14/06/2024
❗Dr. Malemnganbi argues Manipur's encounter with modernity was substantially driven by the hegemonic literary discourse predominant in the early 20th century whereas modern Meetei identity was constructed as essentially Hindu subjects for which she analyzes Chaoba's Labangga Lata (1934), Dr. Kamal's Madhabi (1930) & Anganghal's Khamba Thoibi.
❗Registration Link: https://forms.gle/CR5WTbzjVVrBf4Tp7
❗Date of the Colloquium: 17th June, 5pm via Zoom
Abstract: In the realm of literature, culture and even politics, Hinduism occupies a sanctified space in the Manipuri consciousness. A normative status is accorded to it in today’s Modern Manipur. The present study is an attempt to intervene and examine the nature of Hindu hegemony in modern Manipur tracing its origin in literature. Three of the most notable works of Chaoba, Kamal and Anganghal viz. Madhabi (1930), Labangga Lata (1934), and Khamba Thoibi Seireng (1940) are selected and analyzed to draw out certain common elements which canonized and consecrated them as the epitome of modern Manipuri Literature. Five shared key elements which define a modern Manipuri text are identified and discussed: i) to be in the written form, ii) being attributed to an author, iii) identification of Meeitei characters as Hindu subjects, iv) Hindu epics as referential points, and v) using Indo-Aryan cultural lexicon as formal registers. The framework for modern Manipuri Literature was set within the paradigm provided by colonial education via Bengali/Sanskrit Literature. It argues that Manipur’s encounter with modernity was substantially driven by the hegemonic literary discourse predominant in the early 20th century where a modern Meetei identity was constructed as essentially Hindu subjects.
About the Speaker: Dr. Akoijam Malemnganbi is an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Basic Sciences at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Manipur. She received her PhD in Translation Studies from University of Hyderabad in 2023. She also worked as a guest faculty in the Department of English at The English and Foreign Languages University, Shillong Campus prior to joining IIIT Manipur. Her research interests include machine translation, cultural translation, modernity, intersectional feminism and indigeneity.
