Dimapur, Nov. 24 (EMN): Luangdimai Citizens Forum (LCF), in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR) and North Eastern Council (NEC) will organise a historical-cultural confluence called Makuiluangdi Festival 2019 at Makuiluangdi village under Senapati district in Manipur from November 28 to the 30th on the theme “Malanwangbo: Return of the native.”
According to K Elu Ndang, convenor of media and publicity committee, the Luangdimai, also called Zeliangrong (and Inpui) people, who live in four different states of India namely Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram traced their roots to a single common mega-village known as Makuiluangdi. The term “Luangdimai” means people of the Makuiluangdi village. According to oral history, the village had touched a magical 7777 number of household at one point of time. Subsequently, they dispersed to different directions in search of greener pastures and are now settled in the present Luangdimai/ Zeliangrong territory in the North eastern part of India.
Ndang stated that the Makuiluangdi Festival is being organised to create a platform for all Luangdimai village representatives, visitors and participants to relive the rich history and tradition as in costumes, arts, cuisines, craft, dances and music which are kept alive to these days.
He also stated that Makuiluangdi Festival is a movement to sensitise the community in and around the sacred sites and educate them on the need to preserve the remnants of artefacts and conserve ecology and environment which are under severe threats due to increase in habitation and other economic related activities.
The festival intends to reflect on the journey and the progress that Luangdimai people have made since their dispersal from Makuiluangdi about 2000 years ago. It is a call to retrace their history, language, culture, tradition and identity with Makuiluangdi as one of the key landmarks.
In keeping with tradition, the festival would commence with the making of sacred fire, lighting of lamp and hoisting of festival flag. As practitioners of gerontocracy, elders gathered at the congregation would be given the honour to initiate those items.
Ndang added that cultural song and dance by delegates from Assam, Manipur and Nagaland and drums ensemble by a group of young men would be presented in the festival.
One of the main highlights of the festival, according to Ndang, would be the ‘Stone-piling’ ceremony of “Malanwangbo: Return of the native to Makuiluangdi,” conceptualised as a response to the dispersal that took place 2000 years ago. It was learned that before the dispersal from Makuiluangdi, Luangdimai ancestors solemnly piled stones as a symbol of their prosperity and a reminder to their posterity. It stated that the mound of stones is revered and preserved at Jangtining at Makuiluangdi.
To commemorate the event, LCF has requested all Luangdimai villages to bring a stone each to be used in the Malanwangbo stone-piling ceremony as a symbol of the return to Makuiluangdi.
LCF also appealed to all Luangdimai, neighboring communities and the respective state government of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and particularly Senapati district administration and different civil organisations to extend cooperation by providing safe passage to the delegates coming from different states of India.
Meanwhile, the Zeliangrong civil organisation (ZCO) comprising of Zeliangrong Baudi, Zeliangrong youth front and Zeliangrong Student’s Union has greeted all the Zeliangrong people living in different parts of the country in celebrating the “Makuiluangdi Festival.”
ZCO media and publicity cell stated that celebrating the God gifted history in the form of festival should be encouraged by every sensible person who value their history for the sake of better future. It said there is no future for people who do not value their history and likened them to those who are not aware of their own parents.
It hoped that the celebration of Makuiluangdi Festival would foster a sense of brotherhood and unity in Zeliangrong family and further wished the festival a grand success.
