Winter Puya Reading Session organised by PRC(Puya Readers Club), UK

PUYA READERS CLUB (PRC), UNITED KINGDOM  

Press Release: Winter Puya Reading Session
London  

In continuation of the Puya Readers Club’s activity of organising discussion session across the United Kingdom, of the rare Puya manuscripts, members and Puya enthusiast recently came together in London, at the residence of Naoroibam Nilmoni.
‘The Puya Readers Club’ (PRC) , is a club based in the united kingdom and is actively making effort in understanding the underlying philosophies and anthropological values of the ancient Puyas, by organising regular Puya reading and discussion sessions.  PRC wish to share our words of appreciation to the Puya enthusiast, who have joined the evening discussion and share their opinions and interpretation of the words written in the Puyas.  

The session started with a brief introduction of the Puyas – ‘Chainalol’ which deals with ancient code of conduct to be followed during acts of combat (Chainaba) and ‘Loiyumba Shinyen‘ which was formally written during the reign of Meidingu Loiyumba , 1110 AD and  deals with the distribution of profession to the  various clans and sub-clans of the then Meetei society.  

However, the main focus of the discussion was on one of the rarest ‘Puya’ – Wakoklol Hilel Thilel Salai Ama-i-lol Pukok which was copied by  Angom Chaopa during the reign of Ningthemcha Pamheipa. It is believed that Angom Chaoba copied the puya from the original version so as to save the words of the very important Puya from the  infamous ‘Puya Meithaba’ (Puya Burning) incident executed by the then King, Ningthemcha Pamheiba. A detailed analysis and various interpretation of the name of the Puya were discussed. The attending puya enthusiast shared the titled of the mentioned Puya could be interpreted as follows –  

Wakoklol:
wa – concept/word , kok – kokpa i.e head/ process of creation , lol – language  

Hilel:
Khwaidage henba /held in the highest esteem,  

Thilel:
Thijinba, thiba + Lel, kwaidage henba , highest form of analysis or research ,  

Salai:
Sa (body), Lai – God.  

Ama-i-lol – word of the one and
Pukok – pumnamakpu kokpiriba i.e., the creator or the one who brings forth of everything.  

As a mark of gratitude, the club presented a digital scan copy of the Puya and a dissertation essay on the Meetei script written by Sohini ray, a consultant Enthropologist and  alumni of the  Harvard and Cambridge university , presently a  lecturer at the Santa Monica college, California,   to each of the families of Naoroibam Nilmoni, Dr Lairikyengbam Shyamkishore, eminent UK based cardiologist and Okram Bishwajit, an Ireland based lawyer who have travelled all the way from Dublin to London for the discussion session.  

The club would like to share our words of appreciation to Mr Naoroibam Nilomoni, a Meetei businessman currently based in London but born and brought up in Sylhet, Bangladesh, for his words of encouragement and financial help towards organising any academic seminar on these rare manuscripts.  

The PRC would continue to organize such Puya reading sessions regularly across the United Kingdom and also would like to share that the club has been invited to organise a discussion session at the campus of the school of Oriental studies, London.  

The readers and participants of the evening agreed the need of encouraging people in reading and researching of the Puyas and create a general awareness among the public of Manipur in particular and across the Globe in general.  

We, at the club, would like to emphasise again the importance of reading the rare Manuscripts and understanding the essence, significance and values from the perspective of anyone related and connected with Manipur and her aboriginal language.  And we would be very grateful to anyone who has an interest in these Puyas, to please share their many valuable suggestions and opinions.  

Sd/-
Laishram Tiken & Elangbam Bishwajeet
On Behalf of,
The Puya Readers Club (PRC), United Kingdom
10th February, 2011
Email: puyareadersclub{at}gmail{dot}com