Contemporary Manipuri Short Stories
- Part 3 -

Nahakpam Aruna *

Library at Manipur University (MU) , Canchipur as seen on October 21 2014 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

In the world of Dinamani, where there is no space and time left for truth, symbolic outpourings are the last resort. In these crucial times, what we encounter is not only the turbulent experiences but also the efforts from within to negotiate and escape from the down sliding whirlpool of stormy thoughts that have come to imprison us. The inability to find an escape route can be best understood from the constant tension between the heart and the mind and this is amply demonstrated in many writers' psychoanalytical approach to short stories.

Yumlembam Ibomcha's works uses the concept of "sexual tension" as one way of penetrating through the humankind's minds. Two of his prominent works, "Sunita Amasung Meneka" (Sunita and Meneka) and "Nong Ngankheedaba Ahing" (The Never Ending Night), seeks to uncover the relations between man and woman, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters from a view buried beneath human subconsciousness and seems to indicate that human minds operate under an artificially constructed notion of relationships.

While R.K. Mani's "Matam Amagee Senapati" (The General of the Moment) paints all human beings as war weary generals who had fought, retreated, advanced, won and lost, Ranbir Sarungba's Bindudugee Wari (The Dot's Tale, 1997) is deeply engrossed in philosophical reflection. The primary task seems to be liberating the "self" trapped within repeated circles of lines drawing authority from the society.

The perspective of the "self" is examined, searched and identified by opening the floodgate of thoughts. In doing so, they have also magnified the irreconcilable tension between the inward mind and outward social norms that shapes the human nature. While, Ibomcha builds up his story as if there is a seamless flow of energy between dreams and reality, Ranbir charts a smooth path for human memory to walk along with the story.

There is also another trend in which short stories influenced by realism have effortlessly accommodated the closely guarded inexpressible desires. The effort to bring externally located narratives within the ambit of internal romantic idealism can be found in Sudhir Naoroibam's work Lei-ee Khara, Punshi Khara (Some Lines, Some Lives, 1998).

His "Nungshitombi Amasung Ei" (Nunshitombi and Me) is a story about a free spirited young girl who mingled with her age group without any normative pressures but gradually got entrapped into a cage walled by gendered rules which turned her into a meek bird. Sudhir's "Nongmei" (Guns) reflects how the weak change their perceptions and behaviours when empowered and made invincible. The contradiction between thoughts and actions that do not have a destiny are succinctly portrayed in his "Marup Amagee Awaba" (A Friend's Woes). He is comfortable externalizing the internal in a subtle manner.

The 1980s witnessed the emergence of a new direction in the thematic and thought process of Manipuri short stories. This was the beginning of the post colonial turn which laid extra emphasis on the ethnicity and cultural identity as the motif of the new trend. Turning away from the influence of the West or the seduction of the developed world, regional literatures in India began looking inwards scouting for indigenous sources.

In Manipur too, new crop of writers and poets stopped looking westward and ignored the ideals of modernism in search of the uniqueness in the constitution of nationhood. The peculiarity of the situation made the literary movement a little different from others in that they went beyond cultural identity to incorporate the strident political voices. The new writings are driven by the disillusionment of the people, hopelessness of over fifty years of taking part in India's democratic experience, disengaged politics of the day and new form of colonial exploitation.

The quest for rewriting history, search for the roots, the effort to chart out a path for new historical trajectory and the political echoes that reverberated all around impacted not only on poetry but also short stories. Beyond experiencing universal metaphysical issues and intellectual isolation, the young writers began exploring existential concerns of exploitation. Infused with the task of safeguarding identity and nurturing cultural tradition, they began probing into how their own people have been subjugated or exploited.

The trend gets reflected in Lanchenba Meetei's Meekapthokpada Manglaknaba (The Awakening Nightmare, 1989), Birendrajit Naorem's Amambadasu Anganbadasu (In Darkness and In Light, 1992), Memchoubi's Leiteng (The Ornament, 1992), Akhokpam Kholchandra's Amamba Atiyagee Makhada (Beneath the Dark Sky, 1995).

Towards the end of the 1990s, the thematic content in these young writers were driven by certain revolutionary zeal. They continued using the techniques of expression like the writers of the age of Meirik but had something new to offer. In their effort to highlight issues that cannot be easily expressed through character and plot convention, they take recourse to a critically stylized form of writing to execute the same.

With Lanchenba's "Nongyai Matungsida" (After Midnight) and "Ngaiba" (The Wait), there has been a perceptible shift from the early phase of the age of Meirik in both themes and perspectives with greater emphasis on expressive political symbols and imageries based on cultural rootedness. In "Nongyai Matungsida," Lanchenba sketches the imagery of a Manipuri and his subjective anguish associated with the 13th of August and his feelings of seeing a map of Manipur veiled with cob webs hanging on the wall. This man sees the map as hung lifeless body of a woman raped and murdered. The shrill cry of the woman turns into a nightmare that wakes him up bringing him back into the reality dogged with actual turmoil. To the man, the map represents the motherland still languishing in pain and sorrow.

The entry of Birendrajit and Arambam Ongbi Memchoubi gave a proper shape to this trend. The will and courage to free oneself from political enslavement is vividly reflected in Birendrajit's writing. He takes freedom as a pre-requisite for human existence. A dream for freedom despite being not free is the highlight of his short stories. Memchoubi questions the prevailing political trend of the day fully equipped with engaging political consciousness.

Her writings reflect a continuous flow of patriotic spirit with a poetic spin. Equally at ease at composing poems, Memchoubi takes recourse to creating symbols, dreams and fantasies. In her work, "Leiteng" (Ornament), she raises a significant political question by recalling Khongjom Lan and bringing back to life the voices of those who gave up their lives for the motherland.

She depicts a picture where the fallen heroes resurrect from their graves and ask if the current decadent politics is worth the sacrifice they made. In another work "Ahangba Pun" (Empty Urn), Memchoubi goes on to give a severe critique of the insensitive and corrupt elites whose vested interests have over the ages impoverished Manipur personified as a mother carrying an empty urn with too little to offer her children. Located in the same trend, Kholchandra's "Seennaidabasingee Kumhei" (The Fest of the Jobless) brings out the intensity and gravity of exploitation in the new incarnate of colonial rule.

Another recurring theme many of these writers attempt to bring forward is that of cultural assimilation and resistance. They seem to reject the predominant notion of modernity and development by using allegories, symbols and folk imageries. There is a constant struggle to negotiate their understanding with the strong wave of modern sensibilities while spawning differing ideas. In the attempt to bring out their ideas of the realities and infuse the same to creative products, one cannot rule out the fear that it might impact upon the established art of short story writing.


(This article originally appeared in Manipuri as one of the chapters titled "Houjikki Matamgi Manipuri Warimacha" in Nahakpam Aruna's Nongthangleima Amasung Taibang, Imphal, 2001. It was abridged and translated by Dhiren A. Sadokpam in 2008.)

To be continued..