Monday, February 4, 2019

Karikala 'Chola' Range & Pass in Sikkim

The Chola Range & Chola Pass of Sikkim - why called 'Chola'?

Statue of Karikala Chola Emperor

The Chola Pass & Chola Range in Sikkim – Why named ‘Chola’?

… S. Balakrishnan

Behind the ‘why’ lies great ancient history dating back to 4^th century B.C. which links the snow-clad Himalayas to the paddy-clad Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu. The name ‘Chola’ is after Tamil Nadu’s ‘Chola’ dynasty Emperor Karikalan. More than 2000 kms separate these two places and it is also going back to more than 2000 years of history, during Lord Buddha’s life time. Unbelievable! But the Chola Range and Chola Pass stand as rock-solid proof for Karikalan’s achievements.

In Tibetan language, La means Pass. But this is Chola Pass, not Cho La Pass as erroneously written; ‘Chola’ La, if you like. It is to be noted that the mountain range is called Chola Range, not Cho La range. Note my point, My Lord! It is said that the single word ‘chola’ exists neither in North Indian languages, Tibetan nor in Chinese, nor has it any assigned meaning. In fact, ‘Chozha’ is the right word, not Chola. The Tamil letter zha (ழ) is a tongue-twister, unique to Tamil. Again, it is actually Tamizh, not the Anglicized Tamil. There is no equivalent alphabet for this (ழ) in English. The alphabet, therefore, rightfully finds a place in the name of the language itself.

According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India Vol. 10, page 327 New edition 1908, earlier edition 1885 – “The Chola Pass is in the Chola Range of Eastern Himalayas, 14,500 ft. above the sea, situated in 27º 25’ N and 88º 49’ E, leading from Sikkim State to the Chumbi Valley in Tibet. The Chola range, which is loftier than the Singalila, leaves the main chain at Dongkya Mountain.” In the map of Sikkim (http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gaz_atlas_1909), Chola Pass is clearly marked. Also Jelap La but not the now-famous Natu La pass. Despite my Himalayan efforts I couldn’t download this map. Nathu La is itself situated in the Eastern Chola Range. Most of the passes that help cross Himalayas are closed for almost nine months but Chola Pass is open for six months, says the gazetteer of 1909.

Though I spent a pretty long 5 ½ years in Sikkim (1983-88) I never knew this interesting geographical titbit; in fact, Cho La is mentioned in a Sikkim map of a 1979 tourism folder which I got in Madras (now Chennai) in 1983 when the news of my transfer from Cuttack (Orissa / Odisha) reached me. It is a shame, because I hail from the very same Cauvery delta that formed the core of the Chola Empire. But with separated words Cho La (as in Natu La, Jelep La) in the map, nothing struck me unusual.

Map of Sikkim showing Chola Pass

Sikkim Tourism describes the Chola range as dividing Sikkim from Tibet in the Northeast and Bhutan in the Southeast, while the website of Sikkim Biodiversity Board also says the same point - the Chola range and the Chumbi Valley surround Sikkim on the Bhutan-Tibet side. According to Maps of India.com there is also a Chola Mu Lake on a plateau on the Indo-Tibetan border, a haven for migratory birds. Chola Pass finds a place as one of the dangerous roads (https://www.dangerousroads.org/asia/china/6384-cho-la.html) - The road, only 4x4, is extreme with lots of hairpin turns. It is some 5 miles to the north-west of Natula at 4593 m (15069 ft.) height.

On October 1, 1967 the Chinese troops tried to claim Chola Pass leading to a one-day bloody clash in which the Indian troops drove the Chinese away after inflicting heavy loss of life to them.

Now, let us see about Karikalan, the Chola Emperor, after whom these two are named. The name Karikalan itself is intriguing; it means ‘of charred leg’; if the fire was due to an accident or set by his enemies, it is not clear, but it was before he ascended the throne at a very young age. Though young, he was very wise; a judgement given by him in a very peculiar case is cited to his wisdom. He expanded his empire across the seas and mountains, and also maritime trade. A stone dam constructed by him across Cauvery stands even to this day, after 2000 years and more! The British named it the Grand Anaicut / Dam. The battle of Venni, a landmark, established him as the mighty ruler, defeating Pandya and Chera, the other two Tamil kings, and other chieftains who came to help these two. Therefore, by all accounts, Karikalan is the most celebrated of the early monarchs of the Tamil kingdom.

Kariakalan’s northern expedition was around when Lord Buddha attained parinirvana. Avanti, Kosal, Magadh and Vachira (Vajra/Vajji?) were the four northern kingdoms that were then fighting to win over the vast and rich Gangetic plains. Of these, the Magadh and Kosal came to peace with royal marital relationship. On the other side, Magadh and Vajra were battling for supremacy for as many as 16 years!

The kingdom of Avanti, the western gateway of South India, was in cordial relationship with the Chola kingdom for quite a long period. Karikalan’s winning war with the Magadh king (Ajatashatru?) must have taken place between 480 and 475 B.C. where he is gifted the ‘patti mandap’. So, the Vajra kingdom extends a warm welcome to him who is invading like a tempest and presents him the royal court symbol of ‘Pearl Mandap’. On his return from northern expedition, the friendly Avanti king, glad that the Chola Emperor had defeated Avanti’s enemy the Magadh, invites Karikalan to Ujjain, the capital, and presents him the arched toran gateway. These three were rarest of rare royal gifts, made of gold and gems. There are references in poetries that Karikalan got the toran gateway installed in his capital Uriayur.

Green indicates Karikala Cholan's northern expedition

It was during this expedition that Karikalan had inscribed the Chola dynasty’s royal symbol of Tiger in the mighty Himalayas. He was magnanimous to inscribe the royal symbol of the other two Tamil kings also whom he had defeated earlier - the Chera dynasty’s Bow & Arrow and the Pandya’s Fish – in the Himalayas. This is mentioned in the Tamil epic ‘Silapathikaram’ and in poetries of that era. It is to honour Karikala Chola’s expedition up to Vajra Desh and to the Himalayas that the mountain range is named ‘Chola Range’ and the Pass is called ‘Chola Pass’ from time immemorial. Wish an archaeological exploration would be undertaken to discover this historic Himalayan inscription. I am ready to head it!

A notable point is that the original name of Darjeeling is Dorjeling (Dorje = ‘Vajra’) (Ling = ‘place/spot’ where the Vajra fell). So could the Vajra Desh of B.C. era be Dorjeling and the adjoining Sikkim & Tibet?

But in the CBSE syllabus one never finds much about the South or for that matter anything other than north India which was repeatedly being invaded and ruled by even a slave dynasty. … krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in / 9840917608 Whatsapp

To & fro route of Karikalan's northern expedition

Thursday, June 16, 2016

S. Balakrishnan New # 7/C-1, Sivan Kovil Street

98409 17608 Kodambakkam

krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in Chennai - 600 024

Magical Manipur (Part I)

Thagatchari (Thank you), Manipur!

. . . S. Balakrishnan

Thagatchari, Manipur, for the magical, mesmerizing, memorable (you can add all the superlatives here) six days of our stay there! We say this deep from our hearts and deep down from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

We timed our visit during Yaoshang (Holi) which gave us an unforgettable insight into the religious as well as cultural aspects of the Vaishnavite tradition in all its glory. Despite my initial hesitations because of blockades in some parts of Manipur, the trip (March 22 to 27) was a smooth one, maybe due to the festive mood of Yaoshang and Easter. Let me first pat myself for choosing this season! This was also an apt season from the scenic point of view - what with pink & purple cherries and orchids in blossom! Yaoshang holidays, however, had its adverse effect on helpless tourists like us, what with all the shops and tourist spots closed down almost throughout those five days. Addicted to reading daily newspapers, it was unbelievable for me to learn that newspaper establishments too had extended holiday of five days during this period.

To our pleasant surprise, wherever we went in Manipur, each and everyone was so friendly; so much so that on occasions we were even treated as VIPs, which status we, as humble citizens, can't even dream of back in the big & bad (?) city of Chennai. We were also happy to note that many people whom we met had some or other connection with Chennai or Tamil Nadu or South India and also fond memories. They even pleasantly shocked us with their knowledge of Tamil language. It was just unbelievable that one gentleman remembered Tamil even after 40 long years! So it turns out that Chennai is after all not that bad a big city. Well, I am really happy. The respect the Manipuris have for South India and its people should be maintained well.

Just two words about Manipuri cuisine - "terribly spicy!" The credit for spicy food goes to Andhra cuisine, but after tasting Manipuri food I think Andhra food is way below in the rank list. Manipuri people are so friendly and charming, but how come their food is so spicy?! Fearing this factor, I even decided to skip invitations for wedding feasts in Manipur. The secret is nobody ever extended such an invite!

That being so, I fancied dropping into the Raj Bhawan in Imphal for a chitchat over a cup of chaai or preferably coffee with His Excellency Shri V. Shanmuganathan, the Governor of Manipur & Meghalaya. H.E. not only hails from Tamil Nadu but also from Thanjavur, my own native native District. But the gun-toting security personnel scared me off.

A special mention about Manipur is the prohibition policy. Despite being a cold place, it is appreciable that prohibition is in place. However, I learnt it is available from military and police canteens, which should be tightened. Keep it up Manipur!

Our special thanks are due to the tour operators, Seven Sisters Holidays who had meticulously arranged our itinerary along with cozy lodging & transport, despite my nagging questions & doubts. It could be the other way around also; anyhow, it worked well. We are also indebted to Shri Krishna Kanta, the friendly guide who was with us throughout our trip. He also helped us by bargaining in local language while shopping but was unsuccessful in reducing the rate with the tough Ima (mother / woman) seller! Thanks to the staff of Sendra Resort & Classic Grande, our stay was quite comfortable and the food was also enjoyable as it was prepared less spicy as requested by us.

Our fond hope of watching a polo match in its place of origin did not materialise, nor that of watching a Raas Leela performance. Maybe we should have extended our trip by two more days till 29th. This was partially compensated by the Holi dol jatra at Lord Govindajee Mandir and at the house of Kakching MLA, Shri Yengkhom Surchandra Singh. Neither could we 'shop till drop'; I mean the handicrafts & handloom items of Manipur.

Ultimately, our respectful thanks and pranams to Lord Govidnajee who 'destined' us to visit Manipur during Yaoshang, though initially I had 'proposed' to visit Mizoram instead. I proposed, but Lord Govindajee decided! Maybe He thought it appropriate that we, also Vaishnavites, visit Manipur during His most colourful festival.

In total, our stay in Manipur was pure bliss of the highest order. We had eyes full of scenic beauty and religious, social & cultural activities, ears full of religious & traditional music, heart full of Manipuri warmth, friendship & hospitality, and mind full of magical memories of Manipur. We are a contended lot!

A special word about the Manipuri youth - we were overwhelmed with happiness to watch Manipuri youth participate in traditional dance & music with great enthusiasm & verve. Keep it up, boys & girls!

So, once again, Happy Yaoshang and Thagatchari (Thank you), Manipur!

… krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Manipur - 2

Magical Manipur (Part II)

Krishna, our friend, philosopher & guide

. . . S. Balakrishnan

Krishna was the first Manipuri we officially met after landing at the quaint little Tulihal International Airport in Imphal on 22nd March. Ultimately, he turned out to be like Lord Krishna to Partha (Arjun). Mr. Krishna Kanta Sharma, our guide during the six-day trip in Manipur; turned out to be our friend and philosopher as well. Like Lord Krishna who helped Arjun to course through the confused battleground, this Krishna helped us to smoothly traverse through the unfamiliar Manipur.

But throughout those six days we were drilling him with questions and questions - about the language, the social customs, traditions, culture, religion, functions & festivities, beliefs, food habit, and what not! We even probed him of his personal life to know more about the Manipuri way of life. Maybe he felt a bit discomfort, but did not show it outwardly. He was a cool guy, tall & handsome.

But Krishna's charming ways did not work with an Ima (mother) who was selling handicrafts near Govindajee Temple. His haggling power proved futile and we had to shell out whatever she demanded. Better Krishna improved his haggling skill; this would come handy post marriage.

Maybe he had a hearty laugh about silly tourists like us who nagged him with questions, like investigating officials. We were unlike the routine tourists who visit like dumb & beautiful dolls, more interested in taking selfies than observing, and then packing off! It was because of our continued persistence that he also came to know of the olden day temple of Bishnupur built of small bricks, probably influenced by the Chinese style. He must have become wiser now to avoid such tourists henceforth!

Our visit to Kangla Fort was a testing ground for his limit of patience. For more than two hours he patiently took us around the fort complex, explaining the monuments and the pre-Hindu temple and the high reverence it holds among Manipuris. He seems to be a pious person, generously offering money at places of worship.

Thanks to Krishna Kanta, our knowledge of Manipuri has improved; now we know the meaning of at least a dozen Manipuri words - achouba=big, pukhri=pond, macha=small, etc. I hope to write a handy Manipuri-English-Tamil dictionary for tourists!

We would not have had darshan of Sangai, the mystic dancing deer, but for him. He had thoughtfully brought a pair of binoculars to the Floating National Park. He identified a few Sangai deers for us, almost a kilometer afar, crossing from one patch of overgrown grass to another patch.

Krishna Kanta is 30, belying his looks. In fact, among us three we had a bet - me on one side and my wife & daughter on the other side. I said he must be only 25, he looks so boyish. But my wife & daughter said people in Manipur actually look younger than their actual age and so he must be minimum 30. They were right and I had to bear the cost of a Kanglasha (the State Emblem) model, costing Rs. 480/-

They were again right in identifying his first younger brother who was taking part in the group dance at their Aribam leikai (locality). My wife initially thought that Krishna had taken the avatar of a dancer. Luckily this time I did not wage any bet, else I would have lost another 500 rupees. His second younger brother competed in another team. Krishna said he was not very comfortable in shaking his legs & hip. To our great discomfort, Krishna made us sit on the dais during the cultural competition. Unused to such VIP treatment, I and my daughter sneaked out in the pretext of taking photographs. My wife was forced to enjoy her VIP status. She must have cursed herself for not listening to my advice (it is another thing that she never does) of taking to photography.

Brahmins do not till the land, we learnt from him. Hence their land near Moirang is on annual lease, out of which they get enough rice for the whole year for the family of five. As the field is at a higher level, irrigating it was a problem, hence only one yield per year, he added.

'What do Manipuris generally have for breakfast?', we were curious to know. So we probed him gently one morning if he had had his breakfast and what was the menu. Puri & subji is the staple menu for breakfast, he said. For noon, light snacks, and heavy dinner early in the night, he added. Mustard oil is used widely and also refined oil to a lesser extent. We found it difficult to get curd in Manipur and so we asked him if curd was not a main item in the menu. We saw so many herds of cattle roaming the fields of Manipur plains, but his answer was a big NO.

At least to cool down the digestive system after such a spicy cuisine, Manipuris ought to take curd or butter milk, its watered version. For South Indians, this forms a part of the main course. When we remarked that Manipuri cuisine was too spicy, to our horror he simply munched one green chilly after another along with boiled channa! But to our surprise, he does not take tea or coffee. What a good boy!

It was from him we learnt the amazing fact of prohibition in Manipur. Well, people do manage to get it from military & police canteens, he admitted, besides the local brew, the preparation of which he promised to show at Kakching (I suppose), but could not, due to Yaoshang (Holi) holidays.

Though nowadays Manipuri youngsters prefer nucleus families, yet they live nearby and the subji prepared is shared among close relatives, adding variety to the menu, Krishna went on. We did not dare to ask him if he would set up his own nucleus family or continue to live in the joint family setup. That would be too impolite, no?

He leads a Batman & Superman life - working in the night in the local language daily Sanaleibak and assisting his uncle, Shri R.K. Sharma, in running the affairs of the travel & tour agency Seven Sisters Holidays, during day time. In fact, it was thanks to this agency that we came into contact with each other. Besides looking after accounts, he is an all-rounder there, it appeared. As elsewhere, drivers played the cheating game while filling up petrol for vehicles and were not very punctual and reliable. Hence he availed leave from the daily newspaper and took up the challenging task of driving the Innova for us, which challenge he must have regretted later!

Krishna explained the nuances of Naka Theng, the practice of collecting money on the roadside, mostly by girls of all ages and, rarely, by boys. The cool guy lost his temper when there were series of Naka Theng and shouted 'tha-kho' ('down' with the rope). Immediately after Holika dahan, girls would rush out for house to house collection, he pointed out.

We were excited to know that Krishna Kanta has travelled widely in India, except J&K & Gujarat. Has touched Tamil Nadu, but not visited. Now that we have extended an invite to him, hope he will set his foot on TN soil also. Hence he has a fair knowledge of Hindi and English. Besides, he is a B.A. (Arts) graduate from a Shillong College. As I am averse to road travel, I was shocked to know that it takes about 16 hours to traverse the 600 km. road distance between Imphal and Shillong! I would be dead by then, vomiting (throwing up) all the way. I was scared even to cover the 106 km. Imphal-Moreh distance and came from Chennai fully armed with Avomin tablets and ginger morappa.

Our fear of extremism or terrorism in Manipur was unfounded, he assured. We are Hindustanis (Indians) by heart, though screening of Hindi films continued to be banned, he laughed. The incidents of terrorism or extremism (whatever one calls it) has drastically come down in the past few years, though differences between the hill-living Christian Nagas and the plain-living Hindu Manipuris in four districts continue to some extent, he explained. Thus we learnt the geography of Manipur and the societal life also.

As we returned from the dol jatra celebration at Lord Govindajee temple, he detailed the procedure for the bhajan teams - wherever from in Manipur, each and every bhajan team has to first visit this temple and perform Holi /dol jatra and only then they are allowed to perform bhajan at their respective village / locality.

We are waiting for an invitation for Krishna Kanta's wedding scheduled in 2018. By then I hope my dream of travelling by train straight from Chennai to Imphal would also materialise. You see, I would be soon turning 60 years and can claim senior citizen concession in railways but not in airlines! But the front-page news item in The Sangai Express on 29th gives a bleak picture of this project.

We did not leave even the dead in peace. 'Do you bury or cremate the dead?' was our rather awkward question posed to Krishna. He must have squirmed in his seat and the dead must have squirmed in their resting places. "Cremate" was his curt reply. Not to be cowed down by such short replies, I shot my next awkward question about whether he would get fat dowry or he has to pay it to the girl. As elsewhere in India, it is the girl's side which provides furniture, kitchen items, jewels, etc., he said. Then we can find a suitable girl for our son, we joked. Wedding expenses are sometimes shared by both the sides. Feasts are held in community halls, if the house is not big enough, he went on.

We still have a few packets of the sweet and sour toffees stored in our fridge. He had bought them for him at the border town of Moreh but gave them to us as we liked the taste. We almost seized it from him. To our disappointment, we could not find it in Imphal shops.

It was a great learning experience to travel with him, but how Krishna Kanta really felt, we do not know. As he dropped at the airport, he simply smiled and drove off. Probably he had had enough of us! Like Lord Krishna who played the role of Parthasarathy (Partha's charioteer), the modern-day Krishna Kanta drove us around in the Magical Manipur. Thanks to his knowledgeable and friendly guidance, we learnt a slice of many interesting aspects of Manipur society. May his tribe thrive!

…. krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in

Manipur -1

Magical Manipur (Part I)

Thagatchari (Thank you), Manipur!

. . . S. Balakrishnan

A special word about the Manipuri youth - we were overwhelmed with happiness to watch Manipuri youth participate in traditional dance & music with great enthusiasm & verve. Keep it up, boys & girls!

So, once again, Happy Yaoshang and Thagatchari (Thank you), Manipur!

… krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in

Manipur 5

In Search of Handicrafts

… S. Balakrishnan

We are a much disappointed and sad lot after our Manipur sojourn because we could not buy Manipuri handicrafts to our heart's content, and because we could not enjoy 'shop till you drop'. The holiday for Yaoshang (Holi) had combined with Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Sunday thus prolonging it into a five-day-long one. From March 24 to 27, until our departure, it was a self-declared bandh for commercial establishments.

The first opportunity to see Manipuri handicrafts was at Bishnupur, on our way from Loktak to Imphal. The tourism website notes that "Bishnupur is also famous for its chiselled stoneware". I was thrilled, as I love stone and metal items; in fact I love all types of handicrafts but these varieties are more fascinating than the others. They will last forever, even after my departure from this 'materialistic' world, and continue to proclaim to the world that I was an art connoisseur. Frankly, I do not want to pretend to be an art connoisseur, especially the hi-fi type, but I am just a simple, mad lover of handicrafts. I have a big heart to love and buy handicraft items with a thin & stingy purse. How unfortunate!

Therefore, it was natural that my wife took a promise from me in Chennai, even before we kicked off on our trip. I am using 'kicked off' not in its literal sense, believe me! The promise was that I would not go for costly items and that the total budget for handicrafts should not exceed, at the most, 3,000 rupees. I knew it was a paltry sum for both Assam and Manipur, but I nodded my head ambiguously, both sideways and up & down. I very well knew that she would herself cross the budget limit when she succumbed to something really cute and worth. So I was not bothered but was ready with my credit / debit cards. We will see when the date for settling it comes, was my attitude. As if my wife's torture was not enough, my mother telephonically warned of any extravagant spending on such 'wasteful' things as there were more 'useful' and major expenditures on the waiting, like the weddings of our son & daughter. 'And, remember, you are about to retire', she practically threatened and killed the joy of shopping.

Fascinated by the information about chiselled stoneware, we started our hunt but found none. Then a shopkeeper enlightened us that that was ages ago. Now, only clay dolls were being made. Even these, he added, were not available as they had been packed off to Imphal for the Yaoshang (Holi) mela there. As a consolation prize, we could bag only miniature items in bamboo, like fishing trap baskets, pitcher, plates, winnowing pan, baskets, etc. So small but perfectly woven and finished as if Lilliputian items had come alive! Very cute ones, I must admit. As there was power disruption (due to rain?), we could not thoroughly explore the inside of the shop. The rain also prevented us 'hop shopping' from one shop to another. Instead of stoneware, we settled for earthenware - a small clay pot and a clay smoking pipe (for cannabis, I wonder).

Taking this small shop as a cue, we were wondering what an amazing variety would be available in Imphal, the capital city. We were not aware that this would be our first and last handicraft shopping experience in the whole of Manipur! Blame the Yaoshang holidays!

Panthoibi, the State Government's handicrafts emporium, was closed for Yaoshang holidays throughout our stay. It was a consolation for us even to see its name board above the closed doors in Paona Bazaar. Every time we ventured out of our hotel or returned, we would press our guide, Mr. Krishna, to pass through Paona Bazaar, the commercial hub of Imphal, with a fond hope of finding Panthoibi or any other handicrafts shop open, but no luck at all. Our mad hunt for handicrafts must have made Mr. Krishna eternally allergic to these three words - handicrafts, Panthoibi and Paona Bazaar! Even the phone number given in the tourism folder had changed. On our persistent dialing, someone at last picked it up on Saturday only to break the news that it (2451495) wasn't the number of Panthoibi Emporium but that of IDBI bank. I would love to loot Panthoibi, not IDBI.

Alas! Even the private handicrafts emporia listed in the tourism brochure were all closed. At least they could have opened for a half a day on Saturday forenoon; we were literally cursing them for not being money-minded and enterprising. If their attitude was so, why blame the govt.-pampered Panthoibi? They have not even bothered to change their phone number details in tourism info.

The famous all-women Ima Keithel (Mothers' Market) also belied our expectations. No curio, antique or handicraft shop, except a few selling clay items. Among this, the one that we regret having not bought is the pre-Hindu deity of Wealth. We did intend buying it, though mistaking it as an Ima seller, but were looking for a smaller, lighter version. Ultimately, the Goddess of Wealth slipped out of our hands. However, we bought three little agarbathi stands of clay, so smooth and fine, for just ten rupees. Maybe we could use them to welcome the Goddess of Wealth as and when She decides to appear in our home. Sooner the better, but better late than never. I am surprised to learn that generally Manipur pottery is crafted without a potter's wheel, which is rare indeed.

Yes, there were dolls dressed up in local costume in Ima Market but their facial features were Western, resembling Barbie dolls, hence rejected by us in toto. We had no time to visit the Naga areas, though we t passed through them on our way to Moreh and back. So, as a tribute to the valiant Naga community of Manipur, we carried miniature models of two pairs of spears; instead, I would love to carry life-size ones. A handcrafted lice comb (Rs. 50) was also added to our shopping basket at Ima Keithel. Thumb-sized grey clay bar with 'Hare Rama, Hare Krishna' embossed on it in Bengali script of Manipuri language is definitely a curio collection. I suppose this bar is used by Vaishanavite devotees for applying religious mark on their forehead.

More disappointment was at store for us at the stores on either side of the Indo-Myanmar border. The Moreh market on Indian side, described as a shopping paradise, had only all sorts of modern items whereas we had also expected Myanmar handicrafts. I prefer and tend to use the old name of Burma which is easy on the tongue also; as they say old habits die hard, especially with an old man like me. The only solace was a black washing detergent square cake with Burmese 'inscription' for ten rupees! Now I can claim to have a foreign item from Burma, oops, Myanmar.

On the other side, in the Tamu town of Myanmar, we did pass by a few shops selling metal icons, etc., but Mr. Krishna, our guide, discouraged; he said language barrier was a big hurdle there. We had to submit to his advice with a sad face. But believe me, the exchange rate was much in our favour - 100 Indian rupees = 1200 Myanmar Kyats! So we satiated our hunger for handicrafts at the least by exchanging 200 Rupees for various denominations of Kyats, totalling to more than 2,400. The Kyat currency notes have beautiful pictures depicting Myanmar art, culture, religion, lifestyle, etc. Indeed numismatic collectors' pride. Should I proudly declare that I am a humble one among them? In this respect, the Indian currency notes are a very poor cousin - dull & drab. Can't we compete at least in this sector?

So, with all other sources letting us down, we had to fall back on the boutique within the four-star Classic Grande hotel where we were put up. We were desisting buying there till the very last moment as the rates there would definitely be costlier. No pleasure of bargaining either. When you stay in a classic hotel like that you have to put on an air of being rich & classic, and avoid direct & cheap bargaining, right? Thus we ended up buying a Kangla-sha (the mythical dragon which is also the State Emblem) and the coiled snake (a religious / royal symbol), both of wood, costing Rs. 480 each, and panega (attire worn by Manipuri women, waist-down) Rs. 850. My daughter wants to fashion a skirt out of it hoping that it would look gorgeous. My wife was literally biting my ears to cut short buying there. It was just before checking out. We collected the items, stuffed them into our already bulging baggage and drove off straight to Tulihal airport. I admired their wonderful collection of items, particularly the polo player, Sangai deer, dolls in traditional costume, etc., but could we afford them all? Treating us as rare specimens or even aliens from down South India, I wish the hotel people had presented some lovely & costly items as mementos. Probably they did not have the presence of mind.

During our visit to Kangla Fort complex, I found a broken brick piece of the old times and was kicking it around. Then it struck me (not the stone, but an idea) that the broken piece could be of archaeological value. This is now sitting prettily in our showcase along with the meager handicrafts that we managed to buy in Manipur. A feather that I found in that vast complex is majestically stuck in it. I am not an ornithologist to identify which bird it belongs to but surely a free-spirited bird of Manipur. By the by, don't embarrass me by asking if I do collect feathers also.

I am yet to come to terms even a month after our return from Manipur, and yet to come out of the disappointment. The lovely Manipuri pair of Romeo-Juliet is comforting me. This was bought for Rs. 350 at the mela put up near Lord Govindajee Mandir on Yaoshang day without succeeding in haggling. But the delicately-made pair is worth it.

Though Manipur is the birth place of both polo and Raas Lila, we could neither watch them nor buy dolls representing these two. In the list of missed out items tops the Goddess of Wealth, one more Kangla-sha (I prefer a pair), Sangai deer, and the snake-boat. God knows what all we missed buying from Panthoibi and other emporia.

Don't we all love what comes free? It was a double dhamaka when we got two tourism posters from the Manipur Tourism Centre at Imphal international airport on our arrival. Two lovely posters of the Pung Cholom drum dance posture. A troupe from Manipur had performed this marvelous dance in Gangtok, Sikkim. The moves were so fast, vigorous and lively that I remember it to this day - 30 years after!

Two small trays made of the humble banana leaf are another collection from Manipur. They have turned into brown from green but still retain their shape. These were used to serve side dishes when we tried the traditional Manipur lunch. Echo-friendly and biodegradable natural trays. This reminds me of the 'dhonnai' of Tamil Nadu; these are shaped like bowls and made out of dried banana leaf joined by coconut palm leaf's middle stick pieces. 'Dhonnais' are used for serving not only solid but also liquid edible items. And no leakage either. How ingenious of our ancestors! This was much in demand before the appearance of paper/plastic cups. For better or worse, times are changing, you see.

Can we manage to visit Manipur again? Or when we visit the other N-E states (still five are left), we can steal some time to buy these items from Imphal. If we could afford we could straight away land in Imphal, shop until we drop, pack off and fly back to Chennai ... but that is only if we could afford, which is next to impossible. Sigh! Better luck next time? Well, we need all the luck in the world for another visit to Manipur. That makes us a more disappointed & sad lot - back to square one! ……. krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in

Courtesy: The Sangai Express, Imphal, dt. 05 May 2016