Status of women in the land of Nupi Lan : Visible tinge of irony
- Sangai Express Editorial :: December 14 , 2013 -

It is a symbol of women empowerment.

Ima or Nupi Keithel, a market place run exclusively by womenfolk.

A statement that says that Manipuri women indeed do go a long way in contributing to the family’s kitty.

Yet at the same it is also a symbol of Manipuri women being constrained, either by unavoidable circumstances or by the sheer insensitivity of their male counterparts, to take the challenges of life head on, on their own.

That tinge of irony is palpable and this is where the all important question of where exactly the Manipuri women stand in the social hierarchy, which has been scripted and drafted by the menfolk, arises.

The land of Nupi Lan, the land which gave the meira paibi movement to the world and yet a land where women continue to be treated as second class citizens.

Call it social hypocrisy. Place them on a pedestal in the public domain but ride rough shod over their sentiments, their feelings, their emotions within the four walls of one’s house.

Rapes, molestations, overt violences against women do come to the public domain, but for each rape or humiliation that a woman has to undergo, there must many more which go unreported, for fear of bringing infamy to the family concerned.

Womenfolk selling their wares by the roadside only to return home and be greeted by a drunk husband or a son high on drugs, is a common tale in each and every leirak and leikai of Manipur.

The hills have their own version of leiraks and leikais, but the common thread runs through.

It was to bring home this point, that The Sangai Express deputed two reporters on Nupi Lan Day, on December 12, to cover the other, untold story of the Manipuri womenfolk.

The story may not have covered all aspects, but it did hit home the point that even after decades of the historic uprising by womenfolk against the Britishers in Manipur, the Manipuri women continue to battle their way through life.

On the one hand setting aside a day as a State holiday to salute the spirit of womenfolk and on the other hand, a look at the harsh reality on the role and existence of womenfolk.

The irony is both disappointing as well as enlightening. This is not the first time that The Sangai Express has commented on the status of women vis-a-vis the Ima or Nupi Keithel and the observation of Nupi Lan Day all over the State and beyond and this will not be the last time either.

The fact that one day before Nupi Lan Day was celebrated, two rape convicts were handed a 15 year prison term each, tells a profound story.

The recent spurt in the activities or movements to denounce violence against women, the mass rallies taken out at different places demanding the safety of women, the recent directive of the State Government to the Chief Secretary to draft a policy on sexual harassment of women at the work place, tells a tale, a powerful tale that the land which gave the meira paibi movement to the world and sets aside a day as a State holiday to observe Nupi Lan is not a safe place for women. Singing paeans to the spirit of womenfolk in the public domain, but preferring a son over a daughter is a reality in this land.

This is not all. A place where eve teasing is taken as something acceptable under the explanation that ‘boys will be boys.’

Clearly the pervading social hypocrisy cannot get more clear than this. If Nupi Lan and the meira paibi movement are to have any sincere meaning then respect for womenfolk should start from each family, the single and smallest unit of the great human society.

How important a role do women play in policy making ?

This question should be seen against the backdrop of Nupi Lan and the meira paibi movement.

Says something significant that Manipur saw her first woman MLA in the person of the late Hangmila Shaiza only in 1990, that is 18 years after Manipur attained Statehood.

In between there have been Apabi Devi and W Leima. And yes Manipur had a woman MP in Kim Gangte. Things seem to have progressed with the present Assembly having 3 MLAs, O Landhoni, AK Mirabai and Nemcha Kipgen.

Yet in the final analysis, just as a swallow does not make a summer, six women MLAs and one MP since Statehood, do not exactly live up to benchmark of women having a say in the policy making process.

It is also important to note that save for Kim Gangte, AK Mirabai and Nemcha Kipgen, the others rode on the shoulders of their family connection or spouses to make the cut.