news and events

news and events

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Ningol Chakouba across the globe

           Ningol Chakouba celebrations outside Manipur (photo album)
                                                                 London

                                         Weifang, Shandong Province, P.R. China
                             
                                                                 Aizawl

                                                            Sharjah, UAE

                                                    Jebudo Island,South Korea

                                                                  Mumbai

                                                                   Mysore

                                                                    Pune

                                                                  Russia

                                                        Ahmedabad,Gujarat

                                                                  Gujarat

                                                                  Hyderabad

                                                                 Hyderabad

                                                                   UAE

                                                                     UAE

                                                                      UAE

                                                                        UAE

                                                             Guanzhou,China

                                                                   Pune

                                                                    Pune

                                                                   S Korea

                                                      S Korea 
                                                             Montreal,Canada

                                                                                Canada





picture credits
*Manipur Times
*E-pao.net
*Chakhum
*HYMS
*friends of mine
 



            

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Ningol Chakouba

     Look at those glittering eyes, look at those thousands smiles, our sisters looks so happy today. Every women in Manipur is waiting for this auspicious day, the day we called NINGOL CHAKOUBA.  A social festival of the Meiteis and many communities of Manipur where the married women (Ningol) are invited (Chakouba-literally calling to a meal; for dinner or lunch) to a feast at their parental house along with their children. It is celebrated every year on the 2nd lunar day of Heyangei (mostly during the month of November. Sometimes it falls in October).
    'Ningol' means daughter and 'Chakouba' means invitation for a lunch. 'Ningol Chakouba' is a special day for the married daughters in Manipur. It is one of the biggest social festival of Meitei and other communities where married women are invited for a feast at their parental home along with their children. It is also a happiest moments of the children as they are going to meet their “pupu” “bobok” and uncles and other relatives at one time.
     It is assume as the biggest festival of Ningols as well as Manipur. It gives a fresh chance to feel again all those old moments to help their mother and sisters helping in cooking meals, helping with cutting vegetables,chatting,giggling over petty reasons.
     For this occasion, invitations are sent week before the day usually by their brothers. This invitation is not written in a plain paper or printed on an invitation card but a betel leave folded over a betel nut is given as a token of invitation. When the big day arrives, the ningols dressed themselves in their best and finest clothes and visit their parental home with the children. They also bring sweets, fruits and other delicacies.
     On this special day, a grand feast of various cuisines is prepared in honor of the ningols at their parental home. Fish curries and fries are special dishes of the day specially “Sareng” which is one of the most expensive fish and favorites of many ningols. Some other fishes are Rohu, Catla, Grass Carp are also favorites of this day.
      It is really enjoyable having meals with all family members after so many days and so many relatives at a time. It pays tribute to the bond between siblings and strengthens the relationship. It enriches the close relationship, loving ties between brother and sisters who were living together under the same roof. In short this festival honors the love between the siblings of a household.
     The lunch session is usually long as it is always accompanied with chitchat with so many people around. After the satisfactory meals, in the evening, parents and generally the pibas (brothers) presented gifts to the ningols (sisters). While receiving the gifts, younger ones are blessed by their elder sisters for their well being and prosperity. And at the end of the day everyone bid goodbye to the happy ningol who is made special on this occasion.
     For family having many married ningols, a grand feast prepared by a 'bamon' (the cook) is arranged and everyone have the lunch together and it's again almost like a 'mapam chakouba' (marriage reception).
     This type festival is performed from time immemorial. It is celebrated since the days of Almighty God. It has its own historical background. The system of inviting for feast was introduced since the days of Nongada Lairen Pakhangba. The exact date of this event is not known but Pakhngba is said to have ascended the throne in 33AD. So this festival can be said to have started from fourth century. During those days the system was somewhat different.
    Pakhangba married Laisana,sister of Poreiton. They now became the "brother-in-law" and close relatives. Nongda Leiren Pakhangba ruled for 120 years. He appointed his wife as the Royal Queen of the Meiteis kingdom.After coronation of Laisana as Queen, she went to his brother Poireiton in order to observe the cultivation of his brother and also to show her respect and gratitude. The two brother and sister met after a long time. They were very delighted and expressed their satisfaction to meet again.
After Queen Laisana returned home from her brother house, she cooked the scented paddy grain/rice which was gift by her brother very nicely to her level best with due care. Her husband Nongda Lairen Pakhangba consumed the rice he found  maximum satisfaction which he has never consumed nor tasted before in his life time.
    Therefore, in sweet memory of this paddy grain presented to her wife Laisana by her brother Poireiton, he name it as "Chakhao-Mon"; and the black-top paddy grain as "Chakhao Poireitone", in order to remember Poreiton. In order to express her gratitute to her brother, Laisana invited her brother Poireiton to have a feast/dinner to her husband house.Poireiton warmly accepted her humble proposal/request. In such a way, a happy feast was arranged by her sister Laisana. In this way, the tradition of inviting brothers by the sisters for having feast/dinner was started.
    However with the passage of time such tradition of inviting feast by the sisters was given up during the reign of Maharaja Chandrakriti. He found the task of visiting each of his sisters separately troublesome. So, he reform it from Piba Chakouba to Ningol Chakouba by inviting all his sisters in his place as an alternative to that trouble he would be facing in visiting all his sisters.
   Today the importance and value of this ceremony is becoming more and more recognized. The excitement in peoples buying gifts for the daughter can be seen everywhere. People doing great shopping, melas, crowded fish stalls and mostly one can expect the market areas to suffer major traffic jams in these days. State government and private firms also organize fish fairs especially for this day.
     It is our moral duty to gear up our traditional indigenous festivals But it will be unwise to invest more on conspicuous consumption, when the state is facing acute financial problem.
    On the whole, observing this festival is good from a socio-cultural point of view but too much expenditure in performing/celebrating this festival is an unwise policy.

                              A VERY HAPPY "NINGOL CHAKOUBA"

 




Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Mary kom & The Gold Medal

   Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom (born 1 March 1983), also known as MC Mary Kom, or simply Mary Kom was born in Kangathei, in Churachandpur district of Manipur. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom, was a cultivater in profession. She completed her primary education from Loktak Christian Model High School, Moirang, up to her class VI standard and attended St. Xavier Catholic School, Moirang, up to class VIII. She then moved to Adimjati High School, Imphal, for her schooling for class IX and X, but was unable to pass the matriculation exam. Not wishing to reappear for them, she quit her school and gave her examination from NIOS, Imphal and graduation from Churachandpur College.
   Although she had a keen interest in athletics from childhood, it was the success of Dingko Singh that inspired her to become a boxer in 2000. She started her training under the close eye of  M. Narjit Singh, Manipur State Boxing Coach at Khuman Lampak,Imphal.
    She is married to K. Onler Kom and has twin sons, Rechungvar and Khupneivar. They first met in 2001 when Kom was at New Delhi on her way to National Games in Punjab while Onler was studying at Delhi University. They married in 2005 after 4 years of dating. In 2013,she gave birth to her third baby boy and has named him Prince Chungthanglen Kom.
     She is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. Nicknamed "Magnificent Mary", she is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the flyweight (51 kg) category and winning the bronze medal. She has also been ranked as No. 4 AIBA World Women's Ranking Flyweight category.
      After a two-year break, she won a silver medal at the 2008 Asian Women's Boxing Championship in India and a fourth successive gold medal at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in China followed by a gold medal at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam.
        In 2010, Kom won the gold medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Kazakhstanand at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in Barbados, her fifth consecutive gold at the championship. She competed in Barbados in the 48 kg weight class, after AIBA had stopped using the 46 kg class.In the 2010 Asian Games, she competed in the 51 kg class the lowest in the contest - and won a bronze medal. In 2011, she won gold in the 48 kg class at the Asian Women's Cup in China,and in 2012 took the gold medal in the 51 kg class at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Mongolia.On 3 October 2010, she, along with Sanjay and Harshit Jain, had the honour of bearing the Queen's Baton in its opening ceremony run in the stadium for the 2010 Commonwealth Games of Delhi she did not compete, however, as women's boxing was not included in the Commonwealth Games.
        Mary, a five-time world champion, had won several medals in the 46 and 48 kg categories. She was forced to shift to this category and gain weight two years ago after the world body decided to allow women’s boxing in only three weight categories—the lowest one being 51 kg. 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, Kom was competing not just for the championship itself but also for a place at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the first time women's boxing had featured as an Olympic sport. She was defeated in the 51 kg quarter-finals by Nicola Adams of the UK (to whom she would eventually lose in the semifinal of the London 2012 Olympic Games as well), making this the first year since the championship began that Kom did not win a medal, but did succeed in getting a place for the Olympics. She was the only Indian woman to qualify for boxing event, with Laishram Sarita Devi narrowly missing a place in the 60 kg class Kom was accompanied to London by her mother and husband. Kom's coach Charles Atkinson could not join her at the Olympic Village as he didn't possess an International Boxing Association (AIBA) 3 Star Certification, which is mandatory for accreditation.The first Olympic round was held on 5 August 2012, with Kom defeating Karolina Michalczuk of Poland 19-14 in the third women's boxing match ever to be fought at the Olympics.In the quarter-final, the following day, she defeated Maroua Rahali of Tunisia with a score of 15-6 She faced Nicola Adams of UK in the semi-final on 8 August 2012 and lost the bout 6 points to 11. However, she stood third in the competition and garnered her first olympic Bronze medal.  Manipur Government decided to award Rs 50 lakhs and two acres of land to Kom in the cabinet meeting held on 9 August 2012 she carried the Indian tricolour during the closing ceremony of the 2012 summer Olympics in London..
         Awards and recognitions achieved by Mary Kom are as follows
  •   Padma Bhushan (Sports), 2013
  •  Arjuna Award (Boxing), 2003
  •  Padma Shree (Sports), 2010
  •  Contender for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, 2007
  •  People of the Year- Limca Book of Records, 2007
  •  CNN-IBN & Reliance Industries' Real Heroes Award 14.4. 2008 Mon
  •  Pepsi MTV Youth Icon 2008
  •  ‘Magnificent Mary’, AIBA 2008
  •  Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, 2009
  •  International Boxing Association's Ambassador for Women's Boxing 2009 
  •  Sportswoman of the year 2010, Sahara Sports Award
     Mary Kom in Asian Games 2014 ( Korea )
        The Asian Game is her first competition in two years and her first since her second cesarean operation. She is boxing in a higher weight category than the one in which she has boxed for most of her 12-year-career, so her opponents are often taller and heavier.
     Mary Kom kicked off the proceedings in the ring for India for a second successive day and once again gave a perfect start, against Si Haijuan of China. Facing an opponent 10 years her junior, the five-time world champion Indian drew from her huge reservoir of experience to outwit the rather sprightly Chinese.
Sluggish to begin with, the Manipuri found her rhythm as the bout progressed, displaying precision in her punches. Particularly impressive in the second round, Mary seemed on course for a comfortable win but was taken by surprise in the third round, in which Haijuan tactfully blunted the Indian's attack. However, mere glimpses of promise were never going to be enough against the multiple-time Asian champion, whose well-timed combination punches hardly found any response from the Chinese in the fourth and final round.
In the end, Haijuan paid for her lack of experience against a seasoned campaigner, who was in control of the pace of the bout. Mary Kom will now be up against Vietnam's Le Thi Bang in the semi-final.
   
     India's best medal hope and former five-time world champion M C Mary Kom scored a convincing 3-0 victory over her taller Vietnamese opponent Ler Thi Bang. Two of the ringside judges adjudged her the winner by giving her 40-36 score in the four rounds combined while the third put her 39-37 ahead on points.
Mary was a clear winner even though she was the shorter of the two southpaws, she easily came inside the Vietnamese boxer's territory to score with jabs and rights to the face.
Mary, who won a bronze in the 2010 Asian Games and the 2012 Olympic Games before taking a break from the sport, is now assured of at least a silver medal.
She will now fight against Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan who earned a 3-0 verdict over N Myagmardulam of Mongolia in the other semifinal bout.
"I will keep my focus because a gold has to be won for my country," she said. She will be fighting tomorrow again for final.
Cheers and best of luck!