Shri Biren (Shribiren) | |
---|---|
![]() Shri Biren | |
Native name | |
Died | December 29, 2011 [1] Achom Leikai, Uripok [1] |
Resting place | Achom Leikai, Uripok [1] |
Occupation | editor, poet, playwright, social reformer, teacher and short story writer of works in Meitei literature [1] |
Language | Meitei language (Manipuri language) |
Nationality | Indian |
Citizenship | Indian |
Education | B.A. |
Alma mater | Gauhati University |
Period | modern |
Genres | existentialism, iconoclasm, metaphysics, modernism, philosophy in Meitei literature |
Subject | Meitei literature |
Literary movement | modernism in Meitei literature |
Notable works | |
Notable awards | the Manipur State Kala Academy Award, the Central Sahitya Akademi Award and the Jamini Sundar Gold Medal [4] [1] |
Nongthombam Shri Biren, better known shortly as Shri Biren or Sri Biren, [lower-alpha 1] and also spelled as Shribiren or Sribiren, [lower-alpha 1] was an Indian editor, poet, playwright, social reformer, teacher and short story writer of works in Meitei literature. [5] [6] [1] His writings are characterised by the wrath and the mood of the loss of hope and confidence. He was active in writing in the 1960s and the 1970s. Most of his writings are predominant with the "iconoclastic extreme anger and questioning of everything in life". He was considered to be an angry young man of the 1970s, for his poem, Tangkhul Hui ( Meitei for ' Tangkhul Dog'). [5] [7] He was known for portraying the lives of people in a metaphysical and philosophical way, protesting against the existing socio-political systems and institutions and attempting to break them, using symbolism and allegory as tools, as evident in "The Two Doors". [8] [9] He was bestowed with the Manipur State Kala Academy Award, the Central Sahitya Akademi Award and the Jamini Sundar Gold Medal for his poetry and short stories. Unfortunate to the Meitei literature is that he died at an early age, suffering from Parkinson's disease. [10] [1]
Nongthombam Sri Biren completed his graduation from the Gauhati University in 1965. [11]
Throughout his lifetime, Shri Biren contributed 4 books of collection of poetry, 2 books of collection of short stories and one book of a collection of short plays, to Meitei literature. His poetry book "Sanagee Keirak" (Meitei : ꯁꯅꯥꯒꯤ ꯀꯩꯔꯥꯛ, lit. 'The Golden Ladder') contains 44 poems, written between 1989 and 1997. [12]
Using drama as a tool for social critique, Sri Biren and his contemporaries, earnestly attempted to take up vast human tight spots to be shown in experimental performances, thereby to break up with the traditional trends in the drama forms of owing only regional themes as their backgrounds. However, since the 1980s, drama as literary works got declined in Meitei literature. The main reason for its scantily publications was that of the rise of regular stage-plays produced by the numerous theatre houses as well as other experimental associations, thereby providing the people (readers as well as viewers) diverse taste. [13]
In the 1970s, adhering to existentialism, Sri Biren shows the "cry of hopelessness and loneliness" in his short plays, including but not limited to the Khongchat ( Meitei for 'Journey'). [14]
With a dilemma of modernism, Shri Biren experimentally penned on the Meitei language dramas, getting widespread readership, and many of which were translated into English. He was one of the people who made modern Meitei dramas into a "strong literary force". [15]
The era of predominance of conventional or romantic poems in Meitei literature took a break as Sri Biren and his contemporary poets took up their pens. Sri Biren's collection of poems titled Tollaba Sadugi Wakhal ( Meitei for '“The Lowly Creature's Musings”/“The thoughts of the poor animal”') was notable for raising voices of disillusionment, to free oneself from illusion. [16] [17]
Shri Biren is often called as "an angry young poet". His poems show that there is no future for mankind in the present situation of happenings. His distinct way of writing is a constant search of answers to different queries for which he himself gives no satisfactory replies. As his sobriquet suggested, he was very young during the peak of his poetic writings, and he was known for having his own poetic visions and expressions. [18]
In his short stories, Sri Biren expressed his sentiments in the same way as he did in his poems. He showed his fury over the inequalities in society and economy as well as in the downfall of the morality of people. His stories had imitations of the lines from his poems. He initiated diverse styles and modes of narrations in his writings experimentally. One of the most unique features of his work is that while narrating stories, he used to ask different questions by himself intermittently and all the answers to the questions were also given by himself. [19] He was known for writing psychological stories with the intentions of creating shocks and provocations to the readers. [20]
Shri Biren is considered to be one of the celebrated poets of Manipur in the 21st century. Many of his poetry were translated into Bengali language. Significantly, some of them were read out in public by Kulamani Singh as a part of the 2-Day celebrated Indo-Bangla International Poets Meet-2013. [21]
Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which were originally composed in Sanskrit and later translated into many other Indian languages, and the Five Great Epics of Tamil literature and Sangam literature are some of the oldest surviving epic poems ever written.
Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India has 22 officially recognised languages. Sahitya Akademi, India's highest literary body, also has 24 recognised literary languages.
Meitei, officially known as Manipuri, is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur, as well as one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic, included in the 8th Schedule to the Indian Constitution. It is one of the advanced literary languages, recognised by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters. It serves as one of the recognised educational and literary languages in Assam and Tripura. Native to the Meitei people, it has around 3 million total speakers, and is used as L1 by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, and as L2 by different ethnic groups, in different parts of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. It was used as a court language in the historic Manipur Kingdom, in accordance to the Manipur State Constitution Act 1947.
Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Ancient Meitei, Modern Meitei, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Maithili, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Urdu, and Hindi. Poetry in foreign languages such as English also has a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within India. In particular, many Indian poets have been inspired by mystical experiences. Poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition.
The Meitei people, Meetei people, or Manipuri people is an ethnic group native to Manipur. They form the largest and dominant ethnic group of Manipur in Northeast India. They speak Meitei language, one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic 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.
Since the Iron Age in India, the native languages of the Indian subcontinent are divided into various language families, of which the Indo-Aryan and the Dravidian are the most widely spoken. There are also many languages belonging to unrelated language families such as Munda and Tibeto-Burman, spoken by smaller groups.
Meitei literature, also known as Manipuri literature, is literature written in the Meitei language of Manipur. An ancient institution of learning, the Luwang Nonghumsang, later known as the Pandit Loishang, collected sources of indigenous Meitei knowledge and philosophy until the 18th century. Writing by Meiteis is assumed to go back to the Kingdom of Kangleipak in the early 12th century. The Meitei script is a Brahmic abugida. It is known only from the Puya manuscripts discovered in the first half of the 20th century. Manuscripts of the 18th and 19th centuries were written using the Bengali alphabet. The existence of the Meitei script in the 15th-century hinges on the authenticity of an inscription dated to the reign of Senbi Kiyamba. The first printed Manipuri book, Manipurer Itihas, appeared in 1890 from the Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta. Though the kings of Manipur had established contact with the British from the middle of the eighteenth century onward the real impact of the contact came much later. Johnstone Middle English School, based on the western system of education, was started in 1885 at Imphal, and in 1891 Manipur lost its independence to the British. British domination facilitated the introduction of new systems in the civil, political and educational spheres, which hastened the process of modernization in Manipur, exposed as it was to new ideas and influences.
Padma Shri Ashangbam Minaketan Singh is regarded as one of the founders of modern Manipuri literature. He was born as the only child to Ashangbam Jivan Singh and Medhabati Devi on 2 May 1906. His grandfather Ashang Kut, also known as Ashangbam Phura Hongba, served as an Officer in The Maharaja of Manipur's army. In March 1891 he played a part in the assassination of British officials and was thereby sentenced for transportation on charge of murder. He was sentenced twenty five years of life imprisonment at Kalapani Jail, which is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
Khwairakpam Chaoba Singh l was a poet, essayist, prose-writer and novelist. He was born in 1895 in Uripok Sorbon Thingen leikai, Imphal.He was influenced by Sanskrit tradition and is regarded as one of the best-known writers of modern Meitei literature. He founded the Manipuri Sahitya Sammelini of Meitei literature along with Dr. Lamabam Kamal Singh, Hijam Irabot and Hijam Anganghal.
Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1927-2000) was an Indian poet and critic, considered by many as one of the pioneers of modern Meitei literature. A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1987, Nilakanta Singh was honored by the Government of India, in 2000, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Gitchandra Tongbra, popularly known as G. C. Tongbra, was an Indian satirist, poet, playwright and art academic from Imphal. Born on 6 February 1913 in the Indian state of Manipur, Tongbra was known for his socio-realistic plays such as Mani Manou (1962), Matric Pass (1964) and Upu Baksi (1972).
Ningthoukhongjam Khelchandra Singh was an Indian writer, lexicographer and historian, known as the author of Manipuri to Manipuri and English, the first modern general dictionary in Meitei language, which was published in 1964. He was a fellow of the Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1987.
The Khamba Thoibi Sheireng, also spelled as the Khamba Thoibi Seireng, is a Classical Meitei language epic poem based on the ancient love story of Khuman prince Khamba and Moirang princess Thoibi of Ancient Moirang kingdom of Ancient Kangleipak. It is the magnum opus of Hijam Anganghal, the "Bard of Samurou". It is regarded as the national epic of the Manipuris. It is regarded as the greatest of all the epic poems in Meitei literature, with 39,000 verses, thereby being the third longest Indian epic poem, next to the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
The Henjunaha Lairoulembi, also known as the Henjunaha Lairuklembi, shortly known as the Henjunaha, is a legendary epic love story of Henjunaha Yangleingamba and Thongnang Lairoulembi. It is one of the epic cycles of incarnations of Meitei mythology and folklore, that is originated from Moirang province of Ancient Kangleipak.
Nongpok Ningthou, also known as Sovereign of the East or King of the East, is a deity in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak. He is the ruling guardian deity of the eastern direction. Legend says Nongpok Ningthou and Panthoibi got united in the Nongmaiching mountains. Later, they were worshipped as the civilization giving deities in Meitei religion.
Meitei Chanu is a Meitei language poem by Lamabam Kamal. It was first published in a magazine, with the same name, called Meitei Chanu (magazine) in the year 1924. It was republished in the author's book of his collection of poems called "Lei Pareng" in the year 1929. Its central theme is the reconfiguration of the identity of the Meitei people. The poem bountifully reflects the poet's love of his motherland and its heritage.
In Meitei mythology and folklore, the epic cycles of incarnations in Moirang is a cyclic epic of seven incarnations of two divine lovers in the kingdom of Moirang in the realm of Ancient Kangleipak.
The ancient legend of Wanglen Pungdingheiba and Sappa Chanu Silheibi is one of the epic cycles of incarnations of Meitei mythology and folklore, that is originated from Moirang kingdom of Ancient Kangleipak. It concerns the tragedic romantic adventures of Wanglen Pungdingheiba for his ladylove Sappa Chanu Silheibi . Wanglen Pungdingheiba was a skilled craftsman known for making musical instrument pung. Lady Sappa Chanu Silheibi was a skilful weaving artisan. Both the lovers are equally noted for their talents and good looks, thereby becoming the matters of envy of many young men and women in the kingdom of Moirang.
Khamba Thoibi Jagoi, also known as Khamba Thoibi classical dance or Khamba Thoibi ballet, is a traditional Meitei ritualistic and theatrical classical dance form, which is usually enacted as a part and parcel of the Lai Haraoba performances, dedicated to God Thangching, the national deity of Ancient Moirang realm. Notably, it is one of the cultural elements, giving inspirations to the development of the Manipuri Raas Leela classical dance drama form.
Ancient Meitei literature, also termed as Old Manipuri literature, is literature written in the Ancient Meitei language from the earliest texts until the time of King Pamheiba of Kangleipak. All the ancient Meitei literary works are written in the traditional Meitei script. The ancient Meitei language texts, written in Meitei script, are conventionally termed as "the Puyas".
... recipients of Manipur State Award for Literature: Year Writer Book Genre 2013 Birendrajit Naorem Turel Nangdi Poetry 2012 Kshetri Bira Nangbu Ngaibada Novel 2011 Shree Biren Chatloiko Ei Mafam Kadaidasu Poetry...
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link)Another young poet, N. Sri Biren, in his collection of poetry, Tollaba Sadugi Wakhal, (The thoughts of the poor animal', 1970) called everything in question and saw the death of God being followed by the death of Man.
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link)Shri Biren writes poems of political protest full of symbols and allegorical meanings "The Two Doors", for example, has deep philosophical implications about the meaning of life.
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link)Sri Biren, who has been an angry poet ready to break the existing systems and institutions, has mellowed down and reached the stage of reflection enquiring into the metaphysical aspect of life.
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link)Sri Biren , N. A poet , editor , short story writer , playwright and teacher , Nongthombam Sri Biren was born in 1946. His forte is however , poetry . He obtained his B.A. degree from the Gauhati University in 1965 and later joined the ...
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link)... Biren Singh with his experimental plays has drawn wide attention and some of his plays have been translated into English. ... and N. Sri Biren for the modern dilemma. Drama in modern Manipuri has by now developed into a strong literary force.
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link)Another young poet, N. Sri Biren, in his collection of poetry, Tollaba Sadugi Wakhal, ('The thoughts of the poor animal', 1970) called everything in question and saw the death of God being followed by the death of Man.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link)... Shri Biren is an angry young poet. He sees no future for mankind in the present state of affairs. His is a constant search but he gives no satisfactory reply. A very young poet who has his own poetic vision and expression ...
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link)... Shri Biren produces psychological stories intended to shock and provoke people. ...
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link)... At the outset, Kulamani Singh read out the poems of some of the celebrated poets of Manipur, namely Kh. Chaoba, Dr. Kamal, Hijam Anganghal, E. Nilakanta, Shri Biren in Bangla translation. ...