Karkala: Cultures Meet as Manipur Delegation Pithches Tent at Kalya

by Melka Miyar - Pics: Prajwal Ukkuda
Daijiworld Media Network  - Mangalore (MM/SP)

Karkala, Jun 21: India is widely described as a country of diversified cultures. The uniqueness of our country as compared to others, is the unity in diversity that the people with different cultural backgrounds have been able to strike.

A group of 40 people from Manipur, a north-eastern state, visited a village called Kalya near Nitte in here a few days back under the cultural exchange programme. Their main aim was to exchange and understand the cultural practices in these two places.

The members of Manipur delegation were keen on knowing the local culture, food system, agriculture etc. At the same time, they were also  happy to share informationl about their cultural and social practices as wellas food habits. The locals here also had strived their best to make the visiting team feel comfortable. The Manipuri team stayed in the houses of different people in Kalya village and enjoyed the local cuisines and cultural practices.

Unlike Karnataka, Manipur is a small state in north-east India having a population of just 2.4 lac. Geographically, Manipur is covered by mountains, hills and plains, paddy cultivation being their major occupation. This state is bordered on the east by Myanmar, on the north by Nagaland state, on the west by Assam, and in the south by Mizoram. It remained as an union territory from the year 1949 until 1972, when it became a state.

Interestingly, about 39 ethnic groups are found in Manipur and 60 per cent of the population belong to an ethnic group called Meithei. Manipuri dance is highly decorative and graceful and uses hand movements decoratively rather than symbolically. That’s why the villagers of Kalya were largely impressed by the cultural activities of Manipuri delegation.

The locals here were very much interested to know about the food habits their guests. The locals asked questions like whether they they eat dogs, snakes etc. Rigun Pamei, one of the delegates, confirmed that some ethnic groups in their state of course eat dogs and snakes. But this is not a generally accepted form of food in Manipur. Their main food is rice and some of them eat pork, beef, mutton and vegetables. But the Muslims of Manipur do not eat pork, he informed. The Manipuris too are fond of spicy foods, it was revealed.

Some of the Manipuris even eat insects. But it is not allowed generally. The Manipuri delegation tasted the local food like beaten rice, smelt the fragrance of jasmine and collected information about jasmine cultivation.
 
One of the major differences observed by Rigun Pamei between the social practices here and in his state was the importance given for the cleanliness and hyiene by the people of Kalya which was not so in his native village. The people of Manipur enter their homes without removing their footwear. In the contrary, the people here do not enter homes with footwear on. He appreciates the importance given by the locals here for keeping the homes and surroundings clean.

Chingboi Simte, another delegate, said that she is happy to learn about the developments achieved through the self help groups in the rural areas. She was quite impressed to learn about the revolutionary changes taken place in rural sanitation, social upliftment and women empowerment through financial independence in this part of the country.

Among all cultural differences, there was one thing to unite extreme north-east end of the country and the south. That is nothing but National Anthem. When the locals started singing Jana Gana Mana…, all stood up and lent their voice in unison in singing the national anthem. This is India, where one finds unity in all  diversities.