Abstract:
The paper is a study of the
different versions of the orthography of Meitei mayek
(Manipuri script) and the historical and cultural dynamics of their usage in the Meitei society. The Meiteis were an indigenous community with
their own religious and cultural traditions.
About two hundred years ago they were converted to Vaishnavism (a sect of Hinduism). This resulted in a fusion
of the two cultural traditions in the entire
life-style. In the recent years there has been a religious revival movement in Manipur,
which aims to eliminate all the Hindu elements from
the Manipuri life and revive the ancient pre-Hindu religion. A major issue of this revival movement has been the
revival of the archaic writing system of the
community. There are two versions of the script that now exist in the community, a 35-letter alphabet and
27-letter alphabet. I will describe the
details of the orthographies of the two systems, along with the inscriptions and manuscripts in which they are
found. I show that the choice of the
27-letter alphabet has become an icon of separatist identity from India. I will also
present the history of my own engagement with
this research, commenting on some of the issues relating to fieldwork in this part of the world.