"Ahing Ama" (a collection of short story written in Manipuri language) :: A Book Review

Nongmaithem Rakesh *

Genre: Fiction/Literature
Language: Manipuri
Price: Rs. 50
Publisher: Suchita Printing Works

If you want to know about a society or a culture, what will you do? You may read about the exotic culture, its history, its geography and its tradition. You can enlighten this way. But there is another simpler and more enjoyable way to learn about the exotic culture and tradition. The innovative way is to study its literature. Like when you study foriegn writers you picks the ways of the foreign society. It has been rightly said that literature is the mirror of a society.

"AHING AMA" is a collection of Manipuri short stories written by Binodini Phurailatpam. The book contains 20 interesting short stories. She has also written "PHIJINUNGDA" IN 1996. It is thin book which has 100 pages. However, don't go by the thickness or rather the thinness of the books. If you can go through it, you will be entertained and educated about the society of Manipur.

The book opens with the short story titled "MARAL KHANGDE"(Don't know the crime). It is a story about a simple labourer named Musuk who is a daily wage earner. He is a reticent as well as a hard working fellow. One day he was found murdered. Nobody knows the reason for killing him and who had killed him. It is one of the story that reflect the current situation of the world. People are being killed.

Almost everyone doesn't know the reason for all the killing and who the murderers are. This story also highlights the negative role of the media. Another story worth mentioning is the "WAKAT" (Proposal). It is the story of a old lady who is bedridden. She need the help of someone to move about. Though she is being look after by her son and the daughter in law, there is something wanting on her part. It shows the plight of the old man and woman of the world. Their voices are often neglected and they are kept in a corner room. Besides this, the other stories are interesting and beautifully written .

Almost all the stories reflect the current problem of the society particularly the society of Manipur. The stories "LANGDAI ANIGI TAINAPHAM" discusses the difficulties faced by the widows. The story "ASISU PUNSINI" (This is also life) states the universal facts that Education is not for job but to make you a better person. The short stories touch upon the problem of AIDS, drug addict, problem faced by the working women, etc.

The special characteristics of the book is that almost all the stories have a widow in its plot. As it is written by a woman, the story is being told from the perspective of a woman. There are less dialogues between the characters. Instead there are the internal dialogues of the characters. This makes it a unique.

So read it, learn it and enjoy it.