By Vishwarupa Rath
“With the thousand-fold sparks
Reflected from my eyes
I shall burn them,
The mouldering burden of ideas
You [men] have carried for centuries.” ~ Arambam Ongbi Memchoubi , The Goddess of Lightning
While reading about the Prime Minister's recent visit to Manipur, I came across one of the Manipuri traditions which really enthralled me. It is the Ima Keithel Tradition
It is the Largest ‘All Women Market’ of Asia. ‘Ima’ stands for Mother and ‘Keithel’ for Market . It is also known as ‘Nupi Keithil’ or Women's Market.
A tradition of 500 years, has been carried forward with grace till date, guarded by the Meitei Goddess - Keithel laerembi ,having a shrine in the Purana Bazaar of Ima Keithel. All commercial activities here are strictly to be done only by women, in this tradition.
Ima Keithel finds its roots in the Forced labour system called Lallup-Kaba , imposed on Manipur in 1553 CE during Pakhangba’s reign. All Meitei males of age 17-60 were required in this system to serve in the army in distant lands.
This led to completely women driven households which began at first weaving textiles and cultivating paddy and it ultimately led to the origin of Ima Keithel.
It was not just a marketplace for trade but also a place where women held Historic meetings and socio-political discussions .
1904 and 1939 are years that have witnessed the same powerful women revolting against the British authorities because of their unjust systems of forced labour system, large-scale export of food crops, high taxation of water etc.
The anecdotes of Manipuri women showing boundless strength are countless, and even today, modern women inherit immeasurable lessons from them — of resilience, leadership, and unyielding spirit.
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