OPEN LETTER TO THE STATE LEVEL KUT COMMITTEE, 2012
HAS KUT LOST ITS SHEEN?
Sirs/Madam,
My warm Kut greetings to you all!
This denizen from Churachandpur highly appreciates you for your untiring efforts in the process of organizing KUT, 2012.
As part of the much-awaited extravaganza (the biggest autumnal/harvesting festival of all the Khuul/Khur/Sinlung/Chhinlung-originated group of people, KUT), KUT CALENDAR, 2013 is highly captivating, embossed by hot & sexy damsels. I contemplate the succeeding generation of ours may offshoot qualified lasses for Miss India (if not Miss World/Universe) contest (s).
Yet, I wonder as to why, and on what rationale, gorgeous damsels are given/accorded priority in our celebration of Kut. Let alone the intermittent burning issue of Kutting venue, the display of such semi-clad photographs of hot chicks may be debatable, if not questionable. Is Kut intertwined with beauty, or gorgeous ladies? Whether Kut is ingrained with beauty (ful) ladies or not, is one to analyse and judge oneself. After all, to borrow John Keats; “ A thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever”.
In this era of fast-changing glamorous world, staging of Miss Kut may be unavoidable if not, appropriate. Yet the writing on the wall; “Everything in excess is bad”. Public outcry is; ‘too much emphasis on Miss Kut Contest may splotch our biggest harvesting festival’. This entails balancing (not balance of power between Kut organizers & the public) and/or drawing a demarcation line (not the Iron Curtain one). Let us stand united so that modernity do not eclipse tradition.
It’s unfortunate that one of my good Manipuri/Meetei friends once asked me; “ Bhai, nangkhoigi MISS KUT du kei dou ngei ra..?” If the present trend/scheme of things vis-à-vis Kut celebration continues, or to be precise, if Miss Kut continues to reign supreme and/or remains the cynosure of Kut, my friend may prove right in his prefixing of MISS (before) KUT! By that time, many a die-hard Kutters may miss (not the MISS title) Kut.
As usual, the VIP’s/VVIP’s and top honchos cry for peace, unity & integrity on Kutting days/events. Notwithstanding such high-pitched voice (or lip-service?), we more often than not, see a sort of WWE ( or a fighting Leela) at 1st MR Ground-the official (ordained?) choice for Kut venue-as party creatures (not necessarily die-hard Kutters) create a mesh. One witnessed a couple of years back, the flying of chairs between the Kutters and Manipur police Commandos-where Chairs were being used as Naked Weapon, while the Beauty Pageants (in a semi-clad) romped the stage!
This Kut-lover neither calls for adorning all what is our past traditions, cultures and customs, nor advocates to imbibe all what is modernism/post-modernism. However, like C.E.M. Joad’s dialogue on Civilization, it’s worth to imbibe all what is ‘good’ (or worth emulating) in our traditions, and discard the out-dated/old-fashioned (bad) ones.
History is self-evident that Kut and its celebration emphasized, and accorded prior (or top most) importance to the display/exhibition of traditional dances/songs, games & sports, etc., which our forefathers ( who bravely/collectively fought the mighty Britishers, in whose Empire, the Sun Never Set in, with their traditional tools, arms & ammunitions at their disposal) exhibited, and sung the rhythm of Love, Unity & Peace in unison. To what extent, and how far integrated/united are we, in celebrating the biggest festival of ours? And to what extent, has Kut mended the (seemingly broken) seams of Ching-Tam or, Kut-celebrating kindred tribes? Won’t it be appropriate to include atleast Siel-Kal-(a traditional sports of Khuul-originated people, in which the boys jumped over a mithun)? Our forefathers greatly adorned (Siel- an animal called Mithun-not the Chakravorty/Bollywood star), which may be hard to find these days; but ADC, Churachandpur, under the efficient leadership/anchor of Pu Langkhanpau Guite, Hon’ble Chairman, ADCC graciously presented one Mithun to our world-famous boxer, MC Mary Kom recently in CCpur) or any other sports items (which the State Level Kut Committee, 2012 deemed it fit/appropriate) so as to recast/reminisce our glorious past.
Kut, may be the confluence of Tradition & Modernity (Tra-Mod). In our efforts to re-integrate Khuul/Khuur/Sinlung/Chhinlung-originated group of people, KUT had been organized at Talkotara Stadium, Delhi a couple of years back, under the theme; ‘ Tra-Mod’ (Tradition & Modernity), where Pu Holkhomang Haokip, Ex-MP, anchored the ship with his counterparts and other social workers. There too, a scuffle ensued in the night programme.
Unfortunately, public disorder, chaos and confusion often blemish the sanctity of Kut. Herein lies the paramount importance on the part of the organizers in ensuring security and strict enforcement of law-keeping agencies.
May Kut, 2012 strengthen the bond of love & fraternity in the land of the Jewel.
Kut Chibai!
Li…Li…Li..Li……ho….ho…ho…ho….!
~By
D. J. William (Elvis) Haokip
D. Vaison
P.O./P.S. Churachandpur,
Manipur-795128.
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