Imphal, Jul 04: Asserting that the ongoing campaign of MEELAL to promote the 27 letter Meetei mayek script is misleading as it is not the genuine indigenous script, Meetei Yelhou Mayek Inat Sandokpa Lup (MYMISL) said its volunteers would repaint smeared signboards and hoardings without levying any charges.

Speaking to newspersons at the Thongkhong Luxmi Bazar head office of MYMISL today, the Lup's president Thingom Jiten Khuman and secretary general Apokpa Mayum Heirom Senior recalled of the then Governor Chintamani Panigrahi declining to recognise the 27 letter script as the genuine one.

The MYMISL leaders insisted that due to the dispute over the indigenous script, Governor Chintamani notified script activists/promoters to substantiate claims resulting in presentation of the 27 letter script.

The Governor also dismissed the claim on ground that origin of the 27 letter script has strong connection with the Aryan dialect/script.

Jiten and Heirom further contending that script experts are yet to accept the 27 letter Meetei Mayek also referred to a State Government notification in 1978 regarding institution of a 13 member expert committee including two non-Manipuri members.

However, in collusion with vested interest the two non-Manipuri script experts were barred from the committee, charged MY-MISL and alleged that through covert insistence of two particular committee members former Minister Dr L Chandramani and erstwhile State Archives' Deputy director Sorojini (currently Art and Culture Director) some minor modifications were affected on the Nagari script of the Aryans to be floated as the 27 lettered Meetei Mayek script.

Peeved with the recommendation of the 13 member expert committee, MYMISL raised objection against the State Government order granting recognition by taking the matter to the Court of law, they informed.

Producing documents to substantiate claims on the pending case in the Gauhati High Court, the duo also cited a ruling of Bishnupur CJM on April 29, 2005 dismissing MEELAL's promotion of the 27 letter as the original Meetei script.

On the otherhand, MYMISL's 36 letter script practised by the forefathers was protected from destruction during the 17 century burning of Manipur's chronicles as the scripts were inscribed in stones before being reproduced through intense research for nearly 20 years, asserted Jiten and Heirom.

accusing some individuals among the State's intellectual circle and self-acclaimed scholars of Sana Konung (Royal Palace) of continued destruction of vital information contained in the Puya, they elaborated their allegations by referring to gradual replacement of indigenous scripts adorning Sanamahi temples and its rituals with the prefixes Shri Shri which is totally alien to the Manipuri culture and tradition of the past.

Opposing concept of Meitei referring to only the valley inhabitants, the MYMISL leaders explained that the term 'Meitei' comprise of all the people having its origin to the seven clans and currently settled in the valley and hill areas.

Terming the 36 letter script of MYMISL as Meetei Yelhou Mayek, the two also conveyed readiness for an open session (dialogue) with MEELAL in the case the latter is not convinced or satisfied on the issue.

In a veiled tirade to organisations having little to do with the script issue, the mYMISL leaders cautioned intervention of armed group/s in the matter predicting that patronising a particular group would be akin to smearing their own image.

Regarding re-painting blackened sign-boards and hoardings, they maintained that MYMISL does not enjoy funding from any source but through menial activities by its members/volunteers funds would be gather to beautify the smeared signboards.

Turning towards the media establishment with reference to inclusion of the 27 letter script, they insisted that when the final verdict on the pending case is passed by the Court MYMISL too would press for entertaining the 36 letter Meetei yelhou Mayek in daily newspapers.

Conveying that a memorandum on the issue would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Jiten and Heirom also belittled the MEELAL cause as merely pursuing their hidden agenda of providing Government job to its volunteers/members as Meetei Mayek teachers.

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