I come from a small state called Manipur surrounded by lush
green hills...all the more reason why whenever I see hills, reminds me of home.
My mother tongue is Manipuri which I speak fluently although my writing and
reading skills have considerably slowed as I have disengaged myself from
writing and reading except going through headlines of local newspapers. Now
that I stay a thousand miles away from home, I feel all the more reason to
upgrade myself on all that information which I have ignored for so long.
In an attempt to explore my Manipur, I recently started
digging up literatures related to Manipur and my best friend knowing my
fixation, gifted me a book which I have wanted to read for so long “Bor Saheb
Ongi Sanatombi” – the story of a Manipuri princess who fell in love with a British
political agent in the British era written by renown author M. K. Binodini.
Its the first time I have read a Manipuri novel. I have heard
a lot about this book. Although I struggled to read at the very onset, I
gradually gained pace as I got hold of the plots and characters. I could
imagine the princely state of Manipur in all its glory as described by the
author and its gradual descend as she lost her independence in the hands of the
mighty English army.
“Sanatombi” was a princess who chose to live life in her
own terms, who had the courage to question every unfair rule imposed on her
unlike other princesses who consented every word of the king; a princess who
demanded equal rights like her brother and remained unconvinced that being a
girl, she ought to live her life in a way dictated by the society. Perhaps her
defiant nature made her special, worthy of a story that will stand the sands of
times and cherished by generations to come. The story of a princess who
believed that love is more about sacrifice and not merely just about getting
married, a love which spontaneously redefined every form of relationship she
had. A princess torn apart between her love for her country and her love for
this man who had come to conquer her land, a man who was apparently her enemy
but who had made her understand love like no one else had.
Even today, Manipuri society is an orthodox patriarchal
society and till date a married woman have no right to fall in love again. Even
if a woman lost her husband at a young age or if she got separated from her
husband, she has to severe all ties with men that will fulfil her physical and
emotional needs for fear of her character and modesty being questioned by the
society.
Imagine the Manipur of those times, who made love impossible
between a Brahmin and a non-Brahmin, a royalty and a commoner and yet even
under these threatening conditions, love did happened and love bore the pangs
of separation and embraced death silently. Sanatombi saw it all and marvelled
these mystical forms of love that made her Maisna decide never to marry again
after she realised that her beloved had died. Even after her first marriage, Sanatombi
failed to feel such consuming and unfathomable love. Thus, when a married woman
like Sanatombi fell in love with a “foreigner”...the speculations and inhibitions
she felt was only intelligible. And it was a love she never felt before...a
love that brought forth her best and worst times.
Since childhood, Sanatombi was a little rebel and stood
against prejudiced rules. May be this
was the reason why her defiant self let her hair down and felt the winds in her
hair as she rode her horse proudly alongside her beloved dressed in man’s
attire unlike married woman of those times who are supposed to tie their hair
in a bun let alone dress like a man. And sure, no one ever looked as beautiful
and enticing as her. Such was the charm and solemnity of this princess!!
A few months after her beloved left her with a promise to
return for her again, she fell sick and could never really fight back to be
herself again. As her frail body lie on her death bed, her mind filled with a
thousand memories, in a state of trance, she could constantly hear the
faint sound of horse galloping away...sound of her beloved fading away, her
life, every step leaving her behind.....just like her father became a blur
memory, just like her brother galloped away. And thus, she rested in the protective arms and undying love of her “Sanakhyamashi”.
.................................................................................................................................................................
I have heard so much about this book and in an instant, I
agreed to all that has ever been written about this book. I have always felt a
sense of emptiness after reading a good book. Sanatombi and her love will
forever haunt my mind.
Read it to know your roots and history.
Read it to understand love in a better way.
Read it to realise that it takes someone who stood odds to
create a fascinating story.
