UPF observes National Rededication Day
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, January 09 2023:
United People's Front (UPF), Manipur observed the 189th death anniversary of Eningthou Chinglen Nongdrenkhomba, popularly known as Maharaj Gambhir Singh, at the hall of Manipur Dramatic Union (MDU), Yaiskul Police Lane, here, on Monday.
The observance function was attended by UPF president N Rupachandra, Kabui Union Manipur president Dr Hera Kabui, United Meetei Pangal convener Abdur Razak and Kuki Inpi Manipur secretary Mangcha Haokip as presidium members while assistant professor Dr Sapam Dilipkumar of MU law department was present as resource person.
In his speech at the function, Rupachandra said that the death anniversary of Maharaj Gambhir Singh is being observed as National Rededication Day in cotpmemoration of the role played by Maharaj Gambhir in chasing away Awa from Manipur and regrouping the people who had left Manipur.
When the invading Awa soldiers created reign of terror in Manipur during the seven years devastation from 1819 to 1826, Maharaj Gambhir brought 500 soldiers from Tekhao and pushed back the Awa from Manipur.
After chasing away the Awa, Gambhir Singh also put enormous efforts to regroup Manipuris scattered at different places outside Manipur from 1826 to 1834 .
Delivering the keynote address of the commemorative event, UPF secretary S Subashchandra said that it is natural for identity of a community to be suppressed if forces trying to destroy culture, identity, religion and tradition of that community bear fruit.
When the Awa invaded Manipur, majority of people including the king escaped to neighbouring kingdoms like Cachar and the invading force caused terror upon those stayed back for seven years which is still known as seven years' devastation (Chahi Taret Khuntakpa).
Even though the king and their close relatives left, Heerachandra and his colleagues of both hills and valley demoralised the Awa military with guerrilla attacks, and from 1826 to 1834, Chinglen Nongdrenkhomba regrouped the scattered Manipuris to reconsolidate the kingdom.
In commemoration of Chinglen Nongdrenkhomba's effort to reunite the scattered people to form Manipur as Asiatic power, UPF has been observing National Rededication Day every year, he added.