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The People’s Chronicle | www.thepeopleschronicle.in
Imphal, Tuesday, November, 01, 2016
Regd. No. MANENG/2012/45461 Vol V, Issue 56
Ningol Chakkouba: From
goodwill gesture to gift craze
W
ITHOUT any doubt Ningol Chakkouba has
been the grandest festival for the Meetei
community since time immemorial and its
essence as a celebration enriching the bond between
brothers and sisters has been further enhanced with
the festival transformed to an all-community event,
mainly due to initiatives by civil society organisations.
The festival is no more confined to the valley settlers
for it has become a tradition to send invitations to
ordinary women as well as functionaries of women’s
organisations, who are actively involved in upholding
women’s rights and their welfare. From a family event,
which centred on married female siblings feasting
with their brothers and parents, the festival has
expanded to a social level as is evident from various
organisations organising feasts and presenting gifts
to the invitees. Even though there are many positives
in the transformation of the festival for such change is
seen by many as continuous effort to strengthen the
age-old fraternal bond among the ethnic communities,
at the family level celebration of Ningol Chakkouba is
no more about sharing happy memories and goodwill
gesture among the siblings as the dominant feature
of the festival of late is gifting costly items.
For financially sound families possessing and presenting costly gifts is not an issue unlike ordinary
and economically underprivileged families, for whom
the current trend remains a headache and leave
bitter memories as they feel wretched when sisters
and daughters give the slightest hint that the gifts
received is incompatible. It is when such issues crop
up that the real essence of Ningol Chakkouba gets
diluted. In sharp contrast to the festival’s uniqueness
based on the sisters and daughters coming to their
parental homes with home grown fruits and vegetables and brothers/parents hosting sumptuous
meals as well as presenting sisters/daughters simple
gifts, mainly clothes, at present it is common sight
to spot women thronging showrooms to get hold of
branded products for their male siblings while the
tradition of taking to their parental homes fruits and
vegetables is considered secondary or out-dated. In
return sisters/daughters expect bothers/parents to
shower them costly items such as electronic goods
that could lighten their homely tasks. Costly gifts are
no more limited to electronic items as gifting two and
four wheel vehicles has also become part and parcel
of the changing face of Ningol Chakkouba festival,
which in the past used to be on presenting local
handloom goods. Authorised dealers having long
list of customers booking two and four wheelers and
heavy presence of festival shoppers cramming showrooms are clear indications that Ningol Chakkouba
has transformed from conveying goodwill gestures
to a mad race for showering costly presents. There is
remote chance of reversing the trend and preserving
sanctity of the festival other than hope that the real
essence of the festival does not get further diluted
in the future.
Quote of the day
There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and
many of us will have to pass through the valley
of the shadow of death again and again before we
reach the mountaintop of our desires.
- Nelson Mandela
DID YOU KNOW
j Kit Kats are made of Kit Kats. The manufacturers
leave no Kit Kat uneaten, so every reject is mashed
into a paste that’s used to fill the wafers. Because
every imperfect Kit Kat was already filled with other
imperfect Kit Kats, and some of the Kit Kats they’ll
fill will also be rejected, every time you eat a Kit Kat,
you’re basically eating layers of Kit Kats within Kit
Kats within Kit Kats.
j In the 1800s, British forces arrived in Hong
Kong’s Happy Valley. They quickly started dying
from diseases caused by local rice paddies and
poor drainage, so they decided to turn the area
into a graveyard and move elsewhere. Tiered
terraces were the only way to use the hills for mass
burial, so the Happy Valley cemetery climbs up 10
stories of steps that are embedded in the mountainside.
Ningol Chakkouba has no parallel
and concern about the way Ningol
Chakkouba is celebrated in the last
few years. The general feeling is
that this traditional festival has
become more of a showbiz and
that there is competition amongst
households when it comes to giving Dakshina to their daughters
and sisters. Daughters and sisters
have been accused of demanding
expensive Dakshinas from their
parents and brothers. So far I have
not come across any daughter or
sister who demands expensive gifts
from their parents and brothers.
When I watch TV serials on Ningol Chakkouba which showed the
predicament of a poor father or
brother who could not afford the
Dakshina his daughter or sister
demanded I get very depressed.
When did a daughter become so
obsessed with what she wanted
from her parents on this “DAY”?
Or when did a father or brother
become stupid enough to succumb
to the unreasonable demands? We
must not fail to understand that the
Ningol Chakkouba festival is the
celebration of the everlasting bond
between parents and daughters,
brothers and sisters rather than
a mere display of gold ornaments
and beautiful clothes and expensive
gifts. Let us not make a mere show
of tradition but try to sincerely
uphold our unique and beautiful
tradition and culture.
I wish a very happy NINGOL
CHAKKOUBA to all the Manipuri
women. May NINGOL CHAKKOUBA bring all the happiness,
prosperity and peace to each and
every home in Manipur!
T
oday is Ningol Chakkouba.
The joy and happiness this
festival brings has no parallel
in our lives. You can literally feel
and see the excitement everywhere. Just observe the eagerness
and enthusiasm of the Chakkouba
shoppers in the Khwairamband
Keithel. That is the beauty of this
unique festival which never fails
to bring boundless happiness and
cheerfulness to all the married
Manipuri women and their parental homes. Shops in all markets
started displaying a wide range
of different products even on
pavement to catch the attention
of Ningol Chakkouba shoppers.
Even Manipuris living in various
parts of the world celebrate this
festival with traditional fervour
and gusto. You will find pictures
of the celebrations of the day by
Manipuris living in every corner
of the world on social networks.
Words sometimes cannot describe our feelings. And words fail
me as I attempt to describe how
I feel on Ningol Chakkouba day,
an important day for all married
Meitei women irrespective of age.
The feeling of excitement, enthusiasm and happiness that married
Ningols (daughters) experience on
this day will defy any description.
The day is Very Special and we all
feel it. Nothing can dampen the
spirit of Ningol Chakkouba.
The enthusiasm is easily palpable
and visible everywhere. The sea of
anxious Ningol Chakkouba shoppers in the Khwairamband Keithel
rushing from one shop to another,
one market to another days before
the Day, the countless number of
Ningol Chakkouba melas organized
by various government departments and voluntary organizations
in different localities and public
places to help Chakkouba shoppers
and at the same time promote handloom and other local products,
the fish melas that are held on
the eve of Ningol Chakkouba and
efforts of fish farmers to produce
more indigenous varieties of fish
like Pengba and Ngaton especially
for the occasion show the importance of this festival. Each and
every mela is invariably crowded.
Little wonder the crowds in the
markets become bigger and bigger
with each passing year, the police
having a hard time trying to keep
them and the chaotic traffic under
control. Everyone seems to be out
in the markets making some last
minute purchase. This year too,
the crowds in the Khwairamband
Keithel were worth seeing. The
market places in Imphal never
fail to wear a busy look even in
late evening during this festival.
You know a married woman
feels on top of the world the mo-
ment she receives the invitation
in the form of diced betel nuts
and leaves placed on a roundly cut
banana leaf. Her heart swells with
pride as she feels the importance
of being a woman, a daughter, a
daughter-in-law. She is invited to
her parental home by her parents
and brothers. Can you imagine a
daughter being formally invited
by her own parents and brothers to the home where she grew
up and spent her life till she got
married? She will be a guest there.
Her happiness is equally shared
by her children who will be going
to their maternal grandparents’
home with her.
I have nostalgic memories of
those days when we children would
get dressed as early as possible and
wait for our mother to finish the
chores and get ready. The wait was
always long as my mother and aunt,
my uncle’s wife had to prepare
food before the arrival of my aunts
(my father’s two sisters) with their
children. We never went to our maternal grandparents early and we
were no exception. Almost all the
married women had to prepare the
day’s food before leaving for their
husband and in-laws. I know, of
course, some families where men
do the cooking on this day. Their
number is very few but their wives
must be very happy to have escaped
cooking on Ningol Chakkouba.
With so many Eigyagee Chakshangs
(Kitchens run by professional cooks
that provide catering) available
in different localities, I am sure
women can have a sigh of relief.
The last decade witnessed many
civil society organisations celebrating Ningol Chakkouba in different locations by inviting married women belonging to different
religions and communities. I love
watching those married women
in all their finery attending the
celebration. The occasion not only
provides an opportunity to women
of different communities to share
a meal together but to understand
and appreciate the tradition of
another community. This trend
must be appreciated and followed
in the coming years to strengthen
Ningthoukhongjam Sabita is the
the bond among all the commu- Executive Editor, Impact News.
nities living together in Manipur. [email protected], nsabiMany have expressed their views [email protected]
How America elects its president
W
ith just over 10 days left to the November 8 US presidential election,
here is a look at how the head of
one of the most powerful nations is chosen:
- An election for president of the US occurs
every four years on Election Day, held on
the first Tuesday after the first Monday in
November. The 2016 Presidential election
will be held on November 8, the last possible
date (November 2 is the earliest).
- The President and Vice-President are
elected every four years. They must be at least
35 years of age, they must be native-born
citizens of the US, and they must have been
residents of the US for at least 14 years.
Also, a person can be elected as President
to only two terms.
- During the election, Americans from
each of the 50 states and the District of
Columbia head to the polls to cast their vote
for President. But the tally of those votes
-- the popular vote -- does not determine
the winner. Instead, presidential elections
use the Electoral College -- a process by
which the President and the Vice President
is chosen by "electors". To win the election, a candidate must receive a majority
of electoral votes.
- The number of electors each state gets
is equivalent to the number of members
of Congress (House and Senate, together)
from the states plus three from District of
Columbia. There are, thus, a total of 538
electors. Each state's political parties choose
their own slate of potential electors.
- After the ballot is cast, the vote goes to a
state-wide tally. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the winner gets all of the electoral
votes for that state -- which means his or her
party's electors in that state will vote in the
Electoral College for the winning candidate.
- But for two states (Maine and Nebraska)
the issue is a bit more complicated. The two
states select one elector within each con-
gressional district by popular vote and the
remaining two by a statewide popular vote.
- A candidate needs the vote of at least
270 electors -- 50 per cent plus one -- to
win the presidential election.
- Although the actual vote of the Electoral
College takes place in each state between
mid-November and mid-December, in most
cases, a projected winner is announced on
election night.
- If none of the candidate can secure the
270-majority, the decision would go to the
House of Representatives, which would
vote to elect the new President. A similar
process would take place in the Senate to
elect the Vice President from among the
top two top candidates.
- Once the results are out, next is the
Inauguration Day. Inauguration Day occurs
every four years on January 20 (or January
21 if January 20 falls on a Sunday) at the US
Capitol building in Washington, DC. On
this federal holiday, the President-elect
and Vice-President-elect are sworn-in
and take office.
- The Vice-President-elect is sworn in
first, and repeats the same oath of office, in
use since 1884, as Senators, Representatives,
and other federal employees.
- Around noon, the President-elect takes
his oath.
- The inauguration is planned by the Joint
Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Nine common activities typically
occur: morning service; procession to the
Capitol; Vice President's swearing-in ceremony; President's swearing-in ceremony;
inaugural address; departure of the outgoing
President; inaugural luncheon followed
by a parade and a ball. Only one activity is
mandated by the Constitution-- the oath.
Rest are all traditional activities.
COURTESY : IANS
Floriculture a profitable livelihood option
flourishing lives of many
AMUKHOMBA NGANGBAM
‘D
espite my relentless efforts to find a white collar job to help my poor
family, I failed. Having no other
way to earn a living, I adopted gardening as a hobby on a small piece
of land of my house. With change
of time, my flower plants started
occupying good space in the flower
market of the state with monthly
turnover. As this floriculture farm
can fetch me good income as that
of a government employee, it has
been a thriving business for the
unemployed youths now. If our
youths, instead of whiling away
time and sitting idle, adopt this
business, it will be a great way out
for generating self-employment’,
said Nanao Gurumayum, a florist
by profession.
34 years old Nanao Sharma
passed matriculation from Dharmalaya High School and class XII
from Standard College, Kongba. He
is married and a father of one son.
Inspired by his love for flowers
and gardening since childhood,
he adopted floriculture as a hobby.
Nanao Gurumayum is a successful florist who, under the brand
‘Gaminash Nursery’ houses a
number of flower plants, fruit
plants, trees bulbs, foliages, cacti
succulents, orchids, Manures, Pesticides, Seeds, Landscape Garden
planning and designing across
the state in his farm. Varieties of
flower plants are made available to
public at his farm, Bamon Leikai
at the following rates- Rose at
Rs.150, Cape Jasmine at Rs.250,
Ardesiya at Rs.1500, Lemon at
Rs.100, Bokul at Rs.100, Leihao at
Rs.140, Kaboklei at Rs.40, Tejpata
at Rs.30, Prime Rose at Rs.100,
Lilium at Rs.200, Aastronariya
at Rs.750, Rajaniganda at Rs.400
and so on.
A progressive farmer, Nanao
Gurumayum son of Joy Sharma
has been in this profession since
1998. Floriculture has now been a
thriving business for him as it can
fetch him a good monthly turnover
of Rs.40,000 to 60,000 during the
period of November to February.
This is the good season for his business with almost flower varieties
he plants at his farm blooming well.
Many costumers throng his garden
to buy flowers of their best choice.
In normal seasons, he used to earn
Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000 per month,
claimed the successful florist.
He cultivates various flower
plants in a small piece of land at
his house at Bamon leikai and a
green house provided by State
Horticulture Department. Varieties of flower plants and trees
such as Rose, Cape Jasmine, Acasiya, Empisa, Palakania, Lemon,
Bokul, Leihao, Kaboklei, Tejpata,
Orange, Lily, Aastronariya, Ra-
janiganda, Daliya, Ficus, Khagee
Leihao, Grape, Gajenia, Golden
pine, Green pine, Hyzenzia, Vervina, Kaberei, Cicus, Ficus Bon sai,
Orchids, Petonia, Bogen vegellia,
Zervera, Bronleate, Percy, Lilium,
Mana Lei, King chilly and many
others are available at his farm.
About 97 indigenous and non indigenous flower and tree varieties
are nurtured here at the farm.
Prior to his floriculture, Nanao
used to nurture nursery saplings
for trees like Teak, Wang, Pine trees
etc. As this business could not give
him sufficient income, he charted
out another plan to include the
item of floriculture in view of its
commercial viability and profit.
He learnt all technical knowhow
from one Bhumeshor of Langthabal
and Angocha of Keishampat who
are professional florists.
“At the initial stage, I could not
get much profit from this flower
business due to lack of costumers.
Even my parents and friends did
not support my idea of initiating
a floriculture farm saying that it is
a hopeless and profitless business.
Despite their rejections, I rather
moved forward to achieve my goal.
With the numbers of flower lovers
of the state increasing these days,
my flower business flourished
gradually with large numbers of
customers lining up at my farm
to purchase flower plants. Nowadays, numbers of flower lovers
have increased to a large extent
enabling the professional florists to
survive comfortably with a practicable income. It is now a thriving
business,” he said
As part of expansion of his floriculture business, Nanao has procured a vast land of two acres at
the foothill of Keirao Wangkhem
village, about 12 km away from
the heart of Imphal city to develop
the area a beautiful floriculture
belt to attract many tourists while
providing jobs to many youths of
the state.
Nanao’s brother is also a professional florist. He has started a
new venture on floriculture farm
at Thanga. He is playing a great role
in garden planning in and around
the Moirang Sendra tourist home
operated by Classic hotel management. The land space available at
Bamon leikai is found not sufficient
for the two florist brothers now.
They are on the lookout for new
vast land where they can run their
flower business successfully.
As for the exotic flower plant
varieties, Nanao used to procure
the saplings or seeds from Pune,
Kolkata, Bangalore and Guwahati.
For indigenous varieties, he collects them from different areas, the
Horticulture and Soil Conservation
Department in particular.
He has not limited himself to
flowers but has been cultivating
vegetables for almost two decades.
He grows cabbages, cauliflower,
broccoli, carrot, tomato and other
green vegetables. Nanao had undergone training on floriculture
at Pune in 2009.
Sharing how much a florist
struggle to nurture a plant from
its seedling to flowering, he said,”
cultivating a flower plant is all
what a mother requires to take
care for her child. Watering the
flower plants twice a day is a must,
otherwise the tender flowers used
to dry up or wither away. For irrigation, a small pond is kept inside
the firm. With almost ponds drying up as summer season arrives,
I face shortage of water for my
farm. Extra expenditure has to be
invested for procurement of water
from the private water suppliers”.
COURTESY : Manipur Times