Roman Transcription of interview with Mohinisana Ningthemcha. In Manipuri. Romanization system: Mobile Manipuri

The Jalakeli of the Ningol Pala, the Choir of the Royal Daughters, comprises of 6 compositions. Their lyrics are published here in the order in which they are sung. They date to the 19th century royal court of Manipur; the sixth is from the first part of the 20th century. The first four lyrics are called padavali, songs of praise to Lord Krishna and his consort the Lady Radha. They were composed during the reign of Maharaja Narasingh (regent 1834-1844; r.1844-1850) but gathered in a collection during the reign of his nephew Maharaja Chandrakirti (1834-44; 1850-1886). The first lyric is attributed to Ghanashyamara Das, and the second to Basu Ghosh; the fourth is by Kabi Karnapur. All were Bhakti poets of Bengali origin. The lyricist of the third padavali is unknown. All four are in Bangla, the language of worship and ritual in Manipur of the time. The fifth and sixth lyrics are called rachna, a lyrical form response of appreciation upon listenging to the Jalakeli. The fifth lyric (and the first rachna) also in Bangla, is attributed to Maharaja Narasingh himself and is in Sanskrit. It is reputed to have been composed upon the funeral services of his guru, …

The House of Narasingh belongs to the Ningthouja Dynasty that has ruled Manipur continuously since its establishment in the 1st century AD according to its Court Chronicle, to the present day. Both the House of Narasingh and the House of Karta descend from Maharaja Garib Niwaz (1709-1748), also known as Pamheiba) and under whose rule Manipur adopted Vaishnavism and became a Hindu kingdom.

This version of the Asangba Nongjabi (Crimson Rainclouds) is in Manipuri using the Roman script.

The transliteration of Asangba Nongjabi is basically phonetic. The Romanization system that emerges from it is primarily meant to be a guide to the transliteration of the play in the Manipuri Learning Module. The Roman transliteration of Asangba Nongjabi is the core of the Manipuri Learning Module for students of linguistics, language, and literature. The module includes the play in its original Manipuri in both Bangla and Meitei Mayek scripts, its English translation, and an audio performance of the play.

A poem on Boro New year festival Bwisagu included in a mouthpiece of the All Odalguri Silver Jubilee year celebration, Odalguri College, Udalguri held on 15-22, April 2017.

Transcription of Sumshot Khular recounting her mother Sankhil Thampol Khularnu 's story of giving eggs to some Japanese soldiers who showed up in her village of Charlong during World War II.

Transcription of a retelling of Sraa nao le svang nao ktaang ktloo ki paomin (the Story of the Poor Boy and the Rich Boy Making Snares), as told by Belun Sankhil. One of several retellings of a traditional story where the rich hunter switches his quarry, a bird, with that of his poor hunting partner, absurdly claiming his trap up high in a tree had caught a deer. In this version it is the fox who parodies the rich hunter's reasoning by claiming he burnt his feet during a flood.

Transcription of a retelling of Theipaa paomin (Squirrel story) by William Lamkang.

Transcription of a retelling of Suumphaai le Raangleen paomin (the Story of Suumphaai and Raangleen), as narrated by Shangchrek Tholung. Ranglen's wife hates his sister Sumphai, and orders him to sell her. Sumphai asks that she sell him to be a slave in a rich village. Ranglen ends up selling her in exchange for a single shaft of a rice plant. Later, Ranglen invites his sister to a feast, and she invites him to eat from what she has grown. Anticipating that his sister will not come, he instructs messengers to tell her he has died. On her way to the anticipated funeral, she is surprised to hear the sound of the Living Drum being played (rather than the Death Drum). She surmises that Ranglen has deceived her, and leaves in a huff. The origins of "Sumphai's goat" (a kind of goat) and "Sumphai's wine" (water that has accumulated in the cleft of a tree) are connected to the final episode of this tale.

Transcription of conversation on the origin of clans including the name of clans by Sankhil Angtoi.

Transcription of a retelling of Sumphaai le Raangleen paomin (the Story of Sumphaai and Raangleen), as narrated by Beshot Khullar. The orphan Ranglen's wife Sangkakuk hates his sister Sumphai. She falsely claims Sumphai is lazy while she herself is hardworking, and demands that Ranglen choose between them. One day he takes his sister to Shonrang to sell her to a rich man, who tests her to see how honest she is. When she passes his test, he decides she must have been sold due to someone hating her (rather than to her being careless), and marries her. One day Ranglen visits her. Then he invites her to visit him, but on the pretense that he has died. As she approaches his village, the type of drumming she hears tells her that Ranglen is alive.

Transcription of a retelling of Ruunu leh theipaa paomin (The Story of Ruunuu and the Squirrel), as narrated by Farngam Shilshi. Ruunu collects figs in the forest and meets a squirrel, who asks for a ride in the fig basket. The squirrel eats all the figs, leaving only the skins, and Ruunu curses

Transcription of a reading of the Story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24) from the New Testament by Beshot Khullar. A landowner's second son demands his share of the inheritance before the father's death, goes off and squanders it, and returns to his father, who accepts his penitent son. The older brother, however, is upset at his father's acceptance of his returning brother.

Transcription of a retelling of Buurling le humpii paa paomin (the Story of the Boy and the Tiger), as narrated by Kangten Shakhila. The elder brother's wife tells her husband to kill his younger brother. At first he just pretends to do so, and then he abandons his younger brother in a tree. There the younger brother meets a tiger who wants to eat fruit from the tree. The boy offers to feed the tiger but stabs him instead. [INCOMPLETE.]

Transcription of a retelling of Raapa paomin (the Story of Raapa), as narrated by Bunghon Suungnem. A tiger, angry at being duped by Koreng, eats him. Koreng's sisters vow to marry whoever kills the tiger, and the only one able to do it is Raapa. Jealous, the other men conspire to kill Raapa, but he survives two attempts and tricks them so that they drown. In the end Koreng's sisters kill Raapa.

Transcription of Kennedy Dilbung, studying and living in Delhi, talking about his family in Khorpii village, Chandel district, Manipur.

Transcription of a retelling of Dingkaakuuk paomin (the story of Dingkaakuuk), as narrated by Swamy Tholung Ksen. When a man marries, his wife cannot stand his younger brother, so he takes him into the forest and leads her to believe he killed him. The younger brother kills a tiger and marries a young woman. He encounters his elder brother again, who kills his wife for making him abandon his brother.

Transcription of an interview in which Beshot Khullar asks Chonmila Sankhil about their life in Phaaidaam village Chandel District Manipur, India.

Transcription of a retelling of Talu ki yoong rek thul a ktrpeek? (Why are monkeys' bottoms flat?), as written by Khumwar Suungnem during a writing workshop sponsored by the Summer Institute of Linguistics. A fable explaining how monkeys' bottoms came to be flat. Long ago an old married couple had a monkey troop living next to them. The monkeys would eat all the seed they sowed, so the couple planted yams, which they would not eat. When the yams were slow to grow, one of the monkeys told them they ought to boil the yam seeds first. While the couple were in the field to boil water, the monkeys entered their house. They chased away the monkeys, and one that got stuck had its bottom beaten flat by the old man.

Transcription of a discussion of traditional songs by Shetwor Dilbung and Bunghon Suungnem at a storytelling festival funded by the NSF project and organized and implemented by Rex Khullar and Harimohon Thounaojam. The speakers discuss the types of songs they would like to collect and archaic vocabulary used in songs. They also discuss the Totlaang festival in Phaidaam in 2008.

Transcription of a conversation between Beshot Khullar and a Lamkang student. Beshot interviews the student about her home life and family.

Transcription of a retelling of Smang yur kk'on txhii paomin (The Story of the Marriage of Smang-yur), as narrated by Sankhil Thampol Khular. Part of Daniel Tholung collection on Lamkang Culture and Origins stories.

Transcription of a retelling of Chaa paa tkhiiu ki paomin (the Story of Seven Sons), as told by Angtoi Sankhil. A man is killed by a tiger, and as his six sons go to avenge him, he kills them too one by one. The mother is pregnant with a seventh son, who is able to foretell events while still in the womb. After the child learns how his father died, he goes to confront the tiger and his wife. He avoids the tiger's attempt to kill him, takes back his father's head from the tiger's possession, and vanquishes the tiger.