Meitei with Water 5

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Sanamahi-Pakhangba
A living relationship of the Meitei with Water
- Part 5 -

By: Debabrata Roy Laifungbam & Anna Pinto *

Other pat, such as the Khonghampat were famous for the miles of pink, white or purple lotus flowers that bloomed in their seasons.

The social rituals of going to view the lotus in bloom in these pat, rather like the annual viewing of the cherry blossom in Japan, has now died with the destruction of the wetlands themselves.

The poetry and songs have become irrelevant and meaningless to those who have never seen the blooming courses.

Thoibi and her friends besides Loktak
Picture Courtesy: RKCS Art Gallery

The growing distancing from, neglect and erosion of these daily and annual cyclical practices of the spiritual and cultural basis of Meitei and water relationship has threatened our society and environment, and led to the severe and apparently irremediable crises we face today, culturally and economically.

The degradation and destruction of this unique valley is not merely the story of neglect and population pressures.

Inappropriate government policies as well as disregard and callousness in political attitudes actively promote it, whether or not this is conscious or deliberate.

Constant appeals and pressures from concerned environmental groups and heritage lobbies are disregarded.

The wetlands of Manipur are being rapidly and ruthlessly destroyed by a political and economic elite backed by government policy, however inexplicit, to 'reclaim' as much land as possible for urban and agricultural expansion.

The indigenous Meitei religion, with its strong animistic and ancestor worship elements has always maintained extensive natural groves as shrines to various deities across the valley. These have been important ecological assets, since most of the lands are primarily grasslands and marshes rather than dense forest.

These groves represent the major tree cover in the valley. Both grasslands and shrines of trees have been, in the last few decades, carelessly destroyed with a total ignorance and disregard for their cultural, economic and ecological value.

The value was and is priceless. Many of the grasses provide raw materials for the construction of shelter and furniture, as well as to provide food for humans.

The grasslands and groves are the habitat of a variety of wildlife, now extinct in the valley or close to extinction, such as the tiger, elephant, boar, wild buffalo, and several species of deer, including the rare sangai or browantlered deer of Manipur.

The valley is an important wintering area for many migrant birds, and the wetlands are home to an immense variety of fish, minor fauna, insects and plants, that have great value to inhabitants as a source of food and medicine.

These are just a few examples of the Meitei's spiritual relationship with water, a relationship that is in essence a cultural system of water management, maintenance, purification and constant affirmation of water as a core element of Meitei life.

There are many reasons for this dissolution of the water management systems.

Recognition of indigenous governance systems and authorities has invariably been faulty and selective on the part of first British, and subsequently Indian governments and policies.

The primary motivation of such policies appears to be the revenue interests of a select class, simplistic and inappropriate administrative procedures, accompanied by lack of investment and upkeep at whatever cost to the colonized.

There have also been many genuinely blind spots due to the overwhelming feudal, hegemonic and patriarchal characteristics of European and Indian political authorities, which are fundamentally in contradiction with indigenous norms.

The combination of neglect and vested interests by the Indian government in this region is destroying one of the most unique ecological and cultural areas in the world.

Concluded ...

* Debabrata Roy Laifungbam & Anna Pinto jointly wrote this article.

Debabrata Roy Laifungbam is Director of Health Development and Human Rights at the Centre for Organization, Research and Education (CORE), Manipur, India. He coordinates various cross-sectoral research projects on public health, environment, human rights and gender and has participated in several international meetings to advocate ethnic minority rights.

Anna Pinto is Director of the Women and Children division at CORE. She is actively involved in the advocacy of Indigenous Women’s and Children’s Rights.

CORE (Website here ) can be contacted at coreloisanglen(at)gmail(dot)com . This article was presented by Hanjabam Shukhdeba, a PHD Scholar from TISS - hanjabam(at)gmail(dot)com . This article was webcasted on February 21st, 2008.

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