Maibi Cult in Manipur Through the Cinematic lens of “Ishanou”
| Author |
| Soibam Nepola, T. Deepamanjuri Devi & Ksh. Rajendra Singh |
| Date of Publication: December, 2024 |
| Volume: XXIII, No.- XXVI |
| Abstract |
| ‘Ishanou’, an internationally acclaimed Manipuri feature film directed by Aribam Syam Sharma deals primarily with the phenomena associating with Maibi cult among the Maitei/Meetei society. Being a film that captures reality in frame, it entails the real stories, lives and emotional encounters of numerous individual Maibis within a single cinematic frame. It is the story of maibis- and is not simply a dialogue between macro and micro, society and individual, cultural placement and individual positioning of a Maibi in the socio-cultural milieu of the Meitei/Meitei society-it is more than that. This paper examines the origin of Maibi and its philosophy as appropriated in the Meitei/Meetei belief system. Besides, it tries to entail the functions, roles and responsibilities of a Maibi within the socio-cultural and political context while examining the adversities faced by a Maibi at individual level. Further, the paper examines the changing position of Maibi within the political discourse of the state when it shifted from being an erstwhile kingdom to democracy post merger to the Indian union. Finally, the paper illustrates relevance of ‘Ishanou’ in our understanding of the Maibi cult. |
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