Bishnupriya Manipuri Online

By RK Rishikesh Sinha 1908: TC Hudson in his book “The Meitheis” published in 1908 sowed the seed that the Manipuri Meiteis has recently been converted to Hinduism. (Meiteis is a jati and the culture is “Manipuri”. The same culture is shared by another Hindu jati Bishnupriya). Two jatis with two different languages share the same culture. Majority of the people find it a problem, but it is a beauty. 1919: Rabindra Nath Tagore is shown Manipuri Raas Leela in today’s Bangladesh in one of the Bishnupriya jati village. Tagore institutionalize the Raas. 1930: Intellectual Sepoys writes N Phullo in Assam started questioning Hinduism amongst Hindu Meiteis. Manipur’s Maharaja however doesn’t find any objection about his activity. N Phullo said, he is not against Hinduism but he performs “ worship by using Manipuri language ”. The followers of Phullo started calling themselves as “Apokpa Marup”. The God Apokpa fits in Hindu cosmology. 1940: The message reaches Man...

By RK Rishikesh Sinha We have to reclaim, redefine and emphasise what our ancestors lived and believed (according to Dharmic lens): Manipur as their janmabhoomi and being the descendants of Arjuna’s son Babruvahana. A week back I received an email from a student studying in Gurucharan College Silchar, Assam, requesting to give details about us (Bishnupriya Manipuris), specifically the life cycle. She had been given a project to study on Bishnupriya Manipuri. Before I write something and click SEND button, I for a moment thought I must know: what is her prior rudimentary knowledge about us, the Bishnupriya Manipuris. I didn’t ask her. Even I didn’t respond to her email knowing the fact that the academic discourse towards our jati is distorted and prejudice. Reason being that the approach the academicians take is very much western as if they have got a template and they have to just fill in the blanks. They work as an academic mafia. Please read:  Acad...

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...

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'...

By RK Rishikesh Sinha Our Sanatan Hindu Dharma has always been misunderstood with myths and misconceptions. Unfortunately, these have gone deep into the Hindu psyche through the western academia, mass media, and due to the lack of knowledge about our Dharma. Supported by western academia, these myths and wrong notions have been accepted unfortunately by westernised / colonised / christianised / liberalised Hindus of contemporary India. Their entire mission is to destroy everything that qualifies Hindu Dharma. Therefore, we Hindus are not able to define what the Hindu Dharma is. Rajiv Malhotra’s book Indra’s Net , traces back the main source that are rooted in the western academia. And gives a befitting reply to each of the myths. In doing so, the author brilliantly defines Hinduism using the ‘forest’, the ‘computer industry’ and the ‘banyan tree’ as metaphors. He analyses step by step the various aspects, facets and constituents of the Hindu Dharma and establishes its unity...

RK Rishikesh Sinha Few days ago, I read a book ‘Seducing the Rain God’ by Smriti Kumar Sinha. I read each and every word in the book. I find the book is not merely a book consisting of fourteen stories originally written in Bishnupriya Manipuri, it is more of a product that is embedded with many information of the community to the pan-Indian readers as well as to the home audience. So, the book appears as a big bridge connecting many small bridges. Ramlal Sinha, the translator of the book, has successfully done a very painstaking job translating the stories written in Bishnupriya Manipuri. He has effectively transferred the original Bishnupriya Manipuri framework to English without diluting the beauty of the stories. However, if given an opportunity I would like to read the original ‘Bishnupriya Manipuri’ story ‘Choudhury Golapchan’. Since the story touches the core of the Bishnupriya Manipuri psyche. Here are the few lines from the book:  "Monigo, your mind is...

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...

By RK Rishikesh Sinha Bishnupriya Manipuri Development Council (BMDC) is dead and is a part of history now. We are fortunate that we have seen the complete life cycle – its birth and its sudden death. However, the short tenure of the body has highlighted how we as a community respond to such development.  Today, when we go back and read some of the writings on BMDC , we find serious questions were asked about the inception of the body. Here is an article, where Ramlal Sinha had doubts about the body’s financial viability and its objective. And at the same time, the role of NBMM against BMDC was questioned. In parallel to Ramlal Sinha’s views, Rebati Mohan Sinha who was elated with the formation of the body, he too asked many questions to the very existence of the body. Reading his series of articles on BMDC , today, I believe, many of his questions have gone unanswered! Out of many things that we have seen, it is suffice to say that we can be played upon by anybo...

When PM Modi mentioned Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan from the Red Fort of Delhi on 15 August 2016; I was amused since I knew Pakistani media and intelligentsia would go berserk. Indeed they were. A thought strike my mind to enquire about the state Manipur. Frankly speaking Manipur is not of any interest to me. Like any other Indian, Manipur reminds me for all wrong reasons! A quick cursory analysis between Pakistan and Manipur, I find that they are not only similar but exactly the same. As an Indian Bishnupriya Manipuri, the histories of both Pakistan and Manipur started rolling in front of my eyes. Like anyone, I can relate very well with both the blocks. To my understanding and knowledge I see Manipur would suffer a lot in the coming decades, and the Meitei Hindu community would be at receiving end. Let’s begin the comparison taking few of the factors. Dominant Community What Punjabis muslims are for Pakistan, Meitei community is for Manipur. Pakistan...