Zeliangrong on the path of reviving Pukpha
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, August 03 2012: "Before the advent of Christianity, Pukpha festival was celebrated on the first day of harvesting season every year.

The culture and tradition of a community is a gift from the God and we need to protect it" .

In a bid to revive the extinct Pukpha (Napthan Ngai) festival, Zeliangrong Custom and Research Committee (ZCRC) and Manipur State Archives Government of Manipur jointly kicked off celebration of the festival at the Community Hall of Tamenglong district headquarters on Friday.

Inaugurating the festival as Chief Guest, Kh Sushila, Deputy Director of Manipur State Archives, Government Manipur said, "The effort to revive the extinct Pukpha festival is a welcoming move from the people of Zeliangrong community.

We need to preserve the history of the community.

The tradition, culture and various art forms are the relics from our fore-father and we need to preserve all of them in the form of written records for the future generations to come" .

Contending that culture and tradition are inseparable entities of human being, Sushila said that we need to respect and acknowledge our own culture.

Urging the people of Zeliangrong community to restore Pukpha Festival, Kiphunang, Chairperson of ZCRC said, "Pukpha festival has great cultural significance to the Zeliangrong community.

Zeliangrong people used to wear corals and bangles during ritual ceremonies.

However, with the advent of Christianity in 1965, most of these cultural legacies have been thrown away by the Christian missionaries" .

Pointing out the importance of Pukpha festival, Kiphunang, who presided over the inaugural function of the festival, explained that before the advent of Christianity, Pukpha festival was celebrated on the first day of harvesting season every year.

The culture and tradition of a community is a gift from the God and we need to protect it, he added.

Ngamthuiang Panmei, who attended the function and spoke as a resource person, expressed happiness over the initiatives taken by the Zeliangrong community to revive an extinct festival like Pukpha, which has close relationship with the socio-cultural life of the community and suggested that the festival should be celebrated in a grand manner from next year.

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