Bishnupriya Manipuri Online

Definitely, the Bhoomi Pujan for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is momentous day for the Bhratiya Sabhyata. In this historical moment, the Bishnupriya Manipuris (living in Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh, and Manipur), the event has been beautifully captured by the artists.  PM Modi at Ayodhya Here is Sinha Sisters with their singing expressing their astha and bhakti. It is true. Bhagwan Sri Ram lives in people's heart.  Do watch. Performance by mother and daughter.

Rebati Mohan Sinha It so happened, one day my father, swargio Behari Sinha, a centurion (100 years 3 months) who was in Mumbai  for eye operation, enquired, whether there was any leipham near my resident in Mazagao, Mumbai. I said, 'there is  a Saibaba Mandir behind our house, where an Artee is always being performed in the evening, every day.' He said ' amar gaang'r ousade leipham'te nei '. On reply, I said ''yes, there is and I shall take you there.' Then, again he enquired whether we, Bishnupriya Manipuri Mumbaitees, celebrate Birth Anniversary of Srilo Bhubaneswar Sadhuthakur, where I said 'No, because there are no Bishnupriya Manipuri villages in Mumbai'. Then he said, in Silchar town there are few villages, why not in this very big town,Mumbai? You must celebrate even you are less in numbers. Next day morning, I rang up to  Guru Devendra Sinha in Andheri, Mumbai, to apprise him of our father-son discussion and requested him to attend a...

Rebati Mohan Sinha During the period between 2000-2004, there was a rumour spread among Bishnupriya Manipuris of Barak Valley and Bangladesh: "Nabadwipor Bhubaneswar Sadhu Thakur'r Mandir'go miyange nilaaga". Year 2004, the present Sevait, Mairang Singh Debabarma from Guwahati took charge of administration of Radha Gobindo Mandir at Guntola road, Nabadwip, on the demise of Jogendra Lal Debabarma. The frequent absence of Sevait from mandir premises during his illness, the mandir administration became vulnerable and as a result, a local mandir parichalan committee member became active in collecting money from donation box. There used to be complain from local devotees that they could not do their daily prayer regularly, due to unholy behaviour of the administrative staffs. During the period, Theerth-Yatri from our BM Community also being harassed regularly. Having heard this, 'miyange mandir'go nilaga', I couldn't stay idle there in Mumbai and ...

[Note: The piece written by Sharon Lowen has serious inbuilt errors. A proper response would be given. Soon!] Dated: Oct 9, 2018 SHARON LOWEN The origins of Bishnupriya Manipuris cover quite a gamut of theories. Among the greatest joys of my life has been the opportunity to access the depth and diversity of a small number of of the cultures of northeast India. Traveling across Assam from Gauhati to Tezpur visiting Sattriya, theatre and dance centres in the 1970’s as well as studying pre and post Vaisnavite dance traditions of Manipur with legendary gurus in Manipur has fed the flame of an interest dating back 50 years ago to college days in the USA. With this background, it was a very special pleasure to see two fine Manipuri performances recently, one by Urmimala Das at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi and the other in Mumbai, the 2nd Guru Padmashri Th. Babu Singh National Dance Festival held in Mumbai. Urmimala Das hails from Assam and was trained by ...

The article published on 23/9/1997 by JL Chowdhury in the NorthEast Age Bishnupriyas, Meiteis on Collision Course JL Chowdhury Silchar,Sept 22: A 'language war' seems imminent in Assam with the All Assam Manipuri Students' Union threatening to resort to long-term agitation if the government of Assam decides to implement the Bishnupriya language at the primary stage of education. The Bishnupriya Manipuri Students' Union and Nikhil Bishnupriya Mahasabha, on the other hand, postponed their proposed 1000 hour rail road blockade in Barak Valley which was called to put pressure on the Mahanta government to give effect to its notifications of November 14, 1983, and July 21, 1989, to use Bishnupriya as the medium of instruction at the primary level in Barak Valley. The NBMM described the stand of the state as 'quite incomprehensible' and a denial of the democratic and constitutional rights of its people. The Mahasabha refers to the recommendation of the co...

There is a renewed interest on our history, culture, literature, the whole gamut by outsiders. There is is eagerness on their part to understand us, the Hindu jati in North East. But we don't have a space or location, where they can be referred to. They sought for a digital library where researchers and scholars could carry on their work.  In the digital space, so far, (a) there are only two books digitised by Government of India on us and (b) odd few PhD thesis to study us online. In addition, there are (c) few books on us from Manipur-based scholars (available online). So to make available books for serious researchers and scholars (both for home consumption and for outsiders), a digital library has been launched. Earlier, Pratibha Sinha has made a collection of books: BM Books Gallery . To this sudden surge in people's interest, " Bishnupriya Manipuri Digital Books " is an effort to make books available to these few people who wants to study us. They ...

By our Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, March 7: Ageing and ailing metric mentor (chhondo guru) with ageless contribution in different genres of literature Brojendra Kumar Sinha has hit headlines, yet again. The first Dhirchandra Smriti Padak from Bangladesh is the latest feather in his cap. The Dhirchandra Smriti Padak, 2017 was presented to the octogenarian poet, in absentia, at a function in Bangladesh on March 5, 2017. Dr. Krishnadas Shashtri received the award on behalf of the poet. Writer Dhirchandra was the first Bishnupriya Manipuri translator of the Bhagwat Geeta.  Settled at Hailakandi, a sleepy town in Barak Valley in South Assam, poet Sinha created an oeuvre each in Bishnupriya Manipuri and Bengali literatures. His Bengali work Bhikhari Baloker Gan is fragrant with the scent from the soil of Hailakandi and the water of Dholeshwori (a tributary) that snakes its way to the Barak through the district, so are his around forty Bishnupriya Manipuri works that have put the...

By RK Rishikesh Sinha On the auspicious day of Republic Day, let us know what is the status of Bishnupriya Manipuri, a Hindu jati, how it is being described in the academic circle and that too in India and abroad.   #1. relationship between the Bishnupriya and the Meetei necessarily depends on the recognition of the Bishnupriya identity by the Meeteis because identity requires others‟ recognition and cannot be formed in isolation. (Dr. Y. Monojit Singha, Research Scholar, Assam University, Silchar; IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science ; 2016) #2. The Meitei also consider the Bishnupriya to be the carriers of an inferior culture, although they say that the Meitei king at first mistook them to be a culturally superior group. When it was detected that the culture of the Bishnupriya was of inferior quality , they were allotted the work of foraging for the royal staff. (SITUATING CONFLICT AND POVERTY IN MANIPUR; Anand Kumar, Kamei Aphun, Khuraijam Bijoyk...

The article is published on the birth anniversary of Dr KP Sinha. By RK Rishikesh Sinha I have read thousand times this article that was originally published in Kangla Online, a Manipur-based web portal. The article was one of the earliest pieces available in the Internet on Bishnupriya Manipuri. Today the original article is no more in the web world; however it is available here in this blog. I copied it knowing one day it will vanish. The article is the short web version of the booklet “ A Note on the Term Bishnupriya Manipuri ” by Dr Kali Prasad Sinha. The first edition of the booklet was published in 25th May 1975. Its second edition appeared on 16 March 2014.  Here are the concluding sentences of the booklet: If the Meiteis consider these factors with a liberal and sympathetic heart, they will find that the, Bishnupriyas love for the term 'Manipuri' is quite reasonable and that it is not a mere emotion. The Bishnupriyas have every right to use the t...

Special Correspondent Silchar, Jan 6: The well known Bishnupriya Manipuri litterateur and a doyen of the community, Dr. Kali Prasad Sinha, was fondly remembered by his admirers on his 81st birth anniversary organized by Dr. Kali Prasad Memorial Divyashram Sanskriti Kendra, West Kachudaram, 5 km from here, last Tuesday. In fact, the name of Dr. Kali Prasad has become a household name of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community. Besides being a scholar of Sanskrit, he was a researcher, critic, grammar-specialist, poet, dictionary writer and social activist. Dr. Kali Prasad Sinha was in the forefront of the movement for protection of the identity, language and culture of Bishnupriya Manipuri community and his contributions could hardly be forgotten. Highlighting these various qualities of his versatile genius, his birthday was observed by holding a discussion, participated by the eminent personalities. The discussion session was presided over by Birendra Sinha, a retired headmaster. A...

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Silchar, Jan 1: The annual conference of Nikhil Bishnupriya Manipuri Students’ Union (NBMSU) and Bishnupriya Manipuri Ganasangram Parishad (BMGSP) which was held recently in Dr. Kaliprasad Memorial Divyashram Sanskriti Kendra, West Kachudaram, 30 km from here, took up for discussion a number of issues. The conference was conducted by acting president Gourav Rajkumar of NBMSU and acting president Dibakar Sinha of BMGSP. The general secretary of NBMSU Manoj Sinha took up the agenda and presented the annual report before the assembly. The report was assented to and approved by the members present. A slew of resolutions adopted at this crucial annual conference included among others the formation of ‘Bishnupriya Manipuri International Students’ Development and Welfare Fund’. This fund would be utilized to extend adequate financial help to poor but meritorious students, besides offering grant to the poor students of talent as well as to the educated and unemp...

DILS Lakshmindra Sinha being felicitated by Rastriya Kavi Sangam We the people of the Indian subcontinent share a common civilization framework, and DILS Lakshmindra Sinha’s Hindi poetry book ‘Mitti ki Chaaya’ is one such attempt deepening and widening the cultural unity of all the people. The collection of poems by him is an attempt to share the same oneness that sprout in this great land called Bharat. Beginning with the poem, ‘Mein Brahmaputra hoon’, ‘Is Mahan Desh ke’, ‘Atmagat ki Chitthi’, DILS Lakshmindra Sinha has penned his thought to the far and wide civil war that took place in Somalia in 1998. In the same breathe, how a serial bomb blast that rocked Guwahati years ago would go unnoticed by the poet. The poems ‘Somalia 1998’ and ‘October 30: Ek Mrit Yuvti’ find expression of the pain and anguish. DILS Lakshmindra Sinha in the introductory page ‘Mere Anubhav’ echoes with countless voice unheard in the modern democratic India that being a linguistic minority has...

By RK Rishikesh Sinha Thanks to Rajiv Malhotra’s path breaking book “ Breaking India – Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines”, that shook people like me out of their comfort zone. He is the rarest breed of Indian intellectual who has disrupted the whole Indian narrative of our history, Indology, sociology, anthropology, Sanskrit, South Asian Studies and other related fields. After reading the book, I am assured that there are lot of forces working in Manipur, and Hinduism is at receiving end. The Hindu Meitei are in siege. The practitioners of the Hindu Dharma are fighting a war against a well orchestrated enemy of US and European churches, academics, think-tanks, foundations, governments and human rights groups. The script followed in Dravidian and Dalit chauvinism has been photocopied in Manipur. It is impossible to study done by Rajiv Malhotra in his fatty 626-page book ‘Breaking India’ to be narrated here. The body of work (in the form of books) d...

By RK Rishikesh Sinha Here is a hypothetical conversation between Hindu Bishnupriya Manipuri and newly converted, anti Hindu, colonised, western, Church-dictated Christian Bishnupriya Manipuri. It is a caricature to understand basically Hindu Dharma and Christianity, inspired from the Rajiv Malhotra-authored book Being Different - An Indian challenge to Western Universalism. Christian Bishnupriya Manipuri : Mine is the only one true religion and everyone should convert to it. Hindu Bishnupriya Manipuri: This attitude stems from your ‘exclusivism’ of your religion. My Hindu dharma not only allows religious pluralism but it is built on it. I don’t have to convert you. I have respect for you, but it is ‘mutual’. By the way Bishnupriya Manipuri is a Hindu jati . We have varna and jati, and there is no 'caste'. Christian Bishnupriya Manipuri : ‘Religious tolerance’ shows how good we are towards your Hindu religion. Hindu Bishnupriya Manipuri:  'Tolerance'...

FROM OUR Correspondent  Silchar, Nov 30: Members of the central committee of Nikhil Bishnupriya Manipuri Students’ Union (NBMSU) and Bishnupriya Manipuri Ganasangram Parishad (BMGSP)’s decision to confer a number of prestigious awards on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and State Education minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, deserves special mention. This decision was taken at a meeting held in memory of Dr Kaliprasad Smriti Dibyashram Sanskriti Kendra, at West Kachudaram, Chencoorie here. The occasion was special as they were observing the 123rd birth anniversary of Bishnupriya Manipuri Society’s first political stalwart, leader, poet, writer and social activist Gokalanandagiti Swami. Gokalanandagiti Swami Award for political works 2016 and Gokalanandagiti Swami Award for social works 2016 were also announced at the programme. Nanda Kishore Singha, former MP and a frontline leader of Bishnupriya Manipuri Society has been also awarded for...

RK Rishikesh Sinha Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a cashless economy is achievable. It is absolutely possible. Technology is available with us, the greatest challenge, however, is to change people’s mind. We have to educate people about the whole financial infrastructural touch points through which money gets transacted. It seems simple. The fact is: it is not. Since 2009 I have been closely following the development taking place in the finance-related digital space. India is so big and diverse; there are people who simply don’t know about NEFT? Forget about IMPS and (Pre-paid/ Closed System/ Semi-Closed System/ Open System) Payment Instruments. And there are people who don’t believe on banks even! They have love-hate relationship with banks. The state of affair is that if I tell a person to deposit to my account Rs 100 without physically going to a bank. He or she will not be able to do it. They don’t know the options available with them. However, the same pers...

RK Rishikesh Sinha The USA-based Joshua Project has targeted us to convert 100 per cent Hindu Bishnupriya Manipuris in India and Bangladesh to Christianity. The You Tube video given below is one such effort to bring Christ among Bishnupriya Manipuris. It is related to the Joshua Project. It is to be understand that the translated Bishnupriya Manipuri of the Christian story consist of core Dharmic words like Bhagwan/ Ishwar, Sansar, Paap, Narak, Uddhar. These Hindu terminology words doesn't apply to Christianity.. Our Hindu/ Vedic concept on Bhagwan/ Ishwar is different than the Christian God. Christian Story Hindu Story Let us understand better the Christian story according to our dharmic perspective. Explained by Rajiv Malhotra in the below given video. Next article will be on the difference between Hindu Bishnupriya Manipuri and the Christian one.

RK Rishikesh Sinha We as a Bishnupriya Manipuris feel proud keeping our social, cultural and religious pillars strong and intact. In the 21st century globalization period, it is surprising to find that there is continuity of our ethos since centuries despite being in the epicenter of many socio-political changes. The formation of India, East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) - on religion is one such. More than that we withstood religious conversion to Islam and Christianity in comparison to our neighbouring communities; we are Hindus. It is surprising that religious conversion is not highlighted and discussed. Take this: this is the first article in this blog raising the issue. However, in the present time, we are not safe. The Bishnupriya Manipuri society has been intruded and it is being compromised. To my knowledge and information, 40-45 Bishnupriya Manipuri individuals have converted to Christianity in India. To make the matter worse, unknowingly BMDC-Pau website  carries t...