Day: April 18, 2012

Where does the importance of Puyas stand in our present day society? Whatever be the controversies surrounding the script, we cannot ignore the Puyas, which is a rich repository of knowledge gained over the centuries. In fact, the Manipuri civilization is stored in these puyas. It is believed that more than 4000 puyas exist even today locked away in the homes of various custodians. They deal with a variety of subjects. They can be put broadly under the following categories: political and historical; geographical; natural phenomena; religious texts and rituals; genealogy; kinship; migration; medicine and physiology; astronomy; astrology; code of warriors; and monographs. By translating these Puyas in modern Manipuri language and again into English language would certainly open the eyes of not only ignorant Manipuris but it will enlighten the world on our rich heritage. A beginning has been made with the publication of the book ‘Chainarol: Way of the Warrior’ on Wednesday. The Imphal Free Press is proud to be associated with the Chanarol. Puya are written by learned Manipuri scholars, known as the Maichous, and they are also custodians of these scholarly works. The authorship is traditionally kept anonymous as a mark of humility and the first mention of authorship occurs in the 18th century. Scholars subordinate to Maichous were known as Mainous. A Maichou or Mainou is neither hereditary nor restricted to any particular group or class of people. They were appointed by the ruler to their respective offices on merit. A galaxy of seven Maichous graced the royal institution meant for them during the reign of Pamheiba. The world of puyas generally depicts a society and economy in the valley which is based on wet paddy cultivation, horticulture and fishery. Cottage industries like black smithy, gold smithy, bamboo crafts, carpentry, cotton and silk handloom works are major occupations. Inland waterways crisscross the valley for drainage and transport. Trading activities facilitate not only transaction of goods but also bring in skilled artisans from over a wide area. As the principal translator of the Chainarol puya said, when one attempts to render a puya into English the first hurdle is to convince the custodian, usually the descendant of a Maichou who is no more. It requires patience and an approach through a person or scholar to whom the family has complete trust. It is not just a hangover from bitter experiences in the historical past but the reflection of an attitude bordering on reverence for the puya as a family heirloom. To the family, it often overrides the potential benefit of the puya if presented to a wider readership. The manner in which the Chainarol was translated through a team effort and consultative process needs to be adopted in future projects based on Puyas, as near perfection could only be achieved only through a multi disciplinary approach. While saying this, we are not criticizing the efforts in translation. In fact, we must congratulate them for the painstaking work that they have done. We must also congratulate individual collectors of the original Puyas. We are indeed glad to know that, the Centre for Manipuri Studies at Manipur University had acquired original texts of about 500 puyas from a private collector. When these Puyas comes to life in the form of translated versions, the world will come to know of our civilization. We hope Manipur University will translate into action the aspiration of rediscovering the world of puyas. And they would certainly adopt the model of Chainarol project while undertaking Puya projects. The attention of the state Governor Gurbachan Jagat has been drawn with regard to the importance of the Puyas and its civilizational aspects. We also hope the Governor would push the state government on undertaking projects on Puyas.  

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2012/04/writing-puyas/