Birth Centenary Celebrations of Jananeta Irabat Singh, 1996 : Book Translation
- Part 8 -
Discussion on Irabot’s "Imagi Puja [Worshipping the Mother]" : Part 2
James Oinam *
Birth Centenary Celebrations of Jananeta Irabat Singh, 1996 : Book Cover
Discussion on Irabot’s "Imagi Puja [Worshipping the Mother]": Part 2
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
A society bounded in such a lovely motherland, is it really true or false, when looked into, it became clear to Irabot:
Nattana haijinba samajki ruchi(?)
Ngashi patal phaona nilli
Oidaba mee ama pham thindok-e
Machi amada khamthengna kihalli
Ashiba ama hiyang athauba oihalli
Pokpana makok khiyong tongba
Thokpana pokle bramha ama
Chumdabana neiba kaya kaya
Achumbagi pangal hikthare
Chumdabana mapham sinkhare
Mit tangsinna, na pangsinna
Achumba kaya namhattuna
Oihalle yohilangna sana
Dan-ni jailkhana na
[Lying about interest and love of the society
Today reverberates up to hell
Granted a position to unworthy
At a corner threatened to utmost
A dead is turned to “hiyang athauba”
One who is born rides at head of khiyong(?)
Thokpa (fate?) has given birth to a world
The wrong exploits many
The right has become weak
The wrong has taken its place
Pretending to be blind, pretending to be deaf
Suppressing many truths
The iron(?) chains has been made gold
The jail is the charity]
[Translator’s note: Comparable to zombie, hiyang athauba is a mythical evil ghost or demon risen from the dead because of a bad omen. Some translations are guesses as the author seems to have used few words to make it rhyme as well as insinuate to similar words, e.g., pokpa and thokpa.
Also, I am not sure if “yohilang” is some kind of thread “lang” of “yohi” or it is corruption of “yotli” (iron chain?) + “lang” (a net). The word “khiyong” could be “kiyong” (a temple as per current understanding). Is this referring to “pokpa”, i.e., “birth” (read caste), determining who rides at the head of “temple” (rath yatra)? However, these are only conjectures.]
Irabot was the leader who exposed these lies of the society without fear. In the early 1930s, women depicted in prose and poetry seem to be in another world. They are always portrayed as lovely heroines. They seem oblivious of what they are facing in the society and live in their own dreams of love. Kamal’s Urirei and Madhabi, Chaoba’s Labanglata, Anganghal’s Zahera—all devotees of love.
But Irabot shows clearly to the readers women he had seen, the unfortunate women living without freedom, and not the beautiful, fair, full of grace from whom one cannot take their eyes off. The personality of the women in Irabot’s work is as follows:
Ubada takshi sonba
Amut nik nik laoba
Kadai phajaba murtiduna?
Sam punsillu devi
Epha pharedo, nupigi hakchangna
Kabakthang shuri mathau yengpham
Sangin maton chang yengpham
Macha mawa kainarabi nupisingna
Makhut yanduna chei thawai sokna
[Weak to look at
Dim and flickering(?)
Where is the beautiful statue?
Tie your hair woman
It’s unruly
And the body of women
A place to test sharpness of knife(?)
A place to test the tip of the bayonet
Separated from husband and child
Hanging their hands, stick touching the soul]
Irabot’s women are not free, but dependent on others—on men and on society.
Nupibu thamligadra pongi uchekgum ebungngo?
Chak lukhak kharadangtang charaga
Minaigumna thabak pumnamak taurigadra?
Khajiktang soibada mitchei taduna khangligadra?
Sha-sangum cheija nambonrigadra?
Nupi lonbagi meirakta changduna khangngamdaba awaba kaya khanglidra?
[O men will you keep women like a caged bird?
Eating some leftover food
Like a servant will she do all chores?
On slightest mistake will your stick-like eyes tolerate?
Like animals will you beat?
Entering into the fire of polygamy will tolerate the intolerable?]
To be continued .....
* James Oinam wrote this translated article for e-pao.net
The writer can be contacted at jamesoinam(AT)gmail(DOT)com
This article was webcasted on July 02 2024 .
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