Meitei – A lost identity.
Once I was scrolling through the internet and stumble across a name Mr H.Randhir Singh, I thought it must be of a Punjabi or some North Indian guy but NO it is actually one of my friend Haobam Randhir singh. The Surname Haobam make me identify he is a meitei otherwise his SINGH make him to be a Punjabi. How confusion can just a single name creates.
Yes! One can ask what’s in a name. To someone who has denounced all earthly pleasures for Spiritual attainment it signifies nothing. But to a mortal being like you and me it means everything.
Yes, a name is something which tells the full detail about a person. It identifies you from others and makes you something unique. A name is your identity, revealing your parentage, community and your origin. It differentiates one person from another and one community from another.
Meitei – one of the ethnic communities dwelling in parts of Manipur have rich traditions and cultures and take pride in their origin. Meitei is an amalgamation of 7 clans and are a martial race in nature. Meitei kings had been ruling over the kingdom of Manipur or Kangleipak for centuries prior to its merger with India.
Successive kings ruled over the kingdom maintaining a unique identity. Following their own religion of Sanamahism (An ancient meitei religion) but with the advent and spread of Hinduism, the traditional religion could not hold ground as compared to the more refined religion of Hinduism.
The ruling King of Manipur enforced his subjects to embraced Hinduism and denounced the old religion subjecting to its total destruction. All the sacred text, scripts and records where burned to cinders historically termed as (Puya mei thaba).
Perhaps that was the start of the devolution of meitei identity. The meitei’s embraced Hinduism as their state religion. New forms of worship, culture and dance forms evolved. Names changed, social nomenclature changed and along with the religion seep along social evils like casteism.
The new religion gave the people a new life, beautiful dance forms like Ras leela (Classical dance of Manipur) and new festivals started to being celebrated.
Though the new religion brought in many good things but along with it came social evils like casteism and concept of purity- impurity. Non Hindus where discarded as untouchables and impure thus a division between blood brothers started with the meitei embracing Hinduism.
To identify that they are Hindu new surnames and titles like Singh and Devi started to be added. Such things more diluted the meitei identity. I recollect an incident when one of my uncles who had gone out of the state for his higher studies long time back. After completion of his course came back and immediately changed his name. What forced him to take such a step can be easily identified as he was called Keisham Brajakumar singh but his friends rebuked him asking him how an oriental looking fellow can be a SINGH. He changed his name afterwards as Keisham Imoba meitei.
Currently there are turmoil’s in the state where our blood brothers are demanding separation from the state. The Nagas are demanding for South Nagaland and the Kukis a seperate politically administered region for the kukis. After long years of searching for a different identity Meitei’s have suddenly woken up. They have woken up to the fact that they are not different from their Brethen brother’s with whom they have co-existed for centuries.They have realized that they are their brothers and that they should not be separated. But somehow our brother’s have failed to recognize us. They have failed to recognize their brothers. We Meitei’s have lost our identity.
Once I was scrolling through the internet and stumble across a name Mr H.Randhir Singh, I thought it must be of a Punjabi or some North Indian guy but NO it is actually one of my friend Haobam Randhir singh. The Surname Haobam make me identify he is a meitei otherwise his SINGH make him to be a Punjabi. How confusion can just a single name creates.
Yes! One can ask what’s in a name. To someone who has denounced all earthly pleasures for Spiritual attainment it signifies nothing. But to a mortal being like you and me it means everything.
Yes, a name is something which tells the full detail about a person. It identifies you from others and makes you something unique. A name is your identity, revealing your parentage, community and your origin. It differentiates one person from another and one community from another.
Meitei – one of the ethnic communities dwelling in parts of Manipur have rich traditions and cultures and take pride in their origin. Meitei is an amalgamation of 7 clans and are a martial race in nature. Meitei kings had been ruling over the kingdom of Manipur or Kangleipak for centuries prior to its merger with India.
Successive kings ruled over the kingdom maintaining a unique identity. Following their own religion of Sanamahism (An ancient meitei religion) but with the advent and spread of Hinduism, the traditional religion could not hold ground as compared to the more refined religion of Hinduism.
The ruling King of Manipur enforced his subjects to embraced Hinduism and denounced the old religion subjecting to its total destruction. All the sacred text, scripts and records where burned to cinders historically termed as (Puya mei thaba).
Perhaps that was the start of the devolution of meitei identity. The meitei’s embraced Hinduism as their state religion. New forms of worship, culture and dance forms evolved. Names changed, social nomenclature changed and along with the religion seep along social evils like casteism.
The new religion gave the people a new life, beautiful dance forms like Ras leela (Classical dance of Manipur) and new festivals started to being celebrated.
Though the new religion brought in many good things but along with it came social evils like casteism and concept of purity- impurity. Non Hindus where discarded as untouchables and impure thus a division between blood brothers started with the meitei embracing Hinduism.
To identify that they are Hindu new surnames and titles like Singh and Devi started to be added. Such things more diluted the meitei identity. I recollect an incident when one of my uncles who had gone out of the state for his higher studies long time back. After completion of his course came back and immediately changed his name. What forced him to take such a step can be easily identified as he was called Keisham Brajakumar singh but his friends rebuked him asking him how an oriental looking fellow can be a SINGH. He changed his name afterwards as Keisham Imoba meitei.
Currently there are turmoil’s in the state where our blood brothers are demanding separation from the state. The Nagas are demanding for South Nagaland and the Kukis a seperate politically administered region for the kukis. After long years of searching for a different identity Meitei’s have suddenly woken up. They have woken up to the fact that they are not different from their Brethen brother’s with whom they have co-existed for centuries.They have realized that they are their brothers and that they should not be separated. But somehow our brother’s have failed to recognize us. They have failed to recognize their brothers. We Meitei’s have lost our identity.
4 comments:
Hi Bro. This is a very refreshing read. I hope Meiteis will realize their root and unite with the rest of their brethren in Manipur. It's a shame that they consider themselves above others because Hindu missionaries told them so.
Keep up the good work.
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I strongly oppose to what Maraland or whatever… quote as saying "It's a shame that they consider themselves above others because Hindu missionaries told them so". We have already hacked off that very idea of any Hindu missionaries' invading our Leibaak. We were intelligent as well as strong then as we are now. It was a mistake of one fool-headed King “Pamheiba” that we are still paying the price. Hadn’t our sacred Puya been set to fire, we would have proudly revealed our identity to the world. But fortunately all were not lost and we are still working towards gathering the missing pieces. This is a tough task ahead but not IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!
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