Not Khudolpot Tannaba Numit Essence of Ningol Chakkouba
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Extend the understanding of Ningol Chakkouba just a little and if the same sentiments associated with one’s immediate blood sister or daughter can be extended a little a bit, then Manipur would certainly be a much better place to live. Every year the Meitei community gets together to celebrate Ningol Chakkouba, underlining the deep ties between daughters and parents and between sisters and brothers and take this a little further and the profundity of it all should be a little clearer. Words may just fall short of inking down the intrinsic humaneness in the very act of setting aside a day to be observed as Ningol Chakkouba and in the very act of parents and brothers putting on their best foot forward to ensure that the lunch they get to enjoy with their daughters and sisters is something more than a plate of rice and a variety of dishes that may be on the menu. It is something much more and this is precisely the reason why Ningol Chakkouba carries the same intrinsic value to a father and mother and a brother who may not be that well placed economically as much as it would mean to any father or brother who may be financially very well placed. It is this value that should be cherished and held high. However down the years, there have been many insightful and meaningful short films, videos and recordings filled with the message of not reducing the day to a sort of a race to show off one’s wealth and spending power. That such messages were deemed necessary and timely for society should say something very significant about the reality, a reality which does not speak well of the Meitei community as a whole. Ningol Chakkouba is a day to re-inforce the ties of love, a relationship forged by blood relations, a tie that can be traced to the days when one was young, carefree and stayed at the same house called home under a father and a mother. It is definitely not a day to show off, not a day to compete who returns with the bigger, more expensive gifts from the house of the parents or brother/s. It is when the value of the day is reduced to a materialistic interpretation that the core meaning of holding Ningol Chakkouba will stand defiled and defeated. This should not be lost on anyone on the day Ningol Chakkouba is held and beyond. It is with a reason why numerous social organisations also organise the day for women who are from other communities but have married into Meitei families and this should be acknowledged and reciprocated by setting examples that are worth emulating. In many other ways too, the very act of setting aside a day to invite the daughters and sisters to a grand feast is also a reflection of the deep ties that siblings share as well as the position of women in society.
The unsaid but audible meaning in setting aside a day as Ningol Chakkouba should guide the morals and principles of the men in the Meitei society and the sooner this is realised, the better it would be for society. And this observation is being made keeping in mind the reality that is the Meitei society. So even as married women proceed to the place they have been invited for the Chakkouba feast, it should not be forgotten that down the years the invitation has extended beyond the invite to the immediate daughters and sisters but have come to mean existing social organisations stepping in to roll out the red carpet for womenfolk to come and share a meal. A line which the Manipur Baptist Convention (MBC) has been practising for years now. A gesture that cuts across community lines, for those invited come from different communities and perfectly captures the essence of the day and this is something which should be respected and reciprocated. Family ties, filial ties, community ties and the ties that knot human society, all these and more come together and make this day something truly special, for it today transcends community but has come to be closely associated with everything that Manipur stands for. And in remembering these points, all should take care to ensure that the day is not reduced to a sort of a competition to see who receives more expensive presents. It is Ningol Chakkouba, certainly not Khudolpot Tannaba Numit.
The unsaid but audible meaning in setting aside a day as Ningol Chakkouba should guide the morals and principles of the men in the Meitei society and the sooner this is realised, the better it would be for society. And this observation is being made keeping in mind the reality that is the Meitei society. So even as married women proceed to the place they have been invited for the Chakkouba feast, it should not be forgotten that down the years the invitation has extended beyond the invite to the immediate daughters and sisters but have come to mean existing social organisations stepping in to roll out the red carpet for womenfolk to come and share a meal. A line which the Manipur Baptist Convention (MBC) has been practising for years now. A gesture that cuts across community lines, for those invited come from different communities and perfectly captures the essence of the day and this is something which should be respected and reciprocated. Family ties, filial ties, community ties and the ties that knot human society, all these and more come together and make this day something truly special, for it today transcends community but has come to be closely associated with everything that Manipur stands for. And in remembering these points, all should take care to ensure that the day is not reduced to a sort of a competition to see who receives more expensive presents. It is Ningol Chakkouba, certainly not Khudolpot Tannaba Numit.