Birth Centenary Celebrations of Jananeta Irabat Singh, 1996 : Book Translation
- Part 11 -
Discussion on Irabot’s "Imagi Puja [Worshipping the Mother]" : Part 5

James Oinam *

Birth Centenary Celebrations of Jananeta Irabat Singh, 1996 : Book Cover

Discussion on Irabot’s "Imagi Puja [Worshipping the Mother]": Part 5
Dr. Karam Manimohan

Translator’s Note: Translated from Manipuri section of the book below
Book: Birth Centenary Celebrations of Jananeta Irabat Singh, 1996
Editor: L. Damodar Singh
Joint Editor: Dr. N. Tombi Singh
Jointly Organised by Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Calcutta
and Department of Art and Culture, Manipur,
Sept. 29 and Oct. 13, 1996

Cover design: Premananda Roy
Published by: Shri Th. Subol Singh
Printed at: Padma Printers (Computerised), Paona Bazar, Imphal – 795001

Irabot was a poet dedicated to the poor and oppressed. Giving up self-interest and not keep things for oneself, and sharing with everyone were his ideals. People breaking rocks on roadside, people working the fields with sickle in hands, wearing torn cloths, unable to eat properly and women with unkempt hair and cloths — these are main characters of the poet and backbone of his poetry.

Despite the destitution the poet sees love still surviving, and desire to be friends with. Dancing in the laps of enchanting nature, a germ of magic can be seen in many heroes and heroines.

Nongpokta phingau sallakle
Apam nungshi lang thorakle
Malika kundona pungau ngaure
Leinamna thammoi mei thagatle
Nungshi wari khonjel pairakle
Nungshi meiri thokna chaklakle
Apam nungshi meimutnaba

[The east is wearing white cloths(?)
The net of desire and love has been cast
Malika and kundo have become completely white
Fragrance of flowers lits fire in the heart
Voices of lovers’ stories are flying
Fire of love is burning bright
Full of desire and love(?)

Note: The kundo flower is used to make garlands for marriage purpose. Thus, its blooming (become completely white) can be an insinuation to romantic love.]

Taking help of nature, the poet sings about lovers:

Ani kainaramdai nungshi bidaida
Chinga chinhenna chupnaba
Numitki angangba mamina thungna
Chelli samudragi masha pumthung thungna

[Before the two separate
Kissing on the lips
Red image of sun fills completely
Flows over the ocean entirely]

“Luhongbagi bar kanya
Khoirum momon tauna
Nungshi epakta tauri
Nungaiba ahing lelli”

[In marriage the bride and groom
Offer prayer with smile
Floating on the lake of love
Spend the night in pleasure]

After the war Irabot was the first to use English to increase the beauty of poetry. It gave a character as these were inserted at appropriate places. However, most of them were used in poetic vision of war.

For example, left, right, aeroplane, sairen (siren), motar (motor, vehicles), officer, bomb, anti-aircraft gun, fascism, inspection, division, cross, board, manual, jailor, dictator, general, grass(?), gerilla (guerilla), register, natsi (Nazi), rifle, Alps, Hitler, frame, top (cannon), sipai (note: Hindi for police), gas bomb(?), platoon, select(?) jail.

These were often used by revolutionary poets. Seen in this way, Irabot can be considered as Vladimir Mayakovsky. Irabot was autobiographical poet. Emagi Puja poems portrays personal experiences and records during his incarceration at Silet (Sylhet) district jail.

“Emagi Puaj” was a personal diary. He could view the nook and corners comprehensively like W.H. Auden of Manipur. However, he was not submissive, even when his dreams were broken, he would persist with his beliefs. He envisioned a new world that was far away.

He sings:

Lapna—yamna lapna
Anauba duniyagi maikeida
Atiya manna kariba
Haigangliba(?) uphul ubada
Siraba inglaba hakchangda
Chongloi ashagi meehunna

[Far, far away
In the direction of a new world
Climbing like the sky
Haigangliba(?) on seeing dust
A cold dead body
Won’t have pulse of hope]

(Source: With permission of the author from “Wakhal”, June 1994, Number 79/82)

Concluded .....