The Story of Leishemba : Translated from "Manipuri Fungga Wari"
- Part 1 -

James Oinam *

An illustration for 'The Story of Leishemba'

Book Title: Manipuri Fungga Wari
Compiled and Edited by: I.R. Babu Singh
Publisher: Sahitya Academy
Printer: Jaishree Press, Calcutta
Year: 2005

After making the earth, Lainingthau called upon the birds and animals that he created and told them, "See beings with souls, I have created the created the earth and I am satisfied. After morning and day time what shall be responsible. Tell me what do you want?"

On hearing the words of Lainingthau, all of them were left speechless.

After a while, a bird named Kaphu, behaving like the elder, said, "Lainingthau kindly listen, brothers and sisters listen, after morning and day time, I would like to have light for a year and darkness for a year."

Another bird called Jinglen did not like Kaphu's idea. He said, "Listen Lainingthau, listen everyone. Whatever you all think is good let us do it. However, I think after morning and day time, it would be better to have light and dark, light and dark, and so on."

The cock agreed with Jinglen and expressed that doing that would be better. Other birds and animals also agreed with Jinglen.

Kaphu felt humiliated at this, and he dug a hole and hid himself there. Looking at this behaviour of Kaphu, other birds and animals cursed Kaphu that if ever sunlight fell on Kaphu he will die. From that day, if any Kaphu bird came under sunshine it dies.

Since the cock agreed with Jinglen, he was made the lord of daybreak and every morning it announced the coming of the morning.

One day, before the cock crowed in the morning, some sparrows chirped. A squirrel thinking that it is morning climbed up a tree and got some walnuts. In the dim light as the squirrel picked the walnuts, a walnut accidentally fell from the tree and it fell over a crab who was resting under the tree.

As the hard shell of the walnut fell over the crab, it broke the shell of the crab. In pain the crab ran this way and that way. By mistake he ran over and broke an anthill.

In the dark, the angry ants ran in all directions. The ants attacked a wild pig that was innocently sleeping nearby. The wild pig woke up. Feeling the itch, the pig scratched its ears and started running here and there.

The pig ran into a bunch of plantains growing nearby and started chewing the plants. A bird called Konghar had built a nest among the plantains, the wild pig disturbed him. The bird in the dark unknowingly flew into the nose of an elephant.

The bird clawed the inside of the nose of the elephant. The elephant started running in pain. It ran over a man and killed him.

People caught the elephant and tried him for killing a man.

To be continued.....