My fear for Manipuri Khorirol

Leishemba Loushambam *

While reading the topic of this article, I bet most of you get confused of the term "Khorirol". Since, We Manipuris have been using the Sanskrit word "Sahitya" for past tetra of centuries.

Yes, It carries the same meaning as that of English Word "Literature". As most of us know the tragic incident which happened on "Wakchinggi 23ni panba" of 1729 where around 40000 Sacred books of Meitei clearly known as Puya were burned infront of Kangla Gate.

I want to reacknowledge that these 40000 books carries history, cosmology and mostly literature which depicts the way of living of meiteis through different period of time.

After that incident, the abolishment of Meitei Meiyek Script took place, followed by implementation of Bengali, Devnagri and Gurumukhi Script in institution and Even the Royal Chronicles of Manipur "Cheitharol Kumbaba" was rewritten in Bengali script...

But fortunately, at the mid of 19th and 20th century, Manipuri Khorirol was reborn but it was design as a "Manipuri Sahitya". As all the works of literary done by the emerging writers namely "Asangbam Mineketan", "Mk Binodini" and many more of that time were written in Bengali Script. Further, Manipuris started too see hope as this "Rich" Literature revived.

After the study of some original puya in the year of 1969 came to know the original script of Meitei Mayek had only 18 Alphabets and many more incidents results into present status of Meitei Meiyek Sript.

As a student reading in the last year of High School and someone who loves Literature, I want to acknowledged that we have witnessed and still witnessing many Rich Manipuri Literary works done by Writers of 19th and 20th Century in Bengali Script.

However, only little of it had been translated into Meitei Meiyek Script and had been imposed as script of Manipuri Textbooks of Various classes in our state.

Through this column, I would like to melancholically pen about my fear of losing what I've been potraying "Manipuri Khorirol"

As only little amount of poems and short-stories had been translated to Meitei Meiyek Script and there are thousand and thousand of books and poems that are still left to be translated.....On the other side, the young students of Manipur(even myself) are not able to read this(as they grow up learning Meitei Mayek Script)and are not able to cherish and embrace this rich literary works of "Manipuri Khorirol".

After some years, there might not be enough Human resources in Manipur to translate this book and to made available to the young upcoming generation of Manipur.

I want to aware, urge and please the people of Manipur and concerned authority to kindly translate this rich literary books and made available to the youngsters to save both " Manipuri Literature and Meitei Mayek Script" at the same time when there is time.