Emerging Pattern of the Bisnupriya Manipuri Society- A Study in Cultural Identity

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Published on Friday, 22 June 2012 19:50

Written by Barun Kumar Sinha

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Barun Kumar Sinha

Deptt. Of English
S.S.College- Hailakandi

Bisnupriya Manipuris are, a constituent of the conglomeration of diverse ethnic groups in the Barak Valley. Officially, they are a linguistic minority. There are as many as 146 villages in the valley and population in rural areas was 66,623 in 1967. Curiously enough, figures published in 1961 census were totally incorrect. Social workers undertook, in protest, to conduct census, which revealed, tidy certified by t-he respective Village panchyats, the actual above - mentioned figures. Coming to the closing decade of the century the figure would be around one and half lakhs. Indeed this community has suffered diminution at every stage of its historical evoludon.A quick look at its remote and recent past will hope , not be out of place here.

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Validity of attaching the name 'Manipuri' to 'Bishnupriya'

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Published on Saturday, 01 January 2011 00:00

Written by Ashim Kumar Singha

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by Ashim Kumar Singha

In recent years some controversy has arisen as to the validity of the name Manipuri attached to the Bishnupriya speech. According to Constitution Act 1956, Article 350A and 350B, the speakers of Bishnupriya Manipuri language have been demanding since 1963 for implementation of "Bishnupriya Manipuri" language in the primary level of education in Assam and Tripura. Though the Assam and Tripura Govt. agreed to the same and issued the order in October 25, 1983 to introduce the Language at the Primary stage of education. But the order was withheld for many times following protests from the Govt. of Manipur and pressure from Meitei organizations operating in both Assam and Manipur. There have been suggestions that Bishnupriya was never the language of Manipur and Meitei is the "Real" Manipuri language.

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Gokulananda Gitiswami: The Ministrel Per Excelence

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Published on Saturday, 01 January 2011 00:00

Written by Chandra Kanta Singha

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By: Chandra Kanta Singha

Gokulananda Gitiswami is a name deeply cherished by the Bishnupriya Manipuri people. There are practically few persons in the community who may not know his name. A versatile genius as he was, he was a dramatist, a poet, a wondering minstrel and above all a social reformer. His life bears testimony to all these high qualities of head and heart which can be found only in a few gifted persons. 

Gakulananda was a multifaceted personality. A farsighted person as he was he could understand that the backwardness of the people of his community was due to lack of modern education. He, therefore, exhorted the Bishnupriya Manipuris to keep pace with the demands of time. A very conservative peple as Bishnupriya Manipuris were at that time, most of the people did not go for modern education for fear of losing the purity of caste.

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