Typical Ani Thokpi culture Two Ningol Chakkoubas

The Ani Thokpi mentality. Just so typical of the Meitei mindset or Meetei mindset. It starts from here-the propensity to always have two opinions on any matter. So while there is no unanimity on how the name of the community should be spelt, Meitei or Meetei, debates or rather arguments continue to dog anything, even like observing Ningol Chakkouba, perhaps the biggest festival for the Meiteis or the Meeteis. So this year, that is 2019, Manipur will see two Ningol Chakkoubas, one on October 29 and another on October 30. Blame the maths that went into working out the lunar calendar but this is how things have panned out. And so while a good number of people will celebrate Ningol Chakkouba on October 29, another set will observe the day on October 30. The State Government had also earlier declared that Ningol Chakkouba will be on October 30. This means that many Government employees will have to stick by the calendar backed by the State Government, but how about those who work in the non-Governmental organisations ? How about privately run schools and colleges ? Not surprisingly  shopkeepers or those who have opened shops and deal with goods that usually do brisk business on every Ningol Chakkouba will have two days of brisk business this year. Nothing wrong on the brisk business part but it is amusing to see the people so hell bent on failing to see eye to eye on anything that might be of some importance, socially or economically and even traditionally. Caught in the refusal to have a common date for this year’s Ningol Chakkouba is also the journalist fraternity of the State.
And so it was that in all its wisdom the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) earlier announced that Ningol Chakkouba for the media fraternity would be on October 30, meaning that is the day they would be free to observe the day and invite their sisters or daughters for lunch. However differences over the date did crop up and couple this with the fact that the State is going through a critical phase and it was ultimately decided to forgo Ningol Chakkouba this year. Forgoing Ningol Chakkouba since the State is going through a critical phase, especially with the October 31 deadline looming large, is understandable, but there is nothing acceptable about the two different dates put forth to hold Ningol Chakkouba. It is this mentality that needs to be addressed to on a priority basis. No wonder the State has so many apex CSOs, each claiming to represent the interest of the people. It is the same with student bodies, each claiming to represent the voice of the students but in reality coming to blows against each other on many occasions. This is how things stand right now and to think that inspite of the inability or refusal to see things unitedly so many claim that they will face the different challenges facing the land and the people and this is frightening.