The brother and the sister
Machil-Moupwa
Fungawari Singbul by B. Jayantakumar Sharma

Translation by Nganthoi Lourembam *

An illustration of Folk tale 'Machil-Moupwa' by Nganthoi Lourembam

Once upon a time there lived a widowed woman. After having three children her husband died at the very young age. Since his death the widowed woman would go to market and sell vegetables to feed her three children. Their first child was a girl and when she was little grown up she started helping her mother in household works; the two others were boys and the last one was still breastfeeding.

One day, the widowed mother didn't return home from the market; the two young boys were crying badly. The sister tried to console them and said, "Mother will come back soon and will buy lots of Heitup Heingan (steamed wild apple) and Chini Chafu (a small container to keep sweets made of sugarcane)."

But the two boys didn't stop crying. At this time the witch called Yennakha Paodabi (name of a witch who appears at the backyard of a house) heard the two boys crying and became very happy, "Great, I'll eat up the three children today. It's been a long time I had not eaten any kids. So soft – it looks delicious" and she hid herself at the backyard of the house.

On the other side, the widowed mother ran away with a man; she did not return home till late at night. The little sister could not stop the small boys from crying. At this moment, the Witch, Yenakha Paodabi disguised herself as the widowed mother knocked at the door. She said, "My dear daughter, I have come. Open the door." The sister knew it was not her mother's voice and said, "You don't sound like my mother so I won't open the door."

Her younger brother said, "Mother has come, open the door." She refuted and said, "She is not our mother." As the door was not opened the Witch broke the window and came inside the house, "The child is crying, give it to me" and snatched the small kid from the sister's hand. The sister knew that the Witch was not her mother and hid herself near the wall.

Holding the little boy in her arms, the Witch started eating the boy after breaking it into pieces. The second brother said, "Mother, what are you eating? Let me also have it some." The Witch replied, "Hai, it is not something you can eat. I brought some Thambou (Lotus stem) from the market." The sister thought, 'the smallest one will be all eaten up by the Witch. I'll run away with my younger brother to save our lives.'

She carried the boy on her back and ran away by making a hole out of the wall. The Witch after finished eating the small boy looked for the remaining brother and sister to eat up but she realised they disappeared. The Witch started following the kids.

The brother and sister saved their lives by hiding themselves at a house in their neighbour. The following day, some of their locality took the children to their real mother. Looking at their mother the kids ran towards her calling her 'mother' with full of joy. But the mother replied, "Whose children are you? Why are you calling me 'mother?' I don't have any children, so don't call me mother."

Looking at her ill behaved manner, the newly married husband said, "You told me that you don't have children. And the little innocent ones are calling you 'mother,' that means you are hiding something from me."

At this time the mother said, "Fine, I'll apply God's examination to determine if they are my children." She brought a Shuk (stick of rice grinder) and said, "The child who can throw this Shuk in front of the front yard of the house, is my child and the one who fails to do it is not my child." At this, the sister taking Lord Lainingthou's name closed her eyes which are filled with tears and threw the Shuk.

The Shuk landed ahead of the front yard. When the younger brother threw, it couldn't cross the front yard of the house as he was weak in strength. The mother owned the sister but sent off the little boy rejecting him to be her son. The sister cried with pain for sending off her little brother. When the sister took out some food to feed her little brother, her mother scolded at her. Since then the sister gave her little brother only rice grain to cook.

Once, the younger brother brought the rice grain gave by his sister, to cook them somewhere but he slipped on a Lukrak (Culm Sheath of Bamboo tree) and all the rice grain fell off. When he tried to pick up the grain, a bird called Waba Chengjaba picked up every rice grain fell on the street. The young boy cried and told everything to his sister. She gave him some more rice grain. Taking the grain the boy came happily.

But he slipped again at the same place and all the rice fell off once more. Waba Chengjaba came and ate all the rice grain again. The brother got very angry. As he was scared of his sister the young boy didn't tell her this time. He stayed hungry for that day. On the following day, he told everything to his sister. She gave him some rice along with three strain of hair and taught him how to catch Waba.

The boy used the hair gave by his sister as net and put some rice in front of it. Looking at the rice Waba came and tried to pick up the rice but the hair hooked his feet and got trapped in the net. The young boy said, "Waba Chengjaba, you fell in my trap today. You have been eating my rice grain for that I'll take your life today. Your two legs are for my sister and your body is mine."

After listening to the young boy Waba Chengjaba said, "Hey young kid! Please don't kill me. I came to help you. I understand how much you and your sister are suffering right now. I'll bring happiness in you and your sister's life. I'll give you a Yai (magical diamond stone) which will give everything that you wish and everything that you want. From the help of this Yai there will be everything that you want."

Waba took out a Yai from his mouth and gave it to the boy. At this the boy said, "Waba Chengjaba, I don't trust you. You cannot leave until I check if you are right. If you are speaking the truth I'll leave you but if you are wrong I'll definitely kill you." The boy put across two big leaves. "Let two plates of food filled with different curries and two fine dresses be appeared," said the boy and threw the Yai on top of the leaves. Suddenly two food plates filled with different curries appeared on top of the leaves along with some fine dresses.

The boy asked Waba Chengjaba to look after the stuffs which came after wishing through the Yai. He quickly came running to his sister and told her everything. Both of them came running towards Waba. The sister apologised to Waba and later set him free. The brother and sister ate the food which was appeared after wishing through the Yai. They wore the dresses and quickly left the place taking the Yai along with them.

As the brother and sister continuously walked by, on the following day they reached at a quiet and deserted place where no one lived. They decided to build a house and live there. They took out the Yai and said everything what the brother and sister wanted. A house which is as similar as a Palace with a food court filled with enough food grains, shed full of horses and cows along with jewelleries and treasures appeared.

They lived inside the building. After some days, they invited all the poor people from the neighbouring places and offered foods, clothes, jewelleries and built houses for them. Thus the place which used to be empty earlier became a place occupied by many people within short period of time. Thousands of beggars also came at the place. Due to the love and care showed by the brother and sister no one wanted to go back at their places. Thus everyone settled there. And the virtue of the brother and sister had been spread at far-far places.

On the other side, the widowed mother and her new husband became poorer day by day. They heard the news of the brother and sister. They decided to visit the brother and sister to get some help and cure their miseries. When they reached the place where the brother and sister were living, the widowed and her husband were surprised to see the palace, the sheds of horses, cows, garden and a pond.

They were well treated by the gate keeper and made them rest at a proper place. Various clothes, treasures and edible foods were given to the husband and wife. The brother and sister also came to bid goodbye to the many people. Looking at his mother who had been separated for many years the brother called her 'Ima' and hugged her. But the mother didn't reply due to embarrassment.

As she didn't reply even after calling for two to three times, the brother said, "Woman who doesn't love her child. You didn't reply earlier when I called you at other's house; you don't reply when I called you in my house too. You have too much of pride." And the brother called his servants to punish the widowed mother and kept them in jail.

Later, as requested by the sister the mother and her step father had been given lots of food, clothes and treasures and had been arranged to send them back. The mother and her husband were carried by an elephant; and the servants carried the jewelleries and other stuffs by horses and bullock carts. On the way, the widowed mother died because of embarrassment. The step father returned home with all the treasures.

As time passed by, the brother and sister grew up and got married to the prince and princess. And both the brother and sister lived happily ever after.


** From Manipur folk tale Book called "Fungawari Singbul" by B. Jayantakumar Sharma