UCM reaches out to Tripura Manipuris
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 13 2022:
The United Committee Manipur (UCM) has asserted that it would always stand by the Manipuri people who have settled outside the State.
A five-day North East Handloom & Handicraft Mela was opened yesterday at Puthiba Devata Mandir, Abhoynagar, Agartala.
The fair is jointly organised by UCM and Puthiba Welfare & Cultural Society, Agartala.
Speaking at the opening function, UCM president Konthoujam Joychandra appealed to all the Manipuris settled outside Manipur to preserve and promote Manipuri culture, tradition and identity.
Assuring that the UCM would always stand for Manipuri people settled outside the State and help them in times of need, Joychandra urged the Manipuri diaspora not to ever forget their motherland (Manipur) .
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For those Manipuri people settled outside Manipur who wish to learn Manipuri culture and traditional handloom & handicraft, UCM would organise a free training programme at Imphal.
UCM would also provide food and lodging facility, he said.
The UCM president said that they would send training instructors to different Manipuri settlements, if necessary.
Joychandra said that the fair was organised with the primary objective of promoting Manipuri handloom and handicraft products in at National and international levels and also Manipuri traditions, culture and identity.
He said that similar fairs would be organised in Bangladesh and Myanmar too.
Tripura Tribal Welfare and Handloom & Handicraft Minister Mevar Kumar Jamatia remarked that Manipur and Tripura share a close bond since very old days.
Both the States were once sovereign kingdoms.
During those days, Manipuri princesses were married to Tripura kings and thus Manipuri princesses became queens of Tripura, Mevar Kumar Jamatia said.
He said that such cordial relationships shared between Manipur and Tripura should be upheld and younger generations should be informed about these historical ties.
Puthiba Welfare and Cultural Society general secretary Sinam Dipak said, "It is our utmost duty to preserve and promote Manipuri culture, tradition and identity" .
Except for Umang Lai Haraoba and occasional handloom & handicraft fairs, little activities can be seen in Tripura which can help in preserving and promoting Manipuri identity even though there are around 30,000 Manipuris in Tripura, Sinam Dipak said.
It seems the younger generations are not interested in promoting their own culture and identity, he rued.
He said that he felt quite elated on organising the handloom & handicraft fair together with several cultural programmes in association with the UCM.
Agartala Municipal Council Mayor Dipak Majumdar, Mayor in Council Hiralal Debnath and PWCS vice-president Niranjan Datta too attended the opening function as presidium members.