Council of Higher Secondary Education announces Class XII exam results Rankings out, divisions out, gradings in
IMPHAL, May 22: For the first time in the annals of the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur (COHSEM), the Class 12 results of 2013 were declared today under the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system in which grading system has t.....
Court to record evidence in Sharmila’s case on Aug 30
NEW DELHI, MAY 22: A Delhi court on Wednesday fixed August 30 for recording of prosecution evidence in a case against rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu for allegedly attempting suicide during her fast-unto-death in New Delhi in 2006. The Manipuri act.....
Evicted families dismiss CM's claims
IMPHAL, May 22: Chief Minister Okram Ibobi's assertion that settlers recently evicted from Kabo Leikai were not in possession of valid land ownership documents and that the Government spent Rs 9 crores as compensation amount has been outrightly rejected b.....
Street vendors demand due place
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Smile Train Shija Cleft Project Mission To Myanmar Flagged Off 12 team member leave to lend healing touch
IMPHAL, May 22: Smile Train Shija Cleft Project, a joint initiative of Smile Train Inc, USA and Shija Hospitals and Research Institute, Imphal has set off on a journey to render free surgical treatment to cleft lip and palate patients at Monywa, Myanmar. .....
Thieves held
IMPHAL, May 22: With assistance from 10 Assam Rifles troops, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) staff caught five persons while they were trying to steal GI pipes worth around Rs 1.2 lakh from Kangchup area of Senapati district. According to a.....
Judicial remand
IMPHAL, May 22: Rakesh Kumar Yadav, a CRPF jawan who has been accused of molesting and attempting to rape a woman sweeper of SBI building has been remanded to 15 days judicial custody. The accused was produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class, .....
State farmer
IMPHAL, May 22: Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India has awarded All Manipur Trained Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Promoters Consortium (AMAPCON) President Potshangbam Devakanta with Pla.....
Bio-diversity day
IMPHAL, May 22: Like in other parts of the world, international Biological diversity Day was observed here in the State. Under the joint aegis of Directorate of Environment and Manipur Bio-diversity Board, the global observance were organised at Kangl.....
MSCW chief
IMPHAL, May 22: Manipur State Commission for Women chairperson Dr Ibetombi Devi has pledged to take all possible measures to address plight of the women and work for their betterment. Interacting with mediapersons at her office chamber in DC (IW) offi.....
June event co-hosts seek public assistance
IMPHAL, May 22: ahead of the 12th Great June Uprising Unity Day 2013 to be observed jointly by AMUCO and UCM the event co-hosts have sought the people's cooperation and financial contribution to facilitate smooth observance of the historic occasion. Ad.....
URF disputes CM
IMPHAL, May 22: Apparently referring to Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh's comment at the national Anti-Terrorism Day observance yesterday that likened insurgency movement in Manipur to acts of terrorism, the armed United Revolutionary Front (URF), Manipur c.....
Govt holds talk with UG groups
IMPHAL, May 22 : In line with the stated purpose of talking things over the negotiating table, State Government representatives including Principal Secretary (Home) Dr Suresh Babu and the Union Joint Secretary in charge of the North East Shambhu Singh hel.....
VISA office
IMPHAL, May 22 : In order to convenience to overseas travellers, a VISA office will be opened in Manipur within this year, said Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam. He was speaking at the flagging off ceremony of Mission Myanmar, a triagular effort of My.....
ATSUM stir
IMPHAL, May 22 : Putting up various demands, the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) has announced a Statewide ‘intense agitation’ for 38 hours from 5am of June 3 to be followed by a ‘sustained agitation’ for 38 days. This was announc.....
One day fast called
IMPHAL, May 22: Rongmei Lu Phuam (Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) has urged all the Christians in the State to observe a fast on May 26 (Sunday) as a token strike against the eviction of Kabo Leikai residents by the Government. Talking to reporters at th.....
KSCWF executive members elected
IMPHAL, May 22: Holthang Mate, Rev JK Touthang and Thangkhomang Haokip have been elected as the chairman, vice-chairman and secretary of the Churachandpur district branch of Kuki Senior Citizens Welfare Forum, Manipur. Election of executive members of .....
SANSA urges authority
IMPHAL, May 22: Many lapses on the part of the Government were reportedly found at Leisan High school and Maichon PS in Ukhrul district. A team of Sagolmang Naga Students' Association (SANSA), Manipur had inspected the schools on May 21. SANSA presi.....
Biodiversity Day at Senapati
IMPHAL, May 22: As observed in other parts of the World, the International Biodiversity Day was held today in Senapati district with the theme 'Water and Biodiversity.' The Maram Students' Union (MKS) in collaboration with Senapati district administrat.....
DG AR visits State
IMPHAL, May 22: Director General Assam Rifles Lt Gen Ranbir Singh arrived on the two-day State visit on May 21 and was received by IGAR (S) Maj Gen UK Gurung at Tulihal Airport. The General officer visited far flung and remotely located posts of vario.....
Manipur Masala
By : Sanatombi Angomcha
On the craze of Awunpot among contemporary Manipuri brides
Is awunpot the weigh-oh-meter of a successful married life of a Manipuri bride? Does Awunpot really play its role in winning love and affection from the new members of Nupamayum for the bride? Is the culture of giving expensive awunpot in our society encouraging? Is there any ill effect of Awunpot culture among contemporary Manipuri brides? I am leaving all these deliberations to be discussed by the would-be brides from our society who would sooner or later tie their nuptial knots. As for my personal opinion, I am occupying the remaining part of today’s column with my own thought salad on the awunpot culture that prevails in our society.
Dowry system is encouraged to a new high in our society. Whether we admit it or not, most of us directly or indirectly become a part of this not so fascinating practice. Earlier, the concept of awunpot or awong awun tamba used to be a fond practice in our community in which parents affectionately gifted their daughters with what all things they could afford. Today, it has become more of an evil practice.
For today’s parents’ marriage of their daughters means quite a huge investment for which they have to save up a handsome amount. For instance, parents who have three daughters need to save up at least 30 lakh rupees just to buy awunpot (if it accounts to 10 lakh each for one daughter and the calculation goes on). So, that’s it? Parental love is measured in terms of awunpot or what? To the rich lots, it would not be a problem but what about those middle class families and those who hail from poor income group? Are they supposed to join this marathon like race of taking along maximum awunpot at Nupamayum? It’s quite a crazy practice I must admit.
‘Thangnabagi Thambougi machanupidi gari achouba unli, akhoi ebema gisu achouba natrasu macha amadi haapisi’- Is it a kind of competition or a quest to popularize oneself at one’s leikai by gifting one’s daughter or sister with maximum awunpot? I really do not think/consider so. Love, affection, understanding and respect for one another in the family mean much more than those chunks of unwanted items, expensive jewelries or electronic goods. How many times do we need to remind ourselves that relationships cannot be weighed on any ground?
If the bride wants to be financially independent even after her marriage, it’s better to have a big fat bank account rather than investing all her lifetime savings on the not so required awunpot. I have this suggestion that every bride should have an open and sensible choice- the lifeless brands or the precious relationships, a good amount of money in her bank account or chunks of unwanted yet expensive electronic or lifestyle items that would lie unattended at some corner of the Nupamayum.
By and by, it’s the high time we also stop poking our noses on whose mamounupi brings how much awunpot. Let us stop giving importance to those lifeless washing machines, refrigerators, LCD television sets and blah blah. We do need to evolve out from the typical rusty mindset of considering marriage as a burden. A marriage is not at all a burden; it’s a beautiful ritual through which a bride and her groom are united in front of their loved ones. A mere washing machine or refrigerator cannot weigh the love between the bride and groom.
Another luhongba-centric (yumfam yaodaba chatnabi) that pesters me is our craze for many things that are imported from other Indian cities especially from Delhi. To cite an example, there is this particular bed sheet exclusively meant to be used on the luhongba day. My sister even keeps on asking me to purchase a few pieces for her. Guess what? This in-demand bed sheet is sold at Imphal market at double the price as compared to its market price in Delhi. While the Delhi Karbarwaalas are booming with the business of this particular piece of cloth (adorned with some glitzy designs), our local weavers/designers who have the same potential to produce many innovative designs and samples are almost crippled. Most of the traditional wedding related attires have also been replaced by swanky imported garments. I cannot help considering it as a death blow to our cultural norms- the same cultural norms about which we pretend so hard to preserve- eh?
It’s very funny to admit that just for some bling bling factor (what I would call Kok Yaodaba Thouwong) we are crippling our local weavers & designers by relying heavily on various imported pieces of garments from other cities. The market in our state is comparatively petty as compared to the thriving market in Delhi. If Manipuris do not buy those bed sheets or clothes, the Delhi karbarwaalas won’t have much loss. But have we ever imagined the impact on our local weavers? Are we not crippling them day by day? On one hand we talk about change, reconstruction and progress in our society. On the other hand, we cripple all the means and measures of bringing change or progress in our society. It’s like looting with the left hand and repaying with the right one.
All in all, there isn’t a single reason why we should encourage the practice of dowry system in our society. Besides we should also have a check on our fascination with imported swanky attires or accessories from other cities. Awunpot never measures the amount of love and affection that parents have for their daughters. And there is no such evidence that a bride with truckloads of awunpot will win the award of the best ‘Mou’ of the year or so. So, dear would-be-brides from Kangleipaak, please be a little sensible and start evolving from the mindset of taking along as much awunpot as you can. Let us try to abolish many unwanted chatnabis that soil our society. I have this firm belief that this can be a collective effort among us.
Johhy Khuman
Nice opinion. But you are exaggerating little to much when you are generalizing 10 lakhs. And if you are trying to draw parallelism between Indian dowry system and Manipuri system, they are different. One is compulsion and another is choice. But yes when the choice becomes extravagant it is definitely a problem. The tradition of dowry in Manipur is as beautiful as marriage itself. If money is the issue for dowry than so it is for marriage as well. So should we stop having marriage ceremonies.
vikram
Your point is little bit true but i would like tell that only some rich people give costly awonpot and few people imitate the culture of giving costliest things(awonpot).
Peace
Why awonpot is necessary in our meitei community if LOVE is there between two people? Awonpot is same as dowry and our generation should abolish this if we want our meitei community.
