Sharmila, the light of Manipur

Irom Sharmila has been leading an unnatural life, out of choice and goaded by the Manipuri society, especially civil society groups. For nearly 11 years now, it has become a routine for her to remain housed in hospital, in judicial custody, with a tube dangling from her nostrils to force-feed her. Always flanked by cops rather than relatives and friends, she visits the court every fortnight in an ambulance and says “no” on being asked if she will end her fast.

Her resilience to carry forward the silent protest since November 2000 against a draconian law, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), has earned her the title Manipur's ‘Iron Lady.' She has put little known Manipur on the world map with probably the longest running hunger strike in recorded history. She has become an iconic figure for the entire Manipuri society; she is the torchlight-bearer of the people against a law that gives the security forces power to kill with impunity.

AFSPA is in force in the ‘disturbed areas' of Assam, Manipur (excluding the Imphal municipal council areas), Nagaland, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, 20 km in Meghalaya bordering Assam, a few police stations in Tripura, besides Jammu and Kashmir. Her hunger strike began following an incident in which the security forces allegedly sprayed bullets and killed 10 innocents at a bus stop in Malom town. Since then the incident has been known as the Malom massacre. The civil society groups are proud of Irom Sharmila for carrying on with her crusade on behalf of the people.

How long will she fast is anybody's guess? She is 39 years old and already past her youth. When she acknowledged to a journalist about her fondness for a man called Desmond Coutinho, a British national of Goan origin, whom she met only once in March this year following a yearlong exchange of letters, there was an element of disdain for her by those who used to shower her with praise and affection.

In one fell swoop, their pride in her has crashed. Why? Is this feeling out of desperation because all along, they supported her and probably in the process pinned their hopes on her “sacrifice”? Did they in the process start misreading “her” struggle as “our” struggle? Is this why her willingness to lead a normal life jolted them?

The civil society groups' struggle, however, appears a long-drawn affair. There has been no progress to replace the Act with a more humane law as was promised by the Union government in 2004. The reason being the security establishment, particularly the Army, is opposed to the idea of tinkering with the Act. Home Minister P. Chidambaram has also admitted the lack of consensus within the government on the issue.

No doubt, Manipur's young and old have had their own share of struggle and apathy. But does it mean that Sharmila has no right to lead a normal life? She has, of course, said she will marry only after the Act is repealed. Whether she is being tricked in this love affair as suspected by many

Babloo Loitongbam, human rights activist from Manipur and Sharmila's long associate from the Just Peace Foundation, refuses to comment on her personal life. “She can stop her fast whenever she wants, she can marry whoever she wants. There will be no interference from our side.”

But what about the Meira Paibis, who took up the cudgels against wrongdoings in the State? In July 2004, Meira Paibis made the headlines worldwide when they stripped themselves — the ultimate form of protest — in front of the Kangla Fort, against the excesses committed by the security forces on the people. Why did they not support Sharmila? Why did they not stand up for another woman's cause?

Interested parties see a conspiracy and burnt copies of the newspaper that published her interview and banned the newspaper in Manipur. Why? According to some civil rights activists, a relationship has surely developed between Sharmila and Desmond. But the venom is against the reportage. “In the backdrop of Anna Hazare's fast against corruption, the article was more about her love story than the cause for which she has been on a hunger strike for more than a decade. The write-up also tried to create differences between her and us. …why?…how can we intrude into her personal life when we are not even allowed to meet her?” asks a civil society activist.

But, how long will the civil society groups ride on Sharmila's shoulders? On the one hand, these groups strongly support freedom of the press and, on the other, they ban the newspaper in Manipur for publishing Sharmila's interview. Why this double standard?

Whatever the case, Sharmila should not be allowed to end up like Bobby Sands, the revolutionary spirit of freedom who represented the Irish nationalist aspirations and died on the 66th day of his hunger strike in May 1981. Or like Pedro Luis Boitel, a political revolutionary from Cuba, who died in jail in May 1972 following his fast unto death. Potti Sreeramulu, the Amarajeevi (immortal being), died in December 1952, following his fast for linguistic re-organisation of the States and achieving Andhra Pradesh. And, there are also others who have died — unsung heroes like Swami Nigamanand in June 2011 after fasting in his quest for stopping quarrying in the Ganga.

                                                                                                                                                Source: The Hindu

Mukna

Mukna : The game is the Manipuri style of wrestling played between two male competitors for trial of strength by skill and physical force. Manipuri wrestlers wear white turbans and customary costumes. The game is generally played on the day before the Deity as a part of the ceremonial function and the function cannot be completed without this game. It is popular in Manipur as a manly and prestigious game. The game had royal patronage in the past.
Mukna is a sport, which is a combination of wrestling and judo, originating from, and popularized by our state Manipur. Historical records prove, that Mukna has been played since, the first half of the 15th century, but no exact record is available of the earlier meets.
In Manipur, there is a belief that this type of wrestling goes as far back as the Hayachak era (Satya Yug), when Pakhangba, the son of the Atiya Guru Shidaba, caught his irate brother, Sanamahi who was the incarnation of a horse, causing chaos and confusion in the kingdom. Sanamahi was furious with his father, for naming Pakhangba as his successor. Pakhangba trapped his brother at the end of a long and bitter encounter, when he used a deadly grip that rendered Sanamahi powerless. This paved way for the birth of Mukna. This sport really flourished during the reign of King Khagemba (1597-1672). The game is generally played on the last day of the festival of Lai Haraoba (worship of the sylvan diety), and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions.
The competitions are usually in the same weight category. Contestants, wearing a waist belt and a groin belt, hold each other's belts, and then the match begins. Holding the opponent's neck, hair, ear, private parts or legs with the hands, are considered foul. Boxing and kicking are also not permitted. The competitor who touches the ground first with his head, back, shoulder, knee or the hand, is declared the loser.

Some of the traditional equipments and dresses of the land are used by the players of this game. This is principally, to protect the vital parts of a player's body. It also helps to identify the pana or the yek, to which the wrestler belongs. The waist belt is known as a ningri. The winner is called a yatra. He is declared winner, if he succeeds in pinning his opponent to the ground - with the whole of his body or his back touching the ground.

There are many techniques or lou, used in Mukna. Absolute physical fitness and skill is required, while mastering these techniques. Today, the game is popular in Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnpur.

Sagol kangjei (polo)

Sagol Kangjei(Polo) : Manipur is considered as the real home of Polo. The Manipuri Puranas trace it to the mythological age when it was played by the gods. This game is also believed to have been played on the occasion of recognising Laishna as the wife of King Pakhangba of Manipur who ascended the throne in 33 A.D. The game is played on horse-back with seven players a side. Mounted players hit the ball to the goal. The stick is made of cane having a narrow wooden head fixed on it. The ball about 14 inches in circumference is made of bamboo root and is usually light. The Manipuris play on ponies which are not more than 4ft.6inches in height. The game is now played in 2 styles namely Manipuri Style and International Style.


Polo is one of the oldest games. Scholars  usually point out that the earliest forms of the game were played in ancient Persia, that it later spread slowly to the East. The name Polo is said to have derived from pulu, the Tibetan word for ball. The Moghul conquerors brought Polo to India. But it died along with the decline of the Moghul Empire in India.
Polo in Manipur had a different ancestry. Manipur, one of the 25 States constituting the Indian Union today, was not a part of India until 1949. All the major ethnic groups constituting the Manipuri people are of the Mongoloid stock and their languages belong to the Tibeto-Burman family. Polo is a part of their cultural inheritance, as waves of people migrated from southern China in the prehistoric times.
Among the Meiteis, which is the predominant ethnic group among the Manipuri people, the divine guardian of polo is called Marjing. One of the rituals today in Umang Lai (sylvan deities representing ancestors) worship is a mime by the Maibi (priestess), holding a mallet in her hand, of a game of polo.



Manipur existed as an independent kingdom for centuries until the British defeated them  in 1891. However, Anglo-Manipur relations were firmly established in the aftermath of the First Anglo-Burmese War 1819-24 which also resulted in the annexation of Assam to the British Indian Empire. A British Political Agent was stationed at Imphal, the capital of Manipur, from 1835.
British officers certainly saw Sagol Kangjei (polo) being played regularly at  Mapal Kangjeibung (polo ground) in Imphal because it was adjacent to both the royal palace and the Political Agency. Sagol literally means a pony in Manipuri language while Kangjei stands for a game played with sticks.
Polo is generally associated elsewhere with the royalty. In Manipur it was, and still is, played with enthusiasm by ordinary people so much so that, as a popular story goes, polo players were known to have pawned their wives to buy a pony.
The enthusiasm apparently infected Captain Robert Stewart, assistant deputy commissioner of Cachar, a district in Assam under British administration which also had a sizable Manipuri population as it was contiguous to Manipur. During 1853-54 he invariably joined the Manipuris when Sagol Kangjei was played at Silchar, the district headquarters.
In 1859 Stewart became the deputy commissioner and Lieutenant John Shearer joined as assistant deputy commissioner. The duo enthusiastically took to the game and they decided to start a polo club to play in matches against the Manipuri players. Thus came into existence, in March 1859, the Silchar Polo Club in a meeting held at Stewart’s bungalow. Its first elected members were Captain Robert Stewart, Lt. John Shearer, James Davidson, Julius Sandermon, James Abemetly, Arthur Brownlow, Earnest Echardt, W. Walker and A. Stewart. The Silchar Polo Club, now called the Retreat Club, is possibly the world's first polo club.
By 1861 polo was played in Dacca on the initiative of Captain Eustace Hill of Lahore Light Horse who saw the game being played on a trip to Cachar.  British merchants from Calcutta were similarly introduced to the game and got interested. The Calcutta Polo Club was formed in 1862. Now the game spread rapidly to almost every cantonment in British India.
In 1864, on invitation from Calcutta, the Silchar Polo Club raised a Manipuri polo team known as The Band of Brothers and Lt. John Shearer took them, with their ponies, to Calcutta by country boat. The team consisted of Toolsi Singh, Chowba Singh, Ammu Singh, Omah Singh, Tubal Singh, Aema Ba and Monga Pa. The Manipuri team easily defeated the Calcutta team.
A match was also staged between the Calcutta Polo Club and the Manipuri team on the occasion of a visit to Calcutta by the Prince of Wales in 1876. It ended in a draw. It was largely due to the tireless efforts of Lt. John Shearer that  Sagol Kangjei got transformed into the popular game of modern polo. When Shearer retired as a Major General, he was rightly acknowledged as the father of English Polo.
The first regular match in England was played at Hounslow in 1869 between the 10th Hussars and the 9th Lancers with eight a side. It was then known as ‘Hockey on Horseback’, a curiosity in the British society. The 10th Hussars won by three goals to two.  Hurlingham started polo in 1874 and soon became the headquarters of the game. The rest is part of fairly known polo history.
Sagol Kangjei always enjoyed the patronage of Manipur kings. After the Anglo-Manipur War 1891, when Manipur came under British suzerainty (not as a part of the British India), the government continued its patronage by including a separate provision for polo in the Manipur State Budget.
A Maharaja-in-Council, under a democratic Manipur constitution, governed when the British left the Indian subcontinent in 1947. A Manipur State Polo Committee was formed in 1948 by a resolution of the Manipur State Council to look after the game. The Maharaja was its patron. However, an abrupt change in the fortunes of polo occurred when Manipur became a part of India in October 1949. The entire polo establishment in the government was disbanded and government patronage to polo was discontinued.
 For a long time, permission was not granted for playing polo at Mapal Kangjeibung, the world’s oldest existing polo ground where Sagol Kangjei had been played since time immemorial. The consequent shock and hurt feelings among the Manipuri people was palpable.
The problem was aggravated by the utter destruction of properties and rampant dislocation in  socio-economic life during World War II in which Manipur was a ‘prize’ to be won between the Japanese and the Allied forces.  The pony was a casualty of the war. The Manipuri people were struggling for return to a normal life when the swift political changes overtook them.

The game of Kang

Kang-Sanaba: It is a game played on the mud floor of big out-houses. It consist of hitting the targets fixed on the floor with hard and smooth oblong shaped flat instruments known as "kang". The tradition of this game is very old. It is mentioned in the folk epic of  Khamba and Thoibi. This particular game is said to be 'Panthoibi' the Manipuri counterpart of Durga the goddess of war and destroyer of the enemies of the gods.



Physically, a fine race, the Manipuris is devoted to sports and games. There are number of traditional games that have their origin back in Manipur. One of the most popular indoor game among them is Kang. The game, Kang is known to the Bishnupriya Manipuris as Gilla (though Gilla is developed as a variant of Kang) and Kanga-Sanaba to the Meiteis. It is an indigenous Manipuri game played on the day between Manipuri New Year’s Day (Cheiraoba/Bishu) and the Ratha Jatra (Kang) festival.
A round object called Kang which is the seed of a creeper (Uri) is used in this game. It is about one and a half inch in diameter and ¾ of an inch in thickness. The game is played among two teams each of seven either males of females usually mixed up. A player has to Shoot a point from a fixed position. If the parties hit the target twice with the Kang then, Lamtha is adopted. Lamtha is played by propelling the disk on its flat side along the surface of the ground by the force of middle finger of the right hand acting the finger of the left.. At the end of half a duration of the play, interchange of the directions takes place. Of the two teams, the one who can hit the target for a greater number by two Chekpheis (shooting from a standing position) and one Lamtha is the winner.
There are tales, both legendary and mythological, that claim that Kang was played by gods and goddesses, soon after the earth was created. According to some sources Kang is played by the deity “Panthoibi”. It is believed that the seven players on either side represent the seven days of the week and the Chekphei and Lamtha kangkhul are believed to 15 in number on one side and both sides represent 30 days, making a complete month. There are evidences that the Manipuris began to play this game well before the arrival of Vaishnavism in Manipur. Earlier, the dignitaries of the Palace including the Maharani and the Maharaja also participated on social functions. In the old days Kang was played during summer starting from Cheiraoba/Bishu to Kang.

Presently, the game is played in several tournaments through out the year. Rules and regulation have been modified to suit the changing needs of the game. In Bangladesh a Kang Federation is formed to organize the game annually. Besides there are few individual attempts to preserve the cultural tradition of Manipur in some Bishnupriya Manipuri localities like Tilakpur, Ghoramara etc.