'Scholars slam Manipur government'
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, April 27 2011: Professor Ngariyambam Kangjia Mangang who attended the Advance National Workshop on Manuscriptology and Paleography at the Kurukshetra University, Haryana returned home today.

He was received by members of the International Salai Punsipham and Salai Taret Chaokhat Lup at Tulihal Airport, Imphal.

Later a reception ceremony cum press conference was also held at the Manipur Press Club, Imphal.

Prof Kangjia attended the 45 day long workshop for four days on the invitation of the organizing committee as state nominee.

The National Mission for Manuscripts, IGNCA, Ministry of Culture organised the national workshop.

A total of 1200 delegates participated in the workshop.

He gave lectures on 'Meetei people and its history', 'Meetei culture through the ages', 'Meetei language through the ages', 'An introduction to Meetei script' on his first day in the workshop on April 20.On the second day he gave a lecture on 'Writing system of Meetei script and its philosophical background'.

He also gave a lecture on 'Meetei language � its phonology and morphology' on the third day and on the fourth day he gave lectures on 'Development of Meetei script' and 'Birth of Meetei numerals' .

Prof Kangjia recalled how the national scholars of other languages currently in use in the country expressed their shock on the non inclusion of the Meetei script in the currency notes of the country and the silence of Manipur's government and its MPs on the matter.

Apart from speaking on Meetei script and Meetei language, he had also reminded the scholars how the Meetei had invented Sagol Kangjei, Meetei traditional dance and the origin of the Meetei script and numerals, Kangjia said.

Kangjia also said that he had explained that the Meeteis had invented Zero (0).He said, no one in the world still knows the origin of the numeral figure although there are some hazy speculations that Zero was invented somewhere in India, he said.

Prof Kangjia had published a book on the invention of Zero named 'Revival of a Closed Account' in which he challenged everyone to defeat him regarding the claim that Meeteis invented Zero.

The book was published in English and was distributed at many places in the world.

He retold the scholars that Manipur was a united kingdom of seven kingdoms ruled by seven clans which was led by the Meitei king.

It was once known as Kangleipak.

The seven clans spoke and wrote the same language and script that is Meetei.

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