But deep in the mind, it also resurrected my question about who is actually a "Manipuri"? In process of my exploration to get in touch with as many people as possible in the portal (mainly through the chat room), this doubt deepened further. Are the people who are from Manipur but do not speak Manipuri as their mother tongue, a Manipuri? Are not people whose mother tongue is Manipuri but not from Manipur not a Manipuri?

These above a few lines are quoted from an article written by one of the Meitei from Tripura. I write a mail reply to his query and attach an article which was published a few 4/5 years ago relating to his confusions. So I will be thankful to KO if you publish this kind of mail+article+coments together

Dear Frens and brothers,

PLEASE LET US NOT CONFUSE WITH THE TERM MANIPURI. OUR OWN CONFUSSIONS MAKE OUR OWN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY AND CULTURE DETERIOTED DAY BY DAY. YES THE PEOPLE OF MANIPUR COULD BE CONSTITUTIONALLY KNOWN AS MANIPURI. IF YOU ALL ARE MEITEI, TANGKHUL OR OTHERS WHOSE ANCESTORS WERE FROM MANIPUR, IT DOESNOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE MANIPURI. THE TERM MANIPURI SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSSED WITH YOUR OWN COMMUNITY MEITEI. DON’T YOU WISH YOURSELF TO BE NAMED AS MEITEI RATHER THAN INSTEAD OF CALLING YOURSELF AS MANIPURI. CONSTITUTIONALLY THE COMMON LANGUAGE OR SO CALLED STATE LANGUAGE OF MANIPUR IS CALLED AS MANIPURI. FORTUNATELY THE LANGUAGE KNOWN AS THE MANIPURI IS MEITEILON. SO PEOPLE JUST TRIED TO MAKE THEMSELVES CONFUSSED AND CONFLICT IN THEIR COMMUNITY IDENTITY MANY A TIMES. IT DOESNOT MEAN OR REFER TO A NARROWER OUTLOOK THAT’S MANIPURI AS MEITEI. SO MY SIMPLE ANSWER OR CLEARIFICATION TO YOU AFTER YOUR QUESTION IN YOUR STATEMENT/ARTICLE IS THAT YOU ARE NOT A MANIPURI BY BIRTH PLACE BUT A NOBLE MEITEI BY BLOOD. I REGARD YOU VERY MUCH BECAUSE YOU AS A TRUE RELIGIOUS AND PATRIOTIC INDIVIDUAL YOU WISH TO SEE THE PLACE WHERE YOUR ANSCESTORS AND YOUR OTHER SAME COMMUNITIES ARE ORIGINATING AND SETTLING DOWN THERE. THANKS AND WISHES FOR YOUR GOOD LUCK AND FOR YOUR DESIRE TO VISIT TO MANIPUR. MANIPUR IS A LAND ON EARTH WHERE THE DIFFERRENT COMMUNITIES AND A FEW MAIN ETHINIC GROUPS ARE INHABITATING TOGETHER FROM THE BEGINNING. THE CONCEPT ‘MANIPURI’S IS JUST A VERY NEW NAME CONSTITUTIONALLY BORN. OK. FOR FURTHER CLEARIFICATION I AM ATTACHING AN ARTICLE TOO WHICH I ALREADY PUBLISHED A FEW YEARS AGO ON THIS ISSUE In www.welcome.to/manipur.com IN ITS LETTER TO EDITOR COLLUMN. OK.

MEITEI VS MANIPURI


MEITEI AND MANIPURI are the synonymous terms in Manipuri vocabulary.
Meitei refers to the name of the original valley inhabitants of
Manipur. Among all different communities, Meiteis are the majority and whose language is the only channel of communication amongst different ethnic groups in the state. And, in the Indian literature too, both the state inhabitants and the state language are known as Manipuri. Therefore, sometimes, this majority ethnic group, the Meiteis, are mistaken or misunderstood as the only Manipuris. For our better understanding there was no such group of people known as Manipuri in the history of Manipur or elsewhere in the world. The concept of Manipuri refers to both the state language [Meiteilon] and the state people irrespective of Meiteis, Kukis, Nagas and others born in Manipur. In this manner, Meitei is Meitei, Naga is Naga, Kuki is Kuki and so on. The Manipuri literature, Manipuri dance, Manipuri language etc. are the constitutional reference terms, which are meant for all items of the Manipuri soil.

P. Arjun Singh