The month of October ( Mera Tha) is a very significant and auspicious month in Manipuri tradition and culture as occasions like ‘Mera Chaorel Houba’ ,’ Meragi Kwak Tanba ‘ , ‘Mera Houchongba’  , ‘Mera Wayungba ‘ fall in this month. All these occasions carry a symbolic message of bonding and love between the people of the hills and the valley of Manipur since time immemorial and also the widely accepted notion that all of us have the same beginnings. 

Today is the auspicious day of “Mera Houchongba – Mera Wayungba(Meragi Thangmei)” where every household lit up a lantern in the front courtyard, which facilitated communication between the one in the hill (the elder brother) and the one in the valley (the younger brother). It is also the season where sickness arrived due to change of weather, and the lanterns lit up in the courtyards of the valley gave the message to the ones in the hill that everything was going well in the changing weather conditions.

This simple notion of communication was a sign of the strong bond and unity between the brothers of the hills and the valley in those days. Sadly, those days are long gone due to the actions driven by vested interests of a few where the physical distance between the hill and the valley turned into distrust.

However, one really wishes for a better and more mature Manipur where we are able to move on from our past, come together in building a better future by taking steps in unison to atone for the past and build a future for our children where even a few shades of that long lost bond is reinvigorated and the true spirit of love, beauty and harmony that has always defined Manipur becomes our identity again. 

Long live Manipur.

M. Asnikumar Singh is the State Spokesperson of BJP Manipur Pradesh