EMA and its members mourn the demise of Dr. Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt
- European Manipuri Association (EMA) -

London, UK: 28th January 2009

Dr Arambam Saroj Nalini Parratt passed away peacefully surrounded by her family members at her home in Carlisle United Kingdom on the 6th of January 2009. A woman with a vision for her motherland and a passion for its culture, Aunty Saroj or Enebemma to many of us, embodied the status of a mother figure to the younger generation Manipuris who knew her, and was a confidante and a good friend to the senior members of the Manipuri society.

Born in Imphal, Manipur on the 2nd of June 1933 to an eminent Meitei family, she obtained her BA and MA degrees majoring in Philosophy, and was the first Meitei woman to do so from the Calcutta University. It was also during these years that she converted to Christianity.

She traveled to Britain to pursue Theology, and obtained a Bachelor of Divinity degree from London University in 1961. She was married to John Parratt soon after. Their desire to work in the developing world took them to Nigeria, where she worked as a tutor for Philosophy at the University of Ile-Ife.

Following Nigeria they travelled to Australia for further research and studies, and she received her PhD from the Department of Asian Studies, Australian National University in 1975, for her thesis, titled 'Religion of Manipur'.

From then to the year leading to 2000 she taught at various institutions around southern Africa, including Universities of Malawi and Botswana.

She also dedicated lengthy periods of time on field work in Manipur during those years. In 2001 she was also appointed an Honorary Professor by the University of Manipur.

It is with great pride that one recalls her as an inspirational academician, author, and a preserver of the Manipuri culture and heritage.

She had dedicated herself selflessly towards the work of Manipur and had inspired generations of Manipuris with her work. Her efforts towards that include her many works, more importantly two of them co authored with John Parratt her husband The Pleasing Of The Gods : Meitei Lai Haraoba' and Queen Empress vs. Tikendrajit, the Anglo-Manipuri Conflict of 1891 and translated 'The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur: The Cheitharon Kumpapa, vol 1' , from the Meitei script to English. She completed the final draft for the final volume before she unfortunately passed away after a terminal illness.

It is a greater loss for the European Manipuri Association (EMA) as she had always been a beacon for the association. She was a visionary and played an indispensable part in the formation of EMA and the formulation of its constitution. She chaired the association for a term, and provided guidance and support whenever required.

We at EMA, are especially saddened by this great loss, and pray for peace to her departed soul and express our deepest condolences and comfort to her family.

She is survived by her husband and 3 children and grandchildren.

With our deepest respect and profound sadness,
Members of the European Manipuri Association.
http://www.ema-europe.org/