Meitei also known as Manipuri, is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the constitutionally scheduled official languages of the Indian Republic. Meitei is the most widely-spoken Tibeto-Burman language of India and the third most widely spoken language of northeast India after Assamese and Bengali. There are 1.76 million Meitei native speakers in India according to the 2011 census, 1.52 million of whom are found in the state of Manipur, where they represent the majority of its population. There are smaller communities in neighbouring Indian states, such as Assam (168,000), Tripura (24,000), Nagaland (9,500), and elsewhere in the country (37,500). The language is also spoken by smaller groups in neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The Meitei people, also known as Meetei, Manipuri people, are an Tibeto-Burman ethnic group native to Manipur. They form the largest and dominant ethnic group of Manipur in Northeast India. They speak the Meitei language, one of the 22 official languages of the Republic of India and the sole official language of Government of Manipur. The Meiteis primarily settled in the Imphal Valley region in modern-day Manipur, though a sizeable population has settled in the other Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram. There is also a notable presence of Meitei people in the neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Meitei ethnic group represents about 53% of Manipur's population.
The Meitei script, also known as the Kanglei script or the Kok Sam Lai script, after its first three letters is an abugida in the Brahmic scripts family used to write the Meitei language, the official language of Manipur, Assam and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is first known from engravings on 6th century CE coins and copper plate inscriptions. as verified by the various publications of the National Sahitya Akademi. It was used until the 18th century, when it was replaced by the Bengali alphabet. A few manuscripts survive. In the 20th century, the script was revived and is again being used. Beginning in 2021, the Government of Manipur began to use the Meitei alongside the Bengali-Assamese script, per the Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021.
The Manipuri Sahitya Parishad is a literary council dedicated to the active promotion and the development of literary works in the Meitei language in India. in national as well as international levels. It has its branches in the Manupur cities of Imphal, Jiribam, Bishnupur and Thoubal inside Manipur and in Tripura and Meghalaya in Assam.
Manipuri Language Day, is an annual celebration of the Manipuri (Meitei) language in India and Bangladesh on 20 August. It is the day in 1992 on which Manipuri was added to the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, making it one of the official languages of India.
The Meitei language movement, also known as the Manipuri language movement, is any linguistic movement undertaken by the literary, political and social associations as well as organisations, advocating for a change or development of Meitei language in various critical, discriminative and unfavorable circumstances and situations.
The social movement of Meitei language to attain linguistic purism is advocated by literary, political, social associations and organisations as well as notable individual personalities of Bangladesh, Myanmar and Northeast India.
Meitei script movement, also called Meetei script movement, is a series of cultural wars and campaigns, undertaken by various cultural and sociopolitical associations and organisations as well as notable individual personalities, against the Government of Manipur and other authorities concerned, regarding the revivalism and the development of the Meitei script.
The Meitei language, also known as the Manipuri language, is one of the seven officially declared minority languages, recognised by the Government of Tripura. Its promotion and development are done by the Directorate of Kokborok & Other Minority Languages, established in August 2012.
Events in the year 2022 in Manipur
The Naoriya Phulo script, also known as the Naoria script, the Invented Meitei Yelhou Mayek script, or the Invented Meetei Yelhou Mayek script, is a constructed script, invented by Laininghan Naoriya Phulo (1888-1941), to write Meitei language. It is different from the Meitei Mayek, the official script for Meitei language. It shares many similarities with the Devanagari script and the Eastern Nagari script.
Meitei language, officially and formally known as Manipuri language, is one of the official languages of the state government of Assam. It serves as the additional official language in all the three districts of the Barak Valley as well as in the Hojai district of Assam.
2023 in Meitei culture, including but not limited to Meitei architecture, Meitei cinema, Meitei cuisine, Meitei dances, Meitei festivals, Meitei language, Meitei literature, Meitei music, Meitei religion, Meitei script, etc.
2022 in Meitei culture, including but not limited to Meitei architecture, Meitei cinema, Meitei cuisine, Meitei dances, Meitei festivals, Meitei language, Meitei literature, Meitei music, Meitei religion, Meitei script, etc.
2021 in Meitei culture, including but not limited to Meitei architecture, Meitei cinema, Meitei cuisine, Meitei dances, Meitei festivals, Meitei language, Meitei literature, Meitei music, Meitei religion, Meitei script, etc.
Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillol Apunba Lup, shortly known as the MEELAL, is a group that works for the development of Meitei language and Meitei script. It is one of the groups that spearhead the historic Meitei script movement against the Government of Manipur.
The Meitei people, also called Manipuri people, is one of the minority ethnic groups in Assam. They are referred to as Mekhlee, Mekhelee, Meckley, Monipuri, Monipuriya, Magalu, Mogolu, Moglie, Moglai, among many other names dedicated to them by the other people of Assam. Meiteis call Assam as "Tekhao" or "Tekhau" or "Tekhaw". In October 2020 their population was estimated 168,127 with its population, the Meitei tribe is a fairly large ethnic minority in Assam and Meitei culture can be found in everywhere places.
The Meitei people, also called Manipuri people, is one of the minority ethnic groups in Tripura. Meiteis call the land of Tripura as "Takhel" or "Takhen" in their language. In September 2020, their population was estimated to be approximately 23,779.
The Manipur Official Language Act is an act (document) that declares the official language of the State of Manipur. It was passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly, approved by the Governor of Manipur. It makes Meitei language as the official language of the Government of Manipur. It was initially enacted in 1979 but later amended in 2021, to replace Bengali script's sole usage by the concurrent usage of both Meitei script and Bengali script, for writing the Meitei language.
