateurs Dils Lakshmindra Sinha, Col (retd) Bijoy Sinha, Sushil Sinha, Sunil Kumar Sinha, Ranjit Sinha and Narendra Sinha talked of literature and literary development, Dr Nalini Sinha, a professor of North Eastern Hill University, rued the failure to use Bishnupriya Manipuri words which, according to him, continue to disappear in the vagaries of linguistic and cultural onslaught of the time.

In his presidential address, Professor Kamini Mohan Sinha brought the attention of the gathering to the basics of survival of the community that is at stake under the present socio-politico and demographic pattern in Assam and some other states in the northeast. Prof. Sinha made it clear in no uncertain terms that the security threat to some of the far-flung and isolated villages of the community under ‘unfavourable’ demographic situation in the Barak Valley in Assam is a serious matter to reckon with.

On behalf of the BMDF, Pratibha Sinha, Mousumi Sinha and others gave a glimpse of their determination and enthusiasm to do something that can rescue the community from its present state.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters Post

Tagore play leaves Agartala spellbound

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:42:00 +0000

P Das, Agartala (Apr 7): Agartalites were left spellbound by a scintillating performance of a young artist of the Bangladesh Manipuri theatre group that staged Tagore’s poetry play ‘Debotar Grash’ at the Nazrulkala Sethra.

The show was a part of the joint celebration by India & Bangladesh to showcase the works of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary.

The story, based on a simple theme, incorporated a message that humanity is a sublime virtue.

The tale depicts the epic voyage of a group of people in which a widowed mother and her son were returning home after attending a ritualistic festival but faced a tempest.

Among the travellers was a priest who was caught in a dilemma. He tried to divine if the cause of the tempest was a result of his failure to keep his word to God.

The priest, in order to appease the gods, threw the child into the waters but realising his mistake jumped in the churning waters to save the child, but his efforts went in vain.

The performance was very rhythmic and the experimental use music on Tagore’s music rendered in Manipuri mesmerized the gathering on Friday.

Directed by Subhasis Sinha, the staged drama in Bishnupriya Manipuri language kept theme of the story originally written in Bengali unchanged.

Though Manipuri is not a very popular language here and very few people among the audience knows it or could comprehend the dialogues; the incorportation of musical elements helped the audience in understanding the theme of the story. The actors dressed in traditional manipuri attire used various elements of dance, culture to narrate Tagore’s original creations. It was the 15th show of the ‘Debotar Grash’ and lead caster of the play included Jyoti Sinha (mother), Kumar Singha (brahmin) and Sunanda Sinha (rakhal). As a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore, artists of India and Bangladesh have begun jointly performing various cultural shows, including drama, on the themes penned by the bard.

Tripura chief secretary Dr Sanjay Kumar Panda inaugurated the two-day festival organized by the Birchandra Library in association with the Information and Cultural Affairs department of Tripura. “The programme is part of cultural diplomacy between India and Bangladesh which shares cultural and linguistic affinity and such programme shall bring closer the people of two nations as people to people contact enhanced through them,” said Panda. Manipuri Theatre of Bangladesh, formed 16 years ago, is also scheduled to stage “Debotar Grash” in Silchar in southern Assam while another Bangladeshi cultural organisation will perform programmes in Shillong and Agartala.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters' Post

Maitree Bandhan brings brotherhood on stage

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:11:00 +0000

KOLKATA: The second lap of Maitree Bandhan, the joint initiative between The Times of India and Bangladesh's leading newspaper Prothom Alo, kick-started with a bang on Saturday and the timing - a Nobobarsho evening - couldn't have been better to bring blood brothers India and Bangladesh together.

So if the first part of the initiative was celebrated with music of the two countries, the second phase promises to be a literary festival where there will be the best of theatre, literary discussions, readings and performances. The festival started with two plays - Kahe Birangana, an adaptation of Michael Madhusudan Dutta's Birangana Kabya based on the leading women of Mahabharata, and Samudrer Mouna, a play by Koushik Sen's theatre group Swapna Sandhani.

Kahe Birangana - a Bishnupriya Manipuri play - has been created by Shubhashish Sinha from Bangladesh. Since it is difficult to translate Michael's Bengali idioms into Manipuri, the original Bengali verses were used with Manipuri dance forms in the four parts that were staged. Each part spoke about the valour of the women in question - her passion, her anger, her love and finally her insurmountable pain after she loses her most loved possession. It spoke of Shakuntala, Draupadi, Dusshala and Jona.

All the four parts were played by Jyoti Sinha. The audience was captivated by her stellar performance as she moved effortlessly from one mood to another and from one character to another. At one moment she was playing the distraught Dusshala crying her heart out for her dead son Abhimanyu. A moment later, she was the valiant Jona accusing husband Niloddhoj for making peace with the victorious Arjun.

The second play - Samudrer Mouno - was an adaptation of French wartime novel The Silence Of the Sea. The English version of the play was translated by Bengali poet Bishnu Dey. In 2005, Kaushik Sen adapted the Bengali version for his play.

As usual, Sen enthralled the audience as the Nazi officer who came to stay in the house of a German gentleman and his niece as Germany took over France. This officer was different from the run-of-the-mill captor. He dreamt that one day Germany and France would be friends and the war would stop forever. Unfortunately, that remains his distant dream and he realizes that ultimately.

However, despite the officer's best efforts he is unable to break the silence of the gentleman and his niece. The woman finally speaks to him for the first time to wish him adieu when the officer prepares to leave.

Sen was able to take the audience to the phase when Hitler ruled and Germany raged in a war-torn world. By the end of the play, Sen's portrayal of the officer torn between his duty and his heart succeeded in hypnotizing all who were present at GD Birla Sabhagar, where the second phase of Maitree Bandhan kicked off.

Courtesy: The Times Of India
Photo Courtesy: Swapan Kumar Sinha

High-level inquiry demanded into the affairs of ME school

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:17:00 +0000

From our Special Correspondent

SILCHAR, April 12: Bishnupriya Manipuri Students’ Union, Bishnupriya Manipuri Ganasangram Parishad and Bishnupriya Manipuri Krishak Sangstha have demanded high level inquiry into the affairs of Bhubaneswar Nagar ME school in Katigorah area of Cachar district. These organizations have brought to the fore various irregularities and anomalies of the school in question in respect of the administration as well as the management. The demand for inquiry was raised in a memorandum submitted by these bodies to the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, on Wednesday here.

Gopi Das Sinha, member, Assam State Linguistic Minorities Development Board and Chief Adviser of Bishnupriya Manipuri Students’ Union, has alleged corruption in connection with the provincialization of venture schools in Cachar district in which the district elementary education officer, Kabil Uddin Ahmed, block elementary education officer of Katigorah block, Dilip Kumar Deb and other clerical staff of DEEO office are, according to him involved.

He further alleged that due to their negligence and involvement, two teachers of the school were forced to go on fast unto death in the month of February last. It indicated the involvement of the persons named by him in corruption.

Gopi Das Sinha pointed out that the inquiry report of the district administration has established without any doubt the fact that the headmistress and the secretary of the Bhubaneswar Nagar ME School submitted particulars of undeserving teachers for provincialization of their services by fabricating and manipulating the records. It was strange that despite the report of the district administration, the district elementary education officer and the block elementary education officer have not taken any action against the headmistress. He sought the intervention of the Chief Minister in the matter to cause high level investigation so that action could be taken against the officers concerned as well as the headmistress of the school at the centre stage of controversy.

Courtesy: Sentinel

Amlan, Ritwick, Rishita win titles in PC Borooah chess

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Winners of PC Borooah Age Group Chess Championship.

GUWAHATI, April 8: Amlan Mahanta of Kendriya Vidyalaya, IOC, Ritwick Sinha of Don Bosco Guwahati and Rishita Sinha of St Mary’s High School clinched titles in the U-17, U-11 and U-7 categories respectively of PC Borooah Age Group Chess Championship concluded here today. The championship was organised by PC Borooah Chess Academy at its own premises where 52 students from the city based schools took part. The meet was organised in six-round Swiss League.

In under-17 category Amlan Mahanta of Kendriya Vidyalaya, IOC won the title with 5.5 points from 6 rounds while Simran Ahmed of St. Johns School scored 4.5 points from same number of round to claim second position. Anubhav Deva Sarma of Maharishi Vidya Mandir and Rishav Deuri of Don Bosco School, Guwahati scored 4 points each and placed 3rd and 4th respectively on the basis of their tie-break score.

In Under-11 category Ritwick Sinha of Don Bosco School scored 5.5 points from six rounds to win the title. Kaustav Kalita of Don Bosco School, Guwahati, Manthan Kashyap Datta of Axel Public School and Kunal Kalita of Don Bosco School got 3rd and 4th positions respectively.

In U-7 Category Rishita Sinha of St Mary’s HS School scored 3 points to be champion. In this category Akanksha Das of Delhi Public School, Guwahati got second position while Prayash Kashyap of Sarala Birla Gyanjyoti School and Ashlesha Talukdar of Euro Kid got 3rd and 4th Position Respectively.

Results: U-17: 1st Amlan Mahanta, Kendriya Vidyalaya, IOC, Noonmati (5.5 points); 2nd Simran Ahmed , St Johns School (4.5 points); 3rd Anubhav Deva Sarma, Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Rajgarh (4 points); 4th Rishav Deuri, Don Bosco School, Guwahati 4 Points.

U-11: 1st Ritwick Sinha, Don Bosco School, Guwahati (5.5 points); 2nd Kaustav Kalita, Don Bosco School, Guwahati (4.5 points); 3rd Manthan Kashyap Datta, Axel Public School (4.5 points); 4th Kunal Kalita, Don Bosco School, Guwahati (4.5 points).

U-7: 1st Rishita Sinha, St Mary’s HS School, Guwahati (3 points); 2nd Akanksha Das, Delhi Public School, Guwahati (2 points); 3rd Prayash Kashyap, Saral Birla Gyanjyoti (1 points); 4th Ashlesha Talukdar, Euro Kid.

Courtesy: The Assam Tribune

Bengal theatre is still acting driven: Shuvashis Sinha

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:55:00 +0000

Shuvashis Sinha

Shuvashis Sinha had formed a theatre group in Bangladesh when he was 18. Now, at 33, he is coming down to Kolkata for the first time to stage " Kohe Birangana" - an adaptation of Michael Madhusudan Dutt's "Birangana" - as part of the Maitree Bandhan Literary Festival presented by The Times of India. Excerpts from an interview with the director:

How did your journey of forming Manipuri Theatre being?

I am a Manipuri based in Bangladesh and there are close to 70,000 Manipuris in this country. Soon after clearing my Class XII exams, I decided to form a theatre group. At present, my group has 50 members between the age group of 15 and 40. In our 15 years of theatrical journey, we have staged 27 plays, including "Sree Krishna Kirtan", "Bhanubil" and "Debotar Gras".

Isn't language any barrier when you are performing to an audience that doesn't understand Manipuri?

We perform in a language called Bishnupriya Manipuri. Beyond linguistic communication, our theatre comes alive with voice modulation and physical drama. I have adapted Michael Madhusudan Dutt's Birangana Kavya and since it is difficult to translate his Bengali idiom to Manipuri, we decided to go with the original verse and add our Manipuri dance movements. The play articulates four verses among 11 from the original text. Jyoti Sinha will be playing four different characters - Shakuntala, Draupadi, Dushala and Jona - in the play. Apart from her, the play will also have four other dancers on stage.

Having done your Masters from the Jahangirnagar University in dramatics, why don't you feature in your plays?

During my early days of theatre, I used to act as well. We are a rural group and there are lots of challenges that we need to negotiate. It's become difficult to direct and act simultaneously.

How connected are you with the theatre scene in India?

As a student in Dhaka, I watched performances by Indian groups. Last year, I was in Santiniketan to attend a workshop in dramatics. I have loved the plays of Saoli Mitra, Swatilekha Sengupta, Rudraprasad Sengupta, Manoj Mitra, Bratya Basu, Kaushik Sen and Bibhas Chakraborty. I wish, I could see live performances of Utpal Dutt and Sombhu Mitra.

Is there any difference between the way India and Bangladesh approaches theatre?

Theatre in Bengal is still very acting driven. We are trying to experiment in terms of design by merging idiom used in folk and urban performance arts. That trend hasn't yet kicked off in Bengal yet. I wish we could stage an Indo-Bangla collaborative theatre production that will see a marriage of great acting and experimentation with form. It would be ideal if we can stage Tagore's "Raja" or "Dak Ghar" in this format.

Courtesy: Times of India

Photo Courtesy: Facebook

Making of the Steelframe

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:31:00 +0000

Delhi Diary
By RK Rishikesh Sinha

In the din and bustle of Mukherjee Nagar in New Delhi, the throng of Civil service aspirants rejuvenates every passerby. The innumerable bookstalls, Photostat centres and the boys distributing leaflets for various coaching centres makes one get easily into the groove of competitive examination fever.

25 gaj homes with one room and one kitchen, crowded lanes and markets, all witness the conquering vigour of young minds in the form of unending discussion. If you eavesdrop, you will hear tricks and fundas to crack almost all examinations whether it is Civil service or SSC. You will read handwritten messages like “Need a roommate/ flatmate. Only Civil service aspirant, Call…”. Their endless conversations stretch to diverse fields from politics to economy, from history to literature…you take a walk and you will surely hear various topics of discussion that are brewing around you. You feel these examinations are not hard to crack. You have to just follow their so-called steps religiously.

And if you incidentally converse with any one of them, you will unexpectedly come to know the person you are talking to have passed many such toughest examinations twice or thrice…and still striving for the ultimate goal. Their perseverance and belief shake your disbelief. Often, it seems appearing and passing in any all-India level examination, is a fundamental right for these candidates which they want to exercise again and again! Their unwaveringly confidence of the preparation make them quiet perceptive to predict their result before sitting in the examination. They know the dynamics of these examinations.

The air at Mukherjee Nagar makes you feel the two worlds that exist in India. One world where students confidently cherish the only wish to appear in the toughest competitive examinations one after another; and the other, where young graduates can’t even imagine these examinations. For them, taking the names of these examinations would break out in a cold sweat.

This is Mukherjee Nagar in New Delhi where aspirants from all over India with dreams in their eyes come to prepare themselves to crack the Civil Services examination. The local economy sustains and supports the big student community by providing them everything from room to bookshops, to vegetable market, to coaching centres, to Photostat shops.

The marketing strategies being adopted by coaching centres is worth to mention. No space is left vacant in single wall or pillar. With the announcement of any all-India level examination, Batra, the main business centre, get baths with pamphlets. GTB Nagar Metro Station, the nearest metro station to Mukherjee Nagar welcomes you with eye-catching advertisement with the names and photographs of successful candidates with their All India Rank (AIR).

Once asked a candidate what drives him to pursue this unpredictable fate resigning his secure government job, the quick reply will break your myth, it’s not the salary but, “it is something beyond it…the post and the drilling itself”.

You ask them: How one should start preparing for the all-India level examination? “Start with NCERT books …this will clear the fundamentals of your preparation…and simultaneously go on with …(the names of books)”.

Shastriya sangeet exponent no more

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:47:00 +0000

Post Bureau, Silchar/Guwahati (Mar 31): Renowned Shastriya Sangeet (Uchchangik) exponent from the Barak Valley and gold medalist (1983-84) from the Bangiya Sangeet Parishad, Calcutta Guru Motilal Sinha breathed his last at 10 pm on Friday at his Bhakatpur residence on the outskirts of Silchar town.

Born in the family of Ojha Deveswar Singha and late Kusumleima Devi on Poush 11, 1330 Bangabda, Motilal Sinha had his graduation in vocal music (Bisharad in Shashtriya Sangeet) from Bhadkhande, Lucknow and master’s degree (Nipun with gold medal) from the Bangiya Sangeet Parishad, Calcutta.

In 1960, he started teaching classical music (vocal) at Silchar. He had a long stint in the Silchar Sangeet Vidyalaya as its honorary principal since 1960. He also worked in Government Higher Secondary and Multipurpose Girls’ School, Silchar, and retired in 1985.

He had received the Assam State Award as an ideal music teacher. He had a stint in conducting a programme on the teaching of Rabindra Sangeet in the All India Radio station at Silchar.

He was also a regular singer of All India Radio, Guwahati for a long time. His wife predeceased him. He leaves behind three sons and four daughters. The Bishnupriya Manipuri Writers’ Forum and various other organisations condoled the death of the singer.

Courtesy: Seven Sister's Post

Read:

Biography of Pandit Motilal Sinha : BN Sinha

Internet: Bishnupriya Manipuri's New Domain

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 07:37:00 +0000

By RK Rishikesh Sinha

The UNESCO paper Language Vitality and Endangerment identifies many factors to characterize a language’s overall situation. The one factor among it that is the Response to New Domains and Media is very interesting at the present moment for the Bishnupriya Manipuris to vitalize the language. Since Internet as a new domain for engagement has recently come up frenziedly; and other probable new domains like school, media, and new work environments that the paper mentions has not being created yet. The only new domain that has been participated vigorously is Internet.

According to recent Google’s search report, a tsunami of Bishnupriya Manipuris have reached the Internet shores and they have googled “Bishnupriya Manipuri” in the search engine. The “Bishnupriya Manipuri” search term starts appearing from February 2010 onwards and reached its peak in December 2011. Before 2010, the volume of search (people searching the term “Bishnupriya Manipuri”) was not enough for Google to show results. But post 2010, there has been consistent and steady growth. A piece of good news which has got many ramifications!

Going by the UNESCO paper, the degree of endangerment for Bishnupriya Manipuri language probably falls in the bracket of “coping” language i.e., the language is used in some new domains. Here the new domains could be movies, songs, and peoples’ engagement in the Internet.

We could very well use the Internet domain and mold it to bring vitality to the Bishnupriya Manipuri language by creating — web media, language tutorial, a platform of discussion and debate, a storehouse of music, films, and literature — and also by launching Bishnupriya Manipuri-centric products and utilities; henceforth bringing more active and passive “Bishnupriya Manipuri” interaction among the netizens.

The paper cites, “A language is in danger when its speakers cease to use it, use it in an increasingly reduced number of communicative domains, and cease to pass it on from one generation to the next.” Presently, when there is a huge Bishnupriya Manipuri diaspora all over the world and in various states of India, creating and maintaining a robust Bishnupriya Manipuri communicative domain is the pressing need of the time. Since Bishnupriya Manipuri language “embodies the unique cultural wisdom” of us. Its loss is “a loss for all humanity”. Though there is no lurking danger of its extinction, enrichment of the language with extensive use is important.

Announcement:

In this initiative, Learn Bishnupriya Manipuri Language Online is public now. It will help to learn Bishnupriya Manipuri language through English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese and vice versa. Besides, it creates a repository of Bishnupriya Manipuri words and phrases.

Bisarei-The Bishnupriya Manipuri Search Engine- has collated news and information related to Late Tripura Health Minister Bimal Sinha.

Free Yourself from Digital Cage

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:16:00 +0000

By RK Rishikesh Sinha

The Times of India, Delhi Edition, carried a very interesting news piece yesterday that Indian netizens remain online for over 8 hours a day! The news item prompted me to take a self-manthan of my online activities.

To begin with, I delved into my last year browsing activity. I found in 2011, except from 2 a.m to 6 a.m, I was plugged to internet 24x7! In 24 hours, I spent 20 hours online daily, more than the report put : 8 hours a day! I have done the highest 1583 searches in June.

The news report also doled out another interesting figure that Indians spent 9.7 hours in social networking sites. My relation with social networking sites from Orkut days to the present Facebook and Google + era, is strictly limited. I find my initial interest on social sites fizzle out very soon after experimenting the new platform for few months. It happened with Orkut, and now with Facebook and Google +. Of the three, my relationship with Facebook does not go well. As a company, Facebook doesn’t enchant me, its policies doesn’t go down my throat. I found I am socially unapproachable in social sites.

Norton’s take on email that we Indians spent 6.1 hours on email every week came as a surprise. I am a devoted user of Gmail. I try to use the services to its limit as such that Google could confer on me the accolade of "Gmail Ninja"! Well, Google do confer "Gmail Ninja" status to its users. But wait a minute, as I went through my 29 February 2012 – 27 March 2012 Gmail report, out of 4132 emails received, I have responded to only 64 email!

In this hectic time, when we are receiving torrent of communication, it is very necessary to be selective in communication. So in 2012, I took a New Year Resolution to adopt zero digital communication (I am still trying), keeping my social sites activity to zero update and my Gmail slim and trim.

The Internet is meant to support our life. But gradually we are enclosed in a digital cage. I am trying to use the Internet as a tool with discipline rather than getting digitally entangled in it. If you have not watched your online activities till, better do it now.

Tender Notice: Bishnupriya Cultural Centre and Guest House at Guwahati

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Tenders are invited for the civil works construction of

Double Storied Guru Nil Madhab Mukherjee Bishnupriya Cultural Centre At Guwahati

The Tender Value is Rs 12,91,082/- and the project period is 6 Months. Due date 07-Apr-2012 02:00 p.m.

Construction Of Approach Road And Protection Wall And Bishnupriya Manipuri Guest House At Guwahati

The Tender Value is Rs 37,45,605/- and the project period is 9 Months. Due date 07-Apr-2012 02:00 p.m.

For more information, contact

Public Works Department
AddressGuwahati Building Circle-ii, Chandmari
Guwahati - Assam - 781 003 India

Bishnupriya Manipuri literature: bloom or doom

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:36:00 +0000

By RK Rishikesh Sinha

Recently, BMWF was in news for celebrating grandiosely the Bishnupriya Manipuri literary meet at Guwahati. There is no doubt that the event was organized meticulously and due care was taken to make it a success, a grand success. But was it a “literary success”? Will it be remembered for infusing fresh air in the world of Bishnupriya Manipuri literature? Will it remain “venue-specific” where people forget as soon as they leave the venue or it would have lasting impression? Answers to many of these questions would be too naïve.

During the celebration period we also heard about Northeastern literature and Bishnupriya Manipuri literature. In a broad canvass of “contemporary” Indian literature, though there is nothing as such “Indian literature” exist, hitherto it is the conglomeration of many diverse literature that constitute the “Indian literature”, one could find most of the languages which have found its “contemporary” place prominently in Indian literature are very recent and could be dated back to 19th century (Hindi…) or post-Independence era.

In the politics of Indian literature which is intrinsically linked with the say in politics, Sindhi and Dalit literature catches everyone’s attention. Since all other literature with their language enjoy statehood. Sindhi language is one which doesn’t enjoy any official language status of any state. Still it holds a place of its own with its unique literary creation. Dalit literature, a very new entrant in the Indian literature field, which dates back to 1960, has steadfastly created a genre of its own with their stark depiction of realism through self-narrative style.

Here, to create a vibrant Bishnupriya Manipuri literature, it is certain it cannot be created under the shadow of other language literature since it has never occurred. It has to be created with the “Bishnupriya Manipuri soul” reflecting our lives, wishes and of being “Bishnupriya Manipuri”. But challenges are aplenty from inert readers to unsympathetic social and political environment. Aggravating the situation worse which stems the growth of Bishnupriya Manipuri literature is the changing time. At one end, is the script to be followed for the creation of Bishnupriya Manipuri literature since sooner or later (or perhaps we are experiencing) we would be living in a multiple “language” zones. And on the other is the changing ecosystem.

Even if medium of expression is sidelined for a moment, the changing economic and technological ecosystem comes as a jolt. And Bishnupriya Manipuri literature has to face at these two fronts. The economic value of any creation (be it is Bishnupriya Manipuri) is too low. A book that cost Rs 100 could be photocopied and made available at a dart price. The music industry, the publishing industry and other associated industries are grappling with this problem. Secondly, with the shift in technology, the mode of literary creation would determine its success or failure. Interest of a reader who is not interested to read a whole book but find few pages of interest, has to be kept in mind, and has to be pondered hard.

Presently, at this juncture, it could be said that the Bishnupriya Manipuri literature has to be produced in mass with great mixture of quality keeping only readers in mind and not to be created for the sake of literary appreciation. Above it, we should try to make an ecosystem where demand and supply could be met. A case in point, there are demands here to buy Maya album, but there is no supply. In conclusion, we can say that various stakeholders (writers, producers, publishers, media...) must imbibe the attitude of sink or swim, or do or die. Even if we fade, we can come back with a new avatar. After all, in any language literature, bloom and doom period do come.

My dragon friend

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:52:00 +0000

By Ritwick Sinha, Class-V,

Don Bosco Senior Secondary School, Guwahati

One night, I had a dream that I was walking through a dense forest when suddenly, I saw a dragon coming towards me. I felt scared but the dragon did not try to attack me. Instead, he offered me his hand and grunted, “Will you be my friend?” I was surprised to see that he was a talking dragon who wanted to be friends with me. I immediately accepted his offer, and shaking hands with him, I said, “Yes, I will be your friend.” From that day onwards, we became friends. Then he asked me to sit down on his back to take me for a ride. Together, we went to many different places around the world. He also introduced me to his family and friends. I was very happy to meet them. He again gave me a ride on his back. On the way we found many enemies trying to attack us but my friend fought with them and won. He also showed me how he could breathe fire. We went to many other places and even there we found even more ferocious and frightening enemies. My friend fought with them hard and at last defeated them. We enjoyed ourselves a lot during our adventures together. When I told him that I also had my own family, he felt sad as he could not stay with me forever. So he dropped me in front of my house and went away sadly. I also felt very sad and bidding him goodbye, I realized that our exciting adventures had come to an end. Suddenly, I woke up and I was sad because it was not real and only a dream. I wish this dream would become true. Really it was an unforgettable dream.

Courtesy: The Assam Tribune [22 March 2012]

Bishnupriya Manipuri diploma holders’ dharna at Dispur

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:21:00 +0000

From our Special

Correspondent

SILCHAR, March 11: Bishnupriya Manipuri language teaching training diploma holders under the banner of its association staged protest demonstration before the assembly secretariat at Dispur on last Wednesday in support of their three-point charter of demands and to press for their fulfillment by the State Government. Gopidas Sinha, chief advisor of the association, said here today that it was part of their prefixed agitation programme and during the six-hour demonstration, ADC of Kamrup (Metro) M Modak received the memorandum articulating their demands and assured of positive response from the chief minister and the education minister. He added to say that after the current session of the assembly, official meeting would be convened by the government for free and fair discussion on the issues raised.

Gopidas Sinha elaborating on the demands said these included appointment of Bishnupriya Manipuri language teaching training diploma holders in the LP, MV and ME schools to teach Bishnupriya Manipuri language, preparation of text books in Bishnupriya Manipuri language and their availability to the linguistic minority dominated ME and MV schools and the appointment of the diploma holders in the language against the dropped and vacant posts in LP schools.

The memorandum submitted to the Education Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, signed by 70 diploma holders on agitation pointed out that according to the right to education, appointment of teachers should be on the basis of 30:1 teacher-student ratio. Though the Assam Government by a notification on May 25, 1999, appointed 149 diploma holders at the LP school level, but till date no text books have been prepared for the ME and MV schools. It had deprived the Bishnupriya Manipuri students of receiving education in their mother tongue. The number of such schools presently stood at around 100. It was therefore imperative that besides preparation of text books, appointment of diploma holders against vacant posts should be given priority.

Gopidas Sinha said until and unless these demands were met by the State Government, their agitation would continue and the demonstration or dharna at Dispur was the first phase of their long drawn movement for the cause of democratic and constitutional rights of the Bishnupriya Manipuri students.

Courtesy: The Sentinel

Interview of Dils Lakshmindra Sinha

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:31:00 +0000

Dils LK Sinha is the President, Bishnupriya Manipuri Writers' Forum and Ex-Vice President/General Secretary, NBM Sahitya Parishad and has authored numerous poems, books and plays. Talking to Gitanjali Das, he says that he fears the extinction of his language

What does literature mean to you? Do you think it has any relevance in our day-to-day lives? According to you, does it have anything to do with all that is happening around us?

Dils Lakshmindra Sinha

Dils LK Sinha Literature is the reflection of life in terms of humanity. It is a means to the ultimate truth in the inner soul of man. Through poetry, I try to spread knowledge about the Bishnupriya Manipuris, which is on the verge of extinction, and at the same time I try to express feelings which are hard to share in other mediums. Literature mirrors society. We learn about things that happened in the past through books. In the same way, our posterity will find out what we feel now through our writings. Everything happening around us, from terrorism to price rise, finds an outlet through literature.

How close is your relation with literature in general, and with literature of the Northeast in particular?

I won’t classify literature because I feel it is general. The word mother, in whichever language you utter, addresses the same person everywhere. I feel folk literature in Assamese, Bodo, Rabha, Mising, Manipuri, Mizo and others are very developed. I have a collection of Bishnupriya Manipuri folktales to my credit. Folk literature is a very interesting genre. It attracts readers of all ages. Bishnupriya Manipuri is a marginalised community, but we feel we are very much a part of literature in general.

What future do you see for literature from the Northeast?

The future of Northeast literature is very bright. With book fairs like the 13th North East Book Fair being held and books focusing on the region being published, the future ahead is bright. However, I fear that Bishnupriya Manipuri literature will become extinct. More and more elite litterateurs and scholars are joining our cause. But our literature is not as developed as Assamese, Bodo or Mizo, because it does not get financial support from any quarters. Moreover, there is no political patronage from the state. People associated with Bishnupriya Manipuri literature have translated many books into this language. The Gita has been translated a number of times by different writers since 1920. We are working with zeal without pondering much about how the future unfolds.

Name one book that had a lasting impact on you. In what way?

Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali, TS Eliot’s poem ‘The Wasteland’ and the Upanishads have made an impact on me. They have given my life some sort of a direction. Eliot’s poem is an amalgamation of the East and the West. His philosophy of life has really inspired me. He has taken so much from different cultures.

What book would you recommend for our readers and why?

I would suggest they read the Upanishads and the Vedas. I don’t feel they are religious books. They reflect love for humanity. I would also ask them to read Eliot. Terrorism and the emptiness of our society are evident in his poetry.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters Post (www.sevensisterspost.com)

Rendezvous with Silchar's alleys

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:36:00 +0000

By Sonica Rajkumari

After few months I will enter into the world of planners. Few questions arise in my mind — did I learn all the components of Planning; what actually do I know which differs me from other professions. Here I am not pointing on my course; it is just how well I grabbed the knowledge regarding my course.

Four years ago, some of my friends including me who cleared AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination) and got admitted into the course without knowing what exactly this course is all about and what are we supposed to do. One thing we all knew that we need to do thesis in 4th year.

For me, 2 years just passed without knowing what actually our job will be in the industry; fine we are having studios like site planning, area appreciation etc., and some theory subjects. After 2nd year, I started learning something. But one thing is for sure, Planning is such a wide subject that 4 years is not enough to learn everything atleast for me. But obviously that doesn’t mean I take years to get a Bachelor Degree.

Thesis in final year is a must. After passing of the thesis, one gets a degree. I can’t run away from it. With 1st year working in a group, here in 4th year, I need to give my individual endeavour and implement whatever I learned so far and even more than that. I don’t know, whether the Planning course is complicated, or it has complicated my mind. But some of my class mates really enjoyed and loved it. Ultimately, I have to pursue it and I tried to give my best. I didn't know what would be my thesis topic, but surely it will be related to my home town Silchar.

Now when I am at the final stage of my course, selecting topic for thesis and case area made me aware of the complications to avail data on Silchar. As behind every successful thesis there is availability of authentic data. My faculties made me aware of this difficulty which I may come across while preparing my thesis. I had options of taking case area somewhere near to my college or in Delhi, which will save both energy and money. Also data will be available and the place can be visited again to collect the data anytime.

Drainage system in Silchar

As I decided to do thesis on Silchar, I observed the town from the perspective of a planner and analyse its problems. I was sure that Silchar is facing lots of urban issues like lack of proper roads, drainage system, solid waste management, and lack of planning ..., which is intolerable to anyone staying in Silchar or outsider visiting Silchar. During my 4-years course period, I never visited Silchar. Before joining the course, whenever I used to visit Silchar I used to love staying in home.

In January, I visited Silchar. My train journey started from Delhi in a bitter cold day. I never travelled during winters. And I really hate it; in future I would try to avoid travelling during winters especially to Silchar where train tests your patience level.

I spent around 10 days in Silchar for data collection, out of that actually worked for 6 days, as Sunday, Republic Day all this came in between. This time Silchar town was looking as normal as other towns look. I didn’t find many problems in Silchar as I used to face before related to roads, drainage etc., may be because it was not a rainy season. When it rains, then Silchar shows it colour.

Kutcha Roads in Silchar

First day, I had a meeting with the Chairperson of the Silchar Municipality Board, who is also MLA. The purpose to meet her was just to get her green signal for letting me get data from the municipality.

It was tough job for me to make the people understand what kind of data I need and for what purpose despite of having an official letter from college. The experience was different and rough as compared to other places I visited through college for the studio purposes. So far we had visited Hyderabad, Kottayam (Kerala), Cuddalore (Tamilnadu) and Vijayawada where language gap is there but got good responses from the government offices in terms of collection of data. But in Silchar it was not that welcoming in comparison to these cities; some problem was there, I don’t know, may be I don’t know Bengali. But my other classmates doing thesis on Guwahati also faced the same problem. But wherever I found Bishnupriya Manipuris in offices I got over and found extra data, without any hurdle.

I mostly visited Silchar municipality as my topic revolves around it. My primary objective is to study and assess the financial status of municipality and its performance. I learnt few things that how well municipality is accountable to its citizen and how well citizen are accountable towards city problem. I will get the actual scenario related to Silchar and the municipality after analysing the data. But one thing I would like to share here which make me laugh everytime when I think of it. Wherever I roamed in Silchar I didn’t find a single municipal bin for throwing solid waste. From the municipality, I get to know that, the large municipal bins which are put along the road for the solid waste, get stolen the very next day of its installation by the scrap people. I found it really funny — poor municipality people; one thought that stroked into my mind after hearing this was- ‘not a bad idea.’

Waste Management in Silchar

Somehow I got required data for the thesis. Some data which I didn’t get, I will think about it later but can’t go again from Vijayawada to Silchar alone spending 4-5 days in going and coming total 10 days. The main idea of taking Silchar as my case area was to associate myself to Silchar closely, to understand and analyse its problem with strong backup of authentic data from authentic sources. Even a normal citizen can see the potential and problems of the city which is visible, like problems related to roads, drainage and the ways to improve it. But suggestions for improvement become more logical if a study and an analysis are done related to the issue. As very less study has been carried on Silchar town.

Peers says my topic is interesting but not an easy one but let see will I be able to do justice.

A Tale of Cities

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:14:00 +0000

Dr Smriti Kumar Sinha

(Translated by Ramlal Sinha)

YES, it’s a tale of cities, not of one or two. Take Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati…as a case study ‒ it’s the same basic storyline. From Google earth, let’s zoom in on any of the cities, say Guwahati…

Guwahati City

It’s a sweltering noon. It’s the hustle and bustle of city life, with honking cars lined up. The road on the left leads one to Fancy Bazar. A billboard stands erect on the right. Rich in carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals ‒ reads the advertisement of a baby food. No substitute for breastfeeding, maxim of the WHO, written in a small font size, almost invisible. Oh no! What a stark contrast! A corpse, on the footpath! Could be of a mother. A baby is sucking its breasts, breathlessly. A bagging bowl is lying near, upside down. The crying baby is standing up. Limping… a baby boy. A mass of tangled and matted hair on its head.

Mercy coins keep falling from the pedestrians chatting over mobile phones and commuters busy surfing Internet ‒ broad band Wi-Fi. A digital divide! What else can they do? The kid starts walking over the coins, making thuds. The metallic sound stops. It looks at the other side ‒ a glimmer of hope. Crossing the main road!

The speeding cars break to a halt, with an awful screeching. Oh God! You’re really omnipresent. The kid has crossed the road. The swamping traffic has resumed free flow. The kid is craning his neck to have a better view of a green hoarding. A rhino is grazing in foliage of wild grasses in the Kaziranga National Park ‒ a tourism department’s ad with a tag on the top ‘Incredible India!’ Incredible indeed!

Limping a few steps further, the kid has stood in front of another hoarding. A few kids of his age are playing with colourful toys. ‘Kids’ Dreamland’, an English medium nursery school. A red missed ball is falling down. The kid on the footpath has forgot his stomachache, and extended his hand to catch it ‒ beyond his reach.

The crying baby is limping ahead, thumping against the roadside wall. Stopped! An eye-catching cartoon on the wall. A boy and a girl are playing see-saw sitting on a long and striped wood pencil! Written atop is ‘Let’s all go to school’… Sarba Shiksha Abhiyan… a government mission. The kid has rushed to catch the pencil ‒ a fake one!

It keeps limping till another poster ‒ gloomy orphan faces, matted hair. Tears dripping down their cheeks. Known faces? It has turned back and stood. On the backdrop, fellow faces and a tag ‒ UNICEF HELP. The kid is slowly extending his untutored hands.“Stop it. I’m here,” a street teen has rushed to the spot in a whirlwind. He has held the hand of the kid. A mobile phone in hand, his is a known face. A beggar-turned service provider through his mobile public call office for phoneless pedestrians. An innovation, thanks to Mahammad Yunus!

The kid bursts in hunger. The teen has taken him to a pilfered water pipe, offered him a palm-full. No, not a substitute. A solace? Relinquenched, the kid is clinging, a passionate hug in return ‒ an age-old bond of eMotion amidst eBusiness, eLearning and eGovernannce hoardings.

Let’s zoom in on, say…

Note: The story is especially dedicated to famous economist Prof. Mahammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate from Bangladesh, who changed the lives of street children and the poor of South-East Asia.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters Post (www.sevensisterspost.com)

"March" Bishnupriya Manipuri

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:30:00 +0000

By RK Rishikesh Sinha

Recognition of Bishnupriya Manipuri language by Supreme Court of India; martyrdom of Tripura's Health and Urban Development Minister Bimal Sinha and Sudeshna Sinha; and the declaration of Manipuris as tribals. What do all these events have in common? Call it sheer coincidence, the month of March is associated with all these events. And these are those events which have changed the destiny of the community and gave a new path to tread upon. To begin with

# March 8, 2006

Supreme Court of India

Definitely, March 8, 2006 is a historic day for Bishnupriya Manipuris. It is on this day that Supreme Court of India “put an end to the controversy surrounding the identity of the Bishnupriyas”. The long and bitter battle on the identity crisis was given a permanent period. Read more Supreme Court recognised Bishnupriya Manipuri language

# March 16, 1996

Sudeshna Sinha

Sudeshna Sinha laid down her life on March 16, 1996 for the demand of Bishnupriya Manipuri language.

# March 25, 2010

The Assam Government declared the establishment of Bishnupriya Manipuri Development Council (BMDC). A classic example of political emancipation to a community, the formation of BMDC added a new chapter to the Bishnupriya Manipuri history. Read more Development Council for Bishnupriya Manipuris Formed

# March 31, 1998

Late Bimal Sinha

Tripura's Health and Urban Development Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Bimal Sinha and his younger brother Bidyut Sinha were gunned down by the militants of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). On February 8, 2012, Tripura opposition demanded publication of KM Yusuf Commission's report on the assassination of Bimal Sinha.

# March 31, 1932

British Government’s Franchise Committee released a notification on March 31, 1932 wherein they held Manipuris are tribal. As destiny would have it, it is again in March 2006, the Supreme of India recognised the language of Bishnupriya Manipuris. Read more A Brief History of Mahasabha

Image courtesy: Late Bimal Sinha [bishnupriyamanipuri.org]
Image courtesy: Sudeshna Sinha

One-Page Mahabharata

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Dr Smriti Kumar Sinha

(Translated by Ramlal Sinha)

SUNDAY morning. Cleansing his spectacles with a soft cloth, Narendra sat in front of the television in the drawing room. “Has it started?” His wife, Surabala, asked him from the kitchen.

“No.”

Surabala was busy preparing breakfast. With the serial about to start, she was in a tearing hurry.

“Hasn’t it started yet?” She repeated.

“No, not yet. I will call you. The background music will let you know,” said Narendra.

At the very moment, a scooter stopped in front of their gate. Narendra peeped through the window.

“Hey, do you hear me? Sunanda and Surendra have arrived!” He rushed to open the door. “What a pleasant surprise! Welcome, welcome. I hardly believed that you would come,” said Narendra.

Surabala, on the other hand, poured two more cups of water in the kettle. In haste, she made a couple of omelettes too.

“Has it started?” Surendra too questioned as he set foot in the verandah.

“About to. We too are waiting,” said Narendra.

While Surendra sat in the drawing room, Sunanda went straight to the kitchen to meet Surabala. After a while, the two women came out with tea and snacks to the drawing room.

“Have you lost your way and landed up here?” Surabala took a dig at Surendra.

Surendra smiled and replied: “Oh no, not like that. We have been planning, you know. It’s to have a glimpse of your newly-built house and, while at it, to enjoy The Mahabharata serial together.”

“It’s nice that you have come,” said Narendra.

“Maybe the birth of Krishna will be screened today.”

“How can that be? In the last episode, just the fourth child was born, while Krishna was the eighth.”

Sunanda, on the other hand, had her eyes on the bonsai banyan tree near the TV. She studied it keenly and said: “Where have you brought this bonsai from?”

“From the horticulture firm at Zoo Road.”

“Beautiful! With its prop roots hanging down, it looks like the old gigantic one near the Mahabhairab temple.”

They all burst into laughter.

The otherwise sky-high, royal, gorgeous and long-living banyan tree was now a laughing stock. Its challenge was to reach the TV on the stand. Thanks to those who had cut its roots to size.

The day’s episode of the Mahabharata started. The room wore a mantle of silence. At first, a recap of the last episode was telecast… Daibaki gave birth to her fourth baby in captivity. She was making efforts not to let the guards on duty in the prison know of the newborn. However, a spying guard came to know of the infant and passed the message to King Kangs late at night. The day’s episode started… A beam of light from the dawning sun illuminated a corner of the prison cell. Daibaki, who had to pass a sleepless night, was taken aback by the light. Bewitched by the newborn, Vasudeva, on the other hand, kept looking at the baby in bewilderment. A restless Daibaki was on a desperate lookout for a safe hideout, but to no avail. The guards were about to reach her cell. She was crestfallen when she thought of the fate of her baby when her brother Kangs would…

“Let’s do something. It’s morning. Where to hide the baby?” Daibaki said, and brought Vasudeva back to his senses. He kept looking at her and the newborn. Raising his chained hands up, a helpless Vasudeva kept praying at the beam of sunlight. The oracle went that the eighth son of Daibaki would be their saviour. Oracles always come true, but it’s all the same to parents, whether first or eighth. “Oh God! What an ordeal is this!” Vasudeva rued, and kept gazing at the sky, a piece of which could be seen through the small hole.

“King of Kings, His Highness, King of Mathura, Maharaj Kangs is c-o-m-i-n-g…” an alert sounded by a royal guard. A frenetic Daibaki kept running from one corner to the other to hide the baby. Her chained legs were bleeding profusely. At last she lay on her side and started lactating the baby. She pretended to be oblivious to Kangs, who entered the room and said: “Daibaki, hand over the baby.”

“Baby? What baby? There isn’t any.”

“Don’t hide it. I came with a confirmed tip-off.”

“I’m bowing down to you, spare the life of an innocent infant,” she said. Kangs was bewildered, looking at his most affectionate sister. But he soon came to his senses, and thought: “That can’t be. For my life, the death of Daibaki’s babies is a must. Defending oneself is no sin.” He laughed in her face and took away the infant from her lap, raised it up and smashed it against the wall. Fresh blood kept dripping down the wall…

A commercial break followed. The TV’s volume was low. Pin-drop silence enveloped the drawing room. Only the tic-tac, tic-tac… monotone of the wall-clock continued.

“Detestable!” Sunanda broke the silence indignantly.

“No character in the Mahabharata is as sadistic as that of Kangs,” Surabala remarked.

A commercial advertisement was playing on the screen. Silently the ad showed the preparation of tasty chocolates by the milk collected cooperatively by the women of Gujarat. A success story! The ad, however, failed to accommodate the tale of the calves, deprived of mothers’ milk.

“A sadist, you know,” taking a piece of the omelette, Narendra continued, “It’s the height of cruelty. For the sake of his own life, so many innocents were slaughtered. Horrible! The director has done the job well, symbolically showing the patches of blood on the wall…a balanced shot.”

“Wait, wait. The omelette is delicious. The taste isn’t like that of firm eggs,” said Sunanda.

“Yeah, we have reared a pair of local fowls. You know, it’s a must for our protein deficiency,” said Surabala.

The commercial break was over. The serial resumed. The fade-in on the screen was the prison of Kangs. Bereaved and wailing Daibaki was slowly losing her senses. A helpless Vasudeva was sprinkling water on her eyes, and kept on massaging her head as a solace. Thus the Mahabharata episode of the day ended there. But a lively discussion on the character, Kangs, continued, till Surendra and Sunanda got up to depart.

“Why have you got up? Let’s have lunch together,” Narendra proposed."

“No, not today. We will, some other day. We have an appointment with the doctor today. Why don’t you hold a feast? We expect such a treat as you have completed your house,” said Surendra.

“It’s great. We will hold one on a holiday,” Narendra said.

“Wait, wait. In the doctor’s chamber too, we will be kept on waiting. Let’s have a look at the newly-built house. We too have a plan to erect one,” said Sunanda.

“It’s our pleasure to show you around.” Narendra and Surabala led the guests to the dining room, the kitchen, bedrooms, the in-house mandir ‒ one by one. The bamboo basket in front of the images of conjugal Radha-Krishna was full of freshly plucked flowers. Half-bloomed or about-to-bloom flowers hanging from their necks reeked off the mundamala with chopped-off baby heads! What was dazzling on the cheeks? Tears? All of them bowed down together.

Chatting about the vastu of the house, they all stepped into the kitchen garden in the backyard. Narendra and Surabala briefed the guests with all the details of the house. Surendra and Sunanda were glued. The blueprint of a dream house seemed to flash in their eyes. Adjacent to the left corner of the boundary walls stood a small poultry shed. Its roof was of abandoned tin cans of mustard oil, embossed with the trade-mark, Tripti ‒ complete satisfaction! The walls were of wire mesh. A pair of snow-white fowls was inside.

Not one or two, but a brigade of four was approaching them. The scared hen in captivity became frenetic. She moved from corner to corner fluffing out her feathers, shedding many of them. She poked the cock and warned it of the impending danger. Finding no way out, the mother hen went round the just laid egg ‒ once, twice, many times, in quick succession. At last, she covered the egg with her bosom and started incubating it. Like every other day, the cock kept gazing up, with its beak pushed out through a grid of the mesh. He kept gazing at the fragment of the sky, looked like a rag of a denim, seen through the juncture of the two moss-covered walls. It gazed and kept waiting, maybe still with the faint hope of an oracle.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters Post (WWW.sevensisterspost.com)

Bishnupriya Manipuri Search Engine "Bisarei" launched

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:04:00 +0000

Cementing and extending the Bishnupriya Manipuri web presence, the Bishnupriya Manipuri Search Engine "Bisarei" has been launched. Bisarei would be a few, one-of-its-kind search engine to empower and manage knowledge resource of an Indian community. Visit the Bishnupriya Manipuri Search Engine "Bisarei".

Bishnupriya Manipuri Search Engine "Bisarei"

Bisarei would facilitate and equip researchers, journalists, writers, publishers, academicians and common users to come to a common platform and meet their "search" demands.

Model for revival of language and literature

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Bishnupriya Manipuri literature, art and culture are facing an existential crisis, thanks to the onslaught of a host of factors like Hindi movies and Western influences. But is there a way out? Certainly, says Ramlal Sinha.

There should be a holy yet profitable tie-up among litterateurs, artists and industrialists of the community so as to evolve a vibrant medium that can convert the literary and cultural ventures into a dividend-paying industry.

The linguistic policy being followed in Assam, mushroom growth of English-medium schools in the state, a section of yuppie generation in the community shying away from speaking the mother tongue and many other factors of their ilk have a cumulative and cascading effect on Bishnupriya Manipuri language, literature and culture. For the survival of a minor language and literature, such a cascading effect is more lethal than what a nuclear weapon is for the hard-earned and highly metamorphosed human civilization.

Senior journalist and critic DN Bezboruah went on record saying at a book release function in Guwahati in 2006: "English is a cannibal language of modern times." If English has 'eaten' thousands of other languages all over the world, one can say that Assamese, the official language of Assam besides English, has eaten many minor languages like Tai, Tiwa, Mising, Rabha, Dimasa, Karbi and Bishnupriya Manipuri in the state. Based on their degree of vulnerability, these are already in UNESCO's list of endangered languages. Taking a cue, the state should also categorise these as endangered in its language policy.

Now, whose responsibility is the revival of such moribund languages and literature? Let's zero in on the Bishnupriya Manipuri language and literature as a case study. This community has a rich literature, besides a highly-sanctified and age-old culture. That a majority of the modern litterateurs in the community and their predecessors had their education, at least schooling, in Bengali medium is a boon for the Bishnupriya Manipuri literature. This is because most of the Bishnupriya Manipuri litterateurs, right from the beginning even while in Manipur, had benchmark set by Bengali literature which the Bishnupriya Manipuri writers try to attain or maintain even now. But, of course, this is not to say that the limit ends there.

However, Bishnupriya Manipuri language and literature, being a fatal victim of the ongoing literary and cultural onslaught in India, have found few takers in the community itself, especially among the younger generation. Things have taken a turn for the worse as a large number of people belonging to the next generation in the community are ignorant of purbanagari or purbi, the script being followed by litterateurs. The script barrier, if not tackled with the right approach, may stand as a veritable roadblock for the propagation of Bishnupriya Manipuri language, literature and culture. If the Himalayas stand as a classical model of an impermeable orographic barrier halting the masses of monsoon air and causing aridity in the Tibetan landscapes, the script barrier in the Bishnupriya Manipuri community is strong enough to block dissemination of information and literature, a condition that is lethal enough to cause an aridity in the literary and cultural landscape of the community. Shying away from reading books authored by Bishnupriya Manipuri writers among the community members is yet another barrier that blocks the propagation of the literature, thereby pushing it to towards the jaws of extinction.

The media vacuum in the community is another barrier that has not been broken even though the community has people scripting success story in this field. This situation stands as a roadblock for information dissemination in the community that is sparsely scattered in Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and other states as well as Burma and Bangladesh. The media industry in the community is not a booming one either, in fact, it never was. The few literary magazines being published in Bishnupriya Manipuri are gasping for life.

The community has a precedent set before it by none other than its own alternative media mogul, Gokulananda, fondly called as Gitiswami. A large section of litterateurs of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community, and even the commoners, are familiar with the verses of the alternative media mogul only because he could successfully break as many as three barriers – the barrier due to illiteracy in the community in early yester century; the barrier put up by penury and the barrier due to media vacuum – with a single weapon, alternative media, which in his case is 'padkirtan'. Before and after the start of any particular discipline of 'padkirtan' like 'manbhanjan', 'noukabilash', 'Subal-milan' and the like, he would sing his reform-oriented verses to create awareness among the community members. His is not a success story of the proverbial 'one stone, two birds' but that of 'one stone, many birds'.

The barrier before litterateurs and cultural exponents, at present, is under no circumstances more complicated than the one Gokulananda and other writers of his time had to confront. However, the cultural onslaught by Hindi movies and the western culture cast a spell on Bishnupriya Manipuri language and culture. These forces can whitewash everything that the community has inherited from its forefathers over the ages.

The idea in such a situation should be a holy yet profitable tie-up between litterateurs/artistes and the few industrialists of the community so as to evolve a vibrant medium that can convert the literary and cultural ventures into a dividend-paying industry which can provide a modern genre of literature, performing arts and culture that is strong enough to bring 'Generation Y' back to their base that has metamorphosed because of testing times, but is still intact in its 'nuclear configuration'.

What is going on over the years is that quality write-ups like stories, poems and songs that keep coming from litterateurs of the community find no place in music albums and films produced by those who can afford to spend huge amounts which such ventures always demand.

The result is status quo in the community's development. This does nobody a good. The mental needs of the literati are not met and the producers, too, lose money. This is a sheer example of 'misplaced priority'. Unless the 'intellectual property' of writers and exponents of creative arts is encashed in a fair and judicious manner, literary and cultural development in the community will continue to remain elusive. The songs and stories of writers like poet Brojendra Kumar Sinha ('Elar Khuttal', 'Dhruvapad'), poet Senarup Sinha, poet Madan Mohan Mukhopadhyay, Kali Prasad Sinha (Elar Mala), Champalal Sinha, short story writer Smriti Kumar Sinha, poet Dils Lakshmindra Sinha ('Dikmilanar Ela', 'Kotohan Ela Kotohan Kabita'), Indra Kumar Sinha, Kalasena Sinha, Anukul Sinha, Shyamananda Sinha, Samarjit Sinha and others have found few takers. Cassettes, albums and films are bereft of real content. The irony is that with this newborn cinema, album and cassette venture exploring only the 'shallow creative writings', we have set a very low benchmark for our literature and culture before other communities. Aren't we out to belittle, albeit unknowingly, the heights scaled by our writers and cultural exponents over the years? This is an irreparable damage being done to the community. When quality write-ups of writers and works by artistes will be captured with state-of-the-art technology and cinematography, the present generation that is going astray will be forced to look back. What they actually seek is quality,

The few industrialists in the community need not invest their money in unprofitable ventures. Generosity is still a luxury that they cannot or should not afford. A rupee saved is a rupee earned. The community cannot afford any slip up. Profitability has always been the mantra for any industry. They should continue to focus on training skilled manpower for the future, especially in the media, art and culture. This is a virgin industry sans competition. If trodden with the right skill in the right path, this is a sure-success route for the revival of the endangered language and literature, and tackling the acute joblessness in the community to a great extent. Since the market for performing arts is not at all being tapped, a treasure of culturally-enriched literature is getting piled up for years now. The treasure is awaiting industrialists for its encashment in various ways and forms. They are on the wait for explorers who understand their subtlety, fragility and tenderness; and ready to treat them accordingly.

As far as revival of the language and literature is concerned, it should be the prime duty of every parent to make their wards able to read the purbanagari so that they can appreciate the glory and richness of their own literature and culture.

On media vacuum, the situation demands a professional approach in which a quality product, quality packaging, an agile network of circulation, marketing and advertisement are a must. The Bishnupriya Manipuris' is a virgin market that, if tapped in the right way, can pay a huge dividend. While taking such a venture, one needs to keep in mind that his product (say a newspaper or a magazine) should not be targeted at only the few in a family who are inclined towards literature. All in a community aren't literati, regardless of educational qualification. Over the years, we trod the same old beaten track to serve stuff only for the literati that may not comprise even one per cent of population in the community, forgetting the over 99 per cent. We need to take extra care to produce a product (newspaper or magazine) that can offer a stuff or two even for the housewives, their kids, teens, those interested in fashion and designing, youth (career options and job-related information), students, beauty package for girls, simple remedy for minor ailments, and the like. Those in newspaper industry need to engage experienced teachers who can provide solutions to critical mathematical problems, at least up to Class X standard. A magazine with an inclusive coverage is bound to have takers in the market provided it is backed by a well-knit circulation network. Those of the community who are already in this industry shouldn't forget to lay the required emphasis on advertising that can help the industry thrive.

Bishnupriya Manipuri Development Council

All right-thinking people in the community, including the laymen, will term the formation of this council a milestone achieved, as far as the development of the community is concerned. This can be an oasis in a desert, if run in the right way. The Bishnupriya Manipuris, who have been have-nots over the centuries, have got a perennial canal that can, if handled properly, keep them giving their share of the pie. This is indeed a milestone achieved for a community that had to agitate for about 60 years after independence to get a democratic right – implementation of Bishnupriya Manipuri language at the primary stage of education in Assam – fulfilled, and that too, not without bloodbath.

The development of literature and culture in the community is one of the most important duties of the council that has a whole lot of work lined up in other spheres. In its about two-year time since inception, it has shown a positive gesture towards the development of Bishnupriya Manipuri language and literature, besides other fields. Of course, two years is too brief a period for one to judge the motive of those manning a government setup. So far, so good; and one needs to keep his/her hope alive, but remain ever vigilant.

Towards the development of literature and culture, the role to be played by the council is august. Among other stakeholders in the community, it is the BMDC that needs to develop the very infrastructure for educational and literary development. The litterateurs and exponents of performing arts in the community badly need a launch-pad from where they can take a lift so as to scale new heights. Can they hope the council to do enough towards that end? Will other fields in the community that need immediate attention get due importance? Time is the best teacher. I'm too young to make inroads into its core.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters Post

Reflecting folk life

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:17:00 +0000

Ramlal Sinha takes a close look at DILS Lakshmindra Sinha’s collection of folktales that mirrors the community’s life accurately.

DILS Lakshmindra Sinha

THE folklore of a community comprises its traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and the practices of its individuals, being transmitted orally from generation to generation. If one wants to know a community better, the surest and most effective route to that is through understanding its folklore. Folktales are an essential component of folklore, and the oral tales of the Bishnupriya Manipuris are no exception to this.

The Bishnupriya Manipuri folktales, called Babeir Yari or Apabopar Yari (the tales of forefathers) by the community members, can be categorised as (1) Apangor Yari (tales about simpletons), (2) Raja-Rani baro Rajkumar-Rajkumarir Yari (tales about royal family members), (3) Bhootor Yari (tales on ghosts), (4) Soralelor Yari (tales about the Rain God, Indra and his seven scions), (5) Pahiyapolei baro Jibojantur Yari (tales of birds and beasts), (6) Porir Yari (fairy tales), (7) Etihasar Yari (tales from history), (8) Myth and Legends, (9) Funny Skits, (10) Thogoar Yari (tales of frauds), (11) Pabitra Yari (sacred tales), (12) mucky tales or mucky jokes and the like.

This collection and translation by DILS Lakshmindra Sinha, founder president of the Bishnupriya Manipuri Writers’ Forum (BMWF), has enough tales that depict the wit, intelligence, fancifulness and sense of humour that Bishnupriya Manipuris are richly endowed with. Poetic justice — an outcome in which vice is punished and virtue is rewarded in a peculiarly or ironically appropriate manner — is glaring in most of the tales in this collection. This indicates that the Vaishavite Bishnupriya Manipuri community respects justice and disapproves of logical fallacy entirely.

This collection comprising 26 folktales in English is the first of its kind among writers from the community. It gives readers the taste of a wide variety of folktales from Bishnupriya Manipuri folk literature, and from this point of view, the collection can be termed an inclusive collection. It is indeed a valuable documentation for posterity.

It is worth mentioning here that G A Grierson had collected three Bishnupriya Manipuri folktales from Manipur and included them in his Linguistic Survey of India (Vol. I, part IV, published in 1891) along with their English translations. Sinha has incorporated all the three folktales collected by Grierson. The author has also adopted and translated the folktale ‘The Lawyer and the Merchant’ that had been collected and published by Upendra Nath Guha in his Kacharer Itibritta’ (1971).

From my personal contact with Sinha, I have come to know the modus operandi followed by him while collecting these folktales. He had to wander from village to village and arrange some sort of story-telling competitions among old women, who got a meagre remuneration for each story told. Often, the same story would vary in its telling from region to region. Sinha has taken these variations into account while collating the tales.

The success that this collection has achieved is obvious from the fact that when a reader goes through any of the tales in it, she sees a vivid picture of what the rural Bishnupriya Manipuri life exactly looked like and to some extent, still does. Characters found in ‘The Idle Woman’, ‘The Silly Peasant’, ‘Two Brothers’, ‘Apang the Thief’, ‘The Tale of a Bitu-Titu’, ‘The Story of Pani’, ‘Gokulsena and His Wife’ and the like, look no different from rural Bishnupriya Manipuri folk.

This collection has added yet another feather to Sinha’s cap. He has as many as ten volumes of poetry to his credit already, besides a volume of short stories written in the Bishnupriya Manipuri language. Some of his poems have also been translated into Assamese, Bengali and Hindi. A select number of his short stories have also been published in English translation. Treasury of Bighnupriya Manipuri Folktales only goes to prove the versatility of this noted writer.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters Post (WWW.sevensisterspost)

Why I am a poet

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 10:48:00 +0000

BRAJESWARI Raaikishori

Aamaai dayaa karla naa

Aamaar sanger sangi sabaai gelo

Aamaar jaowa holo naa…

Bishnupriya Manipuri poet, Champalal Sinha, traces the origins of his poetic consciousness.

Champalal Sinha

CULTIVATION of poetry, study of poetry, service to the nation, society and the like are all that my life is exactly about. I am still alive because I was attracted to all these virtues at the right age. Many a cyclone of distress, shock and penury blew over my head, and keeps blowing even now; but against all odds, I am indifferent and unshaken only by virtue of my cultivation of poetry, study of poetry, and service to the nation and society. Among all these, cultivation and study of poetry inspire me the most to be resolutely self-confident.

The study of any branch of literature shows one the right path of life, gives immense pleasure, inspires one to work and leads towards light. However, no other branch of literature can be a parallel to poetry in providing one with the pleasure of creation, awakening in him a sense towards his work or duty, and making him rich in metaphysical wisdom, which is why poetry is the origin of any literature in the world. Though I was inspired immensely to write poetry by the melodious songs of Ojha Senarup (a poet and singer of repute), I was attracted to poetry since childhood. My Baba (papa), more often than not, read out and sang the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, Nazrul Islam, Jogindranath Sarkar, Rajanikanta Sen, Kusumkumari, Priyangbada, Mankumari and others. He also sang the songs of the Azad Hind Fauj and that of the Swadeshi Movement. Baba was blessed with a melodious voice, and was enviably skilled in the art of tune, note, measure, speed, ascend, descend, and such other nitty-gritties of songs and music. That way, if I say that his name Surasingh or Surachandra is significant enough, it will in no way be an exaggeration.

It was a Friday in 1966/67. It was my birthday. After his catnap in the afternoon, Baba washed his face and sat on a low floor stool on the verandah. He yawned and stretched. I was lying prone on a cot near the left side of the door, and reading. “Master, fill a hookah of tobacco, and give me. Where is your mom?” Baba said, and yawned again. Baba used to call me master, fondly. I filled a hookah with tobacco and handed over the hubble-bubble to him. “Fan it with your mouth till smoke comes out,” Baba said, and started to hum a

song, that, after a while, came out in a free-flowing voice —

Aamaar saadh naa mitilo, aashaa naa purilo,

Sakali phuraaye jaai maa…

(My desire remained unfulfilled, hopes remained unmet, Mother (Shakti), let me go exhausting all)

The lyrics of the song, its sentiment, meaning, Baba’s sweet voice, the sweetness of the tune and the accurate maintenance of musical note, time and measure kept me spellbound within moments, and an imaginary world started to engross me.

Tears kept dripping down Baba’s cheeks, and he was wiping them out while puffing the hubble-bubble. He started another song —

Brajeswari Raaikishori

Aamaai dayaa karla naa

Aamaar sanger sangi sabaai gelo

Aamaar jaowa holo naa…

(Radharani of Brajabrindavan has not been generous on me. While all my colleagues have got her blessings, and departed, I have got stuck)

Tears kept dripping down his cheeks.

Baba was a man of a contemplative turn of mind. He was too emotional. I have inherited a great deal of his emotion and sentimentalism and perhaps that could have been the true inspirations which inclined me towards poetry.

Be that as it may, I shut the book remembering that, since my mother was not around, it was my duty to offer Baba a cup of tea. I rushed to the hearth, ignited the fire from paddy husks kept nearby as firelighters and put the kettle over it.

The remnant of the song, on the other hand, kept humming in my ears. I was filtering tea with a wire mesh.

“Master, where does the smoke come from?”

Baba asked me.

“I’m preparing tea,” I responded.

“Hari, Hari! (Oh God! Dear me!) As if my throat is wet. Bring it soon. I have to go to the front hamlet. I have something important there.” Baba left for the hamlet after taking tea. Baba is no more, but his sweet voice still overflows on the verandah, the yard and the entire house. Wherever I tread, I hear his sweet voice that still touches me. Why will I not be a poet?! Why will I not write poems!

Heirloom

I am not immortal

Like everyone else,

What will I leave behind

As my parting gifts?

Who knows

when will the void

A shedding flower leaves

On the branch be filled?

I know not who my heir is,

Or would be.

As heirloom, I have only

My unfulfilled wishes,

Pen, papers, rivers,

Canals, streams, the sky,

Factories, machines,

protests, agitation,

Love, affection,

And the entire world.

I will take my lethargy

With me, of course.

Oh, my ‘heir’,

Have you born, or not?

I am waiting for you,

Day in, day out.

Courtesy: Seven Sisters Post (www.sevensisterspost)