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.