Dr. Kh. Ratankumar Singh's Imaging MANIPUR

Seram Neken *

Importance of History in shaping the contemporary society is quite inherent in the maxim of British statesman and writer Winston Churchill while he says 'the farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see'.

Reading the past is essential in shaping the future, as history stands as the most profound teacher of contemporary society, offering invaluable lessons from epochs long gone. From the rise and fall of dynasties to the whispers of elapsed civilizations, every chapter holds a treasure of wisdom.

American President John F. Kennedy once opined, 'History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside'. The famous philosopher Cicero says 'History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity'.

'Imaging MANIPUR', a collection of academic writings focussing on history, culture and boundary of Manipur is indeed a valuable book not only for the scholars and researchers pursuing in-depth studies on Manipur, but also for any layman in this contemporary society. It contains treasured resources quite useful in analysing the current issues and problems in Manipur, as well as in shaping the future of the present society.

It contains resourceful academic articles/papers already presented by the author at various fora. The compilation attempts to construct an image of Manipur with its rich folklore, myths, rituals and traditions, while dealing with historical paradigm of nationalism, early boundaries and prevalent passport systems during colonial days.

Published by Iranyai Publications (ISBN 978-04-71495-53-6), the book is authored by none other than a popular scholar-politician who even participated in the state administration as a Cabinet Minister from 2012 to 2017. Dr. Kh. Ratankumar Singh who holds the PhD in History from Manipur University in 1996 became an elected legislator in 2007 and served the position for two consecutive terms.

The book contains nine chapters, with the first titled 'A glimpse of Manipur' giving a precise description of the land, people, language, literature, religion, festivals and dances of Manipur. Three subsequent chapters are devoted to the genesis, festivity, rituals and myths pertaining to 'Lai Haraoba' in Manipur society.

Not only for scholars, a common man in Meitei society needs to understand the essence of Lai Haraoba and its connected mythology in the formation of human civilisation.

The fifth chapter narrating the myths and legends surrounding the revered 'Loktak Lake' of Manipur portrays the inseparable connect between the lake and the Moirang civilisation. As the author writes, 'the rich natural beauty of the lake has been a constant source of inspiration and fascination for the ballad singers, Pena singers, ancient poets and writers'.

In the chapter on 'development of Manipuri nationalism', the author traces the historical accounts of Manipur from 1467 AD to 1709 AD, during which Manipur nationalism was at its peak. Manipur's position as an integrative state with its multi-ethnic composition is nicely revealed in this paper. Moulding of an integrative culture and religion with highly diplomatic qualities of the erstwhile kings is vividly expressed in his writing.

In the sixth chapter, the author writes, "during the long process of the formation of the state of Manipur, there were frequent military raids, expeditions and encounters. But the relationships among the various ethnic and tribal groups and the neighboring countries were not always of a hostile and conflicting nature. The relationship was also of a friendly and cooperative nature. In times of trouble when the country was faced with foreign invasions, they unitedly fought against the invaders like the Ava, the Takhel and the Cachari". This paper displays the beauty of harmonious existence of Manipur society with kaleidoscopic ethnic identities from the early times.

Dwelling on the legitimacy on the demarcation of Manipur boundary by the British in the seventh chapter of the book, the author observed 'While demarcating the historical boundaries of Manipur, the British authorities pretended to take into consideration the historical background, natural topography, local considerations etc.

But in reality, when the boundaries were actually demarcated, all these were by-passed if these criteria were in contradiction with their colonial interests. If the findings of the boundary expeditions turned out to be against their official policies, they had no scruple in changing the earlier policy. --------------------- If the Maharaja of Manipur objected to the boundary settlement, his objection was overruled'.

History definitely teaches us the lesson that colonial designs always attempted to subdue the native interests on executing important administrative decisions.

One interesting chapter is the 'Estimate of Manipuri soldiers (1820's to 1891)', where the author sketches the skilled and courageous Manipuris who served in the militia. A list of Manipuri soldiers in Manipur Levy is also annexed in the later part of the book.

The last chapter deals with Inner Line Regulations (ILR) prevalent during the British period, and its subsequent demands for revival during the post-independent days.

The book incorporates valuable documents such as Anglo- Manipuri Treaty 1762, Treaty of Yandaboo 1826, Agreement regarding Kabo Valley 1834, Agreement between King Gambheersing and Commissioner Grant 1835, Manipur Merger Agreement 1949 and Manipur Inner Line Permit Guidelines 2019 & 2022 as annexe.

Besides supplying the much-needed resources to the scholars and researchers, the book 'Imaging Manipur' will certainly give an opportunity to the readers to examine the past socio-cultural values of this land which may undoubtedly be helpful in shaping the future of Manipur.

From meaningful designs and presentation to the resourceful contents, the book quite fulfils the worth of appreciation and is indeed good for public consumption.

In his prologue of the book, renown professor of Manipur University Prof. W. Nabakumar Singh commented, "it (Imaging Manipur) explores the cultural ethos of the Meiteis kept alive in the form of rituals of Lai Haraoba, that depicts the creation of the Universe and the Earth in the light of the Meitei cosmology and the myths. It then studies the myths and folklore that centre around Loktak Lake with a view to explaining the important place the lake occupies in the socio-cultural life of the people.

Second, it touches upon such varying matters as the development of Manipuri nationalism, historical and contextual perspective of the Inner Line Regulation (ILR) in promoting and preserving the identity of the indigenous peoples of north east India in general and Manipur in particular.

One last but nonetheless, central topic of great importance that the book focusses on is the question of legitimacy of the demarcation of territorial boundary of Manipur by the British that dissects the matter highlighting the colonial act carried out behind a veil of native interest".