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Front Page >> Editorials > Story

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Home Makers And...
Come December 12 and every year Manipur as a whole join hands to observe Nupi Lan, which in a sense is a fitting tribute paid to the revolt raised by the women folk of Manipur against the artificial shortage of rice during the days of the British Raj. Down the years, the definition of womanhood has undergone drastic changes and even as we observe Nupi Lan we need to ask ourselves where the Manipuri women exactly stand in the economic, political and social hierarchy of the Manipuri society today. 

Nupi Lan should no longer be just a day to remember the sacrifices and courage demonstrated by the Manipuri women against the gross injustice perpetrated by the ruler of the day, but it should be about recognizing and respecting the role that women play in our society. We may celebrate a hundred Nupi Lans and Manipur is probably the only place in the whole universe where a day is set aside to remember an uprising led and championed by the fairer sex but the matter of greater import here is whether observing such a day is merely a ritual to be observed each year, or whether it truly reflects the status of women in our society. 

To be blunt we feel Manipuri women still have a long way to go in all spheres of life compared with their male counter parts and society as a whole need to seriously look inwards and see whether women are given their due share of honor and respect. Manipur attained Statehood in 1972 and since that day we have had only a few handful of women legislators. A woman Chief Minister is still a far cry and unimaginable in the not so immediate future. The craze for the male child or rather the preference for a son over a daughter is still prevalent in society and this cut across social status and economic and educational barriers. True we are yet to hear of female feticide and female infanticide but that does not take away the fact that to many of the Manipuri people, a son is still the favored child.

We have just given some rudimentary examples but these say something solid about how women are generally treated in the Manipuri society. We also feel that the culture of eve teasing is an outright insult to womanhood and this has come about out of a sense of misplaced machismo. A career that demands late night shift is still a strict no no for women in Manipur. Dress codes are arbitrarily imposed on women as if the Manipuri culture is so weak that a salwar kameez and a pair of Levis will destroy the basic identity and culture of the Manipuri people. 

Excuse us but we cannot identify with the train of thought that upholding the culture and identity of the Manipuri people should be decided by what a woman wears. Today despite the pioneering role played by women in many spheres, such as spearheading the movement against alcoholism and drug abuse and taking up the fight against excesses committed by men in uniform, the Manipuri women are still treated as second class citizens and this not an exaggeration. A woman is still expected to be the housekeeper and if she can add to the family income it is an added bonus. 

But the moot point is how many of us actually thank the women folk for the great service they render behind the doors? How many of us actually welcome the birth of a girl child as much as we do when a son is born? These are basic questions that we have to ask and try to address and only then will observing Nupi Lan religiously every year on December 12 have some meaning. In short when we observe Nupi Lan, it should not only be about the courage and heroism demonstrated by the women during the uprising against the authority but about celebrating womanhood and recognizing the service rendered by the fairer sex.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)

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