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Come the Meitei month of Hiyangei, the women of Manipur has a date with their brothers at the parental home. And a ritual debate on high-end gifts by rich families will dominate the editorial and op-ed pages of local newspapers. On the second day of Hiyangei which usually falls in the English month of November the Ningols or daughters are celebrated by the male members of their original families. The married daughters and their children would be treated to sumptuous feast and gifts would be showered on them on this day. At the parental home, the daughters, old and young, are pampered with food and gifts. The mothers and daughter-in-laws would prepare lavish and extensive meals for the daughters, before leaving for their own parental homes for the biggest ever festival of the state. It is left to the fathers, uncles and the brothers to serve the daughters and their children and shower them with gifts and the ‘Dakhina’. There are varied interpretations on the concept of Ningol Chakkouba. Like other patriarchal cultures, only the male members remained in the clan while the female members become part of another clan to which they are married to. The names of the married daughters and their offspring are not entered in the genealogical books or the clan or family based Puyas while they are reflected in the Puyas of the clans or families they are married to. This is one of the main reasons why the ‘Ningol-Chakkouba’ festival is so important in Manipur society. It is a sort of annual ritual or get-together for brothers and sisters who were married away to other clans. It is the spirit of strengthening of family ties and celebration of family values embodied in the festival which makes it so important in our society. The women in Manipur fondly wait for this festival. There is another occasion in the Meitei cultural life when the married daughters come to the parental home and pay obeisance to their brothers, uncles and parents with snacks and gifts during Cheiraoba. Ningol-Chakkouba is a sort of pay-back for the Pibas or male members of the family. Well, this is the cultural part of the Ningol Chakkouba festival. There is also a legal side. According to the customary law of the Manipuris, only the sons are entitled to landed properties while the daughters are annually compensated by way of gifts and the traditional ‘Aunpot’ given at the time of marriage. Many have tried to equate the Meitei ‘Aunpot’ with the Indian dowry. It is different from dowry. In fact, the items of ‘Aunpot’ belong to the bride and the husband has no right to it. When the husband and wife are divorced or separated, the wife will take back the items of ‘Aunpot’ along with her to the parental home. A portion of the homestead land known as ‘Ningol Yumpham’ is always reserved for the daughters who had to come back at the paternal home either due to divorce or death of the husband. Simply put, the Manipuri customary law has ample room for compensating the daughters and it may vary according to the financial resources of the brothers and parents. So, the issue of competition in high-end gifts during Ningol Chakkouba does not arise. The compensation would certainly vary and there should not be any ill-will in this regard. However, the greatest gift of the brothers to their sisters would be in changing the customary laws so as to ensure equitable entitlements of landed property to both sons and daughters.
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