Govt would respond to any action against non-local Indian citizens : Ibobi State Govt sees eye to eye with JCLIPS on ILPS
IMPHAL, May 21: Stating that there is no difference of opinion between the State Government and the Joint Committee on ILPS (JCILPS) on enforcement of Inner Line Permit System in Manipur, Chief Minister O Ibobi has cautioned that the Government would rea.....
State lad tops Nagaland Class X Board exams
IMPHAL, May 21: Helaluddin Shah s/o Md Islauddin and Sanarembi of Borayangbi under Kumbi AC has topped the HSLCE 2013 conducted by the Nagaland Board of School Education, results of which was declared in the intervening night of May 20 and 21. Helaluddin.....
More eviction
IMPHAL, May 21 :The State Government has decided to evict encroachers for expansion of roads in Imphal and greater Imphal areas. The State Government has initiated necessary procedures to evict encroachers as it feels that many roads in Imphal and grea.....
KSO suspends strike, blockade
IMPHAL, May 21 : Respon-ding to the assurance of Chief Minister O Ibobi to carry forward the backlog of 474 ST posts in the ensuing recruitment of 2000 numbers of Manipur Police Constables, and also to take immediate action regarding the backlog of 28 dif.....
CM convenes meet
IMPHAL, May 21 :Chief Minister O Ibobi today convened a meeting of the delegates who would be visiting Myanmar along with him and discussed about their forthcoming foreign trip. The delegation which would be led by the Chief Minister would take part in.....
Rabies fear stalks Phumlou village
IMPHAL, May 21: Besides report about three persons succumbing to suspected cases of rabies after the victims were reportedly bitten by dogs, locals of Phumlou village under Imphal West district are gripped with fear. According to a reliable source, atl.....
Shirui Lily Fest Showcases Rich Culture Of Tangkhul Community Cultural extravaganza marks week long fest
UKHRUL, May 21: Cultural items, display of Tangkhul traditional cuisines and attires, flower show, painting competition and entertainment programmes marked the concluding day of the district level Shirui Lily Week-2013 today at Shirui village under Ukhrul.....
Pledge taken to protect human lives, values
IMPHAL, May 21: Like in other parts of the country, pledges were taken to protect human lives and values as Manipur too joined in the observance of 22nd national anti-terrorism day today. The observance is held to commemorate the death anniversary of f.....
NGOs say no to oil exploration
IMPHAL, May 21: Twenty-four NGOs including student organizations and human rights defenders today submitted a representation to Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh urging him to take steps to halt the ongoing oil exploration process and extraction works in the h.....
CSOs raid Hotel Centre Point
IMPHAL, May 21: Volunteers of different civil society organisations today raided Hotel Centre Point at MG Avenue and pulled up its manager. Volunteers of 16 civil society organisations including CLK, IPSA, KEL, ACOAM Lup, PANDM etc raided the hotel and.....
PM corrects age to 80 in RS poll papers
Guwahati, May 21: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Congress Rajya Sabha candidate from Assam, has filed a fresh affidavit correcting his age to 80 prior to scrutiny of the nominations today. The Prime Minister submitted the fresh affidavit two days a.....
Oklahoma tornado Many children among 91 feared killed
MOORE, OKLAHOMA, May 20: At least 91 people, including 20 children, were feared killed when a 2 mile wide tornado tore through an Oklahoma City suburb, trapping victims beneath the rubble as one elementary school took a direct hit and another was destroye.....
MKS condoles
IMPHAL, May 21 :The Maram Students’ Union (MKS) has condoled the untimely demise of its former Education Secretary, R Graceson Rangnamei, a second semester student of MA at MU. A statement issued by the MKS said the union would cherish his associatio.....
‘Go Green Fortnight’
IMPHAL, May 21 :Aimed at promoting greenery, atleast in and around their deployment areas, and furthering its undeterred efforts of preserving the bounty of the nature, the Assam Rifles under a specific roadmap worked out by the IGAR (S) Maj Gen UK Gurung.....
ZU condemns
IMPHAL, May 21 : Condemning the abduction and killing of Poushingdai Gonmei, a cadre of NSCN-IM by the ZUF on May 18, the Zeliangrong Union, Bishnupur, Sadar Area Zone has appealed to all concerned armed groups operating in Zeliangrong areas not to resort.....
Painting competition
IMPHAL, May 20: A State level cooperative painting competition would be held on May 29 by the Department of Cooperation, Govt of Manipur at the premises of Registrar of Manipur Cooperative Societies, Lamphelpat on the theme Cooperative as a means of livel.....
BSNL network
IMPHAL, May 20: Telephone exchanges including GSM mobile, WLL and Broadband connections of BSNL would be disrupted at BSNL installations at Hiyangthang, Wangoi and Mayang Imphal Exchanges, due to sudden breakdown of OFC route near Pishumthong Ningom Leika.....
KRF denies
IMPHAL, May 21: The Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF) has denied having any knowledge on the alleged abduction of Nepali youths from Gopibung, Mahavir and Shantolabari areas under Kangpokpi PS. Terming the allegation as baseless and false, a statement iss.....
Dispute resolved
IMPHAL, May 21: The dispute between Rangshong, Chief of Awang Longa Koireng and Rengsutsong Koireng was settled under the laws of Satang Area Chiefs' Association at the residence of H Gelmol village chief on May 20. A statement issued by the SACA said .....
New students' body floated
IMPHAL, May 21: Along with announcing formation of a new students' organisation christened Reformist Students' Front (RSF), its general secretary BCY Atiqur said that RSF was formed to take up issues related to rights of the student community. Affirmin.....
Headlines
By : Our Staff Reporter
Andro museum draws in foreigners too
IMPHAL, Dec 7: Inspite of being located in one of the remotest parts of Imphal East district and at the foothills of Baruni range (Nongmaiching), Mutua Museum Cultural Complex, Andro has been gradually drawing tourists, both domestic and foreigners.
With the idea of transforming the eastern side of the Baruni hill range into a cultural hub dawning upon its creator around 1992 and the first construction taking place in November the next year, visitors coming to the location was very rare and negligible, conceded Mutua Museum director Mutua Bahadur while speaking to the Sangai Express.
According to the museum creator/director, the first construction was a traditional Meitei house (Meitei Yumjao) built with wood, mud and thatch composition, under which contemporary as well as antique Potteries of North East region in general and Manipur's indigenous communities in particular were preserved and put on display.
The second construction is said to be a Kabui traditional house, built of materials similar to the Meitei Yumjao, in which bamboo and cane craftsmanship of the Kabuis were preserved followed by storage of traditional musical instruments, ornaments, bell-metal utensils and sculptures/paintings of different indigenous communities of Manipur.
With more inclusion of traditional items used by the people of North East region and antique textiles of Myanmar and Thailand in around 2003, the museum literally assumed international flavour, expressed Mutua Bahadur while informing that he decided to develop and dedicate the site as a cultural heritage complex on the occasion of World Heritage Day observance on April 18 in 2006.
Along with the dedication and transformation of the complex, arrival of tourists started initially with the local populace which grew in subsequent years.
Apart from local visitors the complex started to draw tourists from other Indian States and abroad, said the director and informed that till date about 251 foreign tourists have visited the cultural complex.
Compared to the foreign nationals from countries such as United States of America, Japan, Germany, France, Thailand and The netherlands, about 1300 Indian tourists are said to have enjoyed the scenic beauty and cultural items at the sprawling complex which has both open and in-house museums.
Expressing satisfaction that Indian as well as foreign tourists were able to have an insight on the rich cultural heritage and traditions of Manipur and the region, he said minimal entry fee is levied from the visitors to preserve its sanctity and protect the museum items.
Acknowledging his effort and endeavour State's Department of Art and Culture has been providing Rs 50,000 annually for the past few years, he said and jestingly informed that the museum's music system developed technical snag after many foreign visitors insisted that the folk music being played at higher decibels.
In the formative years of the museum the site was opened round the clock but certain restrictions had to be put in place following theft of museum items, Mutua Bahadur conveyed and expressed that the main attraction of the complex is the cultural integrity pillar in which varied facets of Manipur's cultural heritage are carved in a teak tree-beam of 4.20 metre height and 1.65 mtr diameter.
