"The Other Manipur" :: A Book Review
- A compilation of 6 volumes edited by H Dwijasekhar Sharma -
Marc *
The other manipur
(6 Vols in 12 parts)
Edited by H Dwijasekhar Sharma
The Other Manipur in six volumes, does now form the second endeavour of the editor, having already brought forth New Insights into the Glorious Heritage of Manipur Vol. I-III" (http://books.e-pao.net/heritage_manipur/) in 2009. The Other Manipur has put together an outstanding selection of papers on the oft-heard but less-known Manipur, or that two-millennia old kingdom situated aloft the Pondaung Hills at the border of India with Burma ( Myanmar ). As true of the papers in the first set, these essays too take the reader to the cutting edge of Manipur social science, to the sticky issues defying answers, yet so essential to address.
The Other Manipur's views and visions are not entirely surprising with the contributors to these volumes, themselves being leading Manipuri thinkers in a wide range of disciplines. Some of these present a rich collection of arguments that deserve to change the way 'official India ' thinks about the "fringe areas" in general and Manipur in particular. Neither, the Nehruvian concept of the "problematic of Indian development as building a strong state with just means" nor the Gandhian antithesis of building a just State with strong means fit the bill of the fringe area, simmering with the wilderness of the Burmese plains and the Southeast Asia even at the beginning of the 21st century.
Compiled by some University professors and experts having specialized knowledge in chosen fields, the various areas of specialization dealt are ethnicity, historicity, dance and music, literature, cinema, theatre, pena music, martial arts, bioresources, climate change, visual arts, militancy, conflict resolution, Manipuri Diaspora etc.
Packed with facts, figures, illustrations, photographs and glossaries etc, this multidisciplinary work is a magnum opus on Manipur - the Jewel of India. It's a "constant companion on Manipur," as commended by Ratan Thiyam (foreword).
The collection is priced at : Rs15,000/-
and is Published by:
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