Celebrating sibling love
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 05, 2013 -

Ningols on the way to their homes during Ningol Chakkouba at Imphal on Novemver 15, 2012 :: Pix - Jinendra Maibam

"I see a brother and sister, sitting over there together, fighting over a toy, they just can't seem to see, their love shining through, with every smile that they bring…", these lines from a short poem by Valerie Dupont beautifully sums up the very essence of the relationship between brothers and sisters.

As we celebrate Ningol Chakkouba, one of the biggest and most awaited festivals in Manipur in which the married sisters are invited by their brothers at their maternal home for a grand feast, we can't help but to reminisce over the evolving relationship between the two siblings, who are so different, yet share so many things in common that would remains cherishing lifelong.

Indeed, the relationship between the brothers and the sisters is one of the most enduring relationships of all.

When young, they might be fighting like cats over a tattered toy a while ago, but in the next moment, they would become co-conspirators of some mischief in the house.

They may be the tormentors of their parents but also the objects of their pride. During their teens, sisters teach brothers about the mysteries of girls and the brothers help in solving the puzzle of boys.

However, as they come of age, brothers and sisters have to walk in different directions to live their own 'life'. It may seem unfair, but that is the way of the world and we have to take it on our stride.

Ningol Chakkouba is the celebration of that enduring sibling bonding between the brothers and their sisters.

Though the exact date on which the celebration of Ningol Chakkouba started in Manipur has been lost in antiquity, legend says that Queen Leisana, wife of King Pakhangba (who ruled Manipur, then known as Kangleipak in 33 AD), invited her brother Poireiton for a feast and that led to an annual ritual known as Piba Chakkouba, in which married women invite their brothers for a feast together.

However, this annual ritual led to a problem when a brother has more than one sister and was invited at the same time and day at different places.

Thus, during the reign of Chandrakirti, the king decided to invite all his sisters at his palace for the feast instead of going to the houses of his sisters.

That is how the tradition of inviting married sisters by their brothers for the annual feast came into being and the name was changed from Piba Chakkouba to Ningol Chakkouba.

The beauty of celebrating Ningol Chakkouba is such that married women come to their brothers' houses not just to share a sumptuous meal together but also the joys and sorrows of life, thus, reaffirming their inalienable bonding.

However, over the years, the true essence of celebrating Ningol Chakkouba seems to have taken a back seat in the mad competition over the kinds of gifts to be presented.

This is very unfortunate; because the love and respect between the brothers and the sisters could never be measured by the amount of money one could spend on the gifts to be presented for the Ningol Chakkouba.