The Annual Social Gathering and General Body Meeting for the year 2015 has just been concluded. The three day event which began on the evening of May the 22nd and concluded in the morning of May the 24th , was held at Hanley Swan, a beautiful heritage village of English county of Worcestershire. Like every year the gathering was attended by Manipuri Diasporas residing in different parts of Europe, their friends and families.
A delicious treat of BBQ started the evening on Friday. But the main highlight of the gathering was the mouthwatering traditional Manipuri dishes prepared from ingredients and spices brought from home. To mention a few, Sareng thongba, rau taothong, mangal ushoi ooti, soibum eromba, thambou singju were the key items of the feast . Besides the delicacies it was a funfilled sporting event as well ,with ‘Thabal chongba’ and a tough football match between General Secretary team and Chairperson team . Gen Secy team won the match by 3-2 and lifted up the prestigious EMA Cup 2015 which began annually since 2014. Children of EMA parents also had a good time in the pleasant sunshine of temperature 15-20 degrees Celsius. They also enjoyed the most popular game, Chaphuthugaibi which seemed to be their favorite apart from them organizing a fund raising campaign themselves for orphans in Manipur. The fund drive was conducted by selling their unused toys and eatables prepared with their parents.
The gathering also had their annual General Body Meeting and this year happens to be the election year for a new EMA Executive Committee. Members had an exhaustive discussions on how to make EMA better as a platform for Manipuri Diaspora’s residing in different parts of Europe. A mutual understanding was reached for members to be actively involved in exploring ways to incorporate EMA as an organization to the changing needs of the time which will help the association function better and in an effective way. Some amendments in the Constitution were also passed by the general body. The General Body also elected a new Executive Committee members through proposals of candidates and voting . The EMA Executive Committee 2015-2017 are Chairperson – Dr. Krishnananda Sharma Shamurailatpam, General Secretary – Indrasekhar Mayengbam, Finance Secretary – Sobita Khangembam , Information Secretary – Rajesh Sharma Hidangmayum, Cultural Secretary – Bijaya Hijam and Sports Secretary – Deepak Takhelmayum.
The outgoing Chairperson, Mr Bishwajit Okram, thanked the outgoing committee members for selflessly working towards the upliftment of EMA as an orgnisation . He also thanked everyone for giving him the opportunity to serve the community and supporting him in many of the initiatives that he undertook during his tenure. In his speech, the newly elected Chairperson, Dr Krishnananda, also shared his common views and promised that he and his team will do their best to uphold the traditional values of EMA and to protect and preserve the identity of Manipur.
A group photo with women members wearing traditional Manipuri dresses summed up the very existence of EMA upholding and preserving the varied tradition and culture of Manipur and providing its members a platform to give them a feeling of ‘HOME AWAY FROM HOME’. Also a rare opportunity for children born and brought up here in Europe to remind them of their rich traditional and cultural roots.
