Imphal, July 12: What?s in a name, goes the clich?. But for a large number of people in Manipur, a rose by any other name will not smell just as sweet. Or, will it? Prodded by two non-governmental organisations, people have suddenly realised that they need to shed their names and take on traditional ones to preserve their identity.
A hundred of them, egged on by the Meitei National Front and the Federation of Indigenous Martial Arts and Cultural Students, thronged Imphal?s lower court complex last week to take part in the mass conversion of names.
The people, belonging to Meitei, Tangkhul, Kom, Chiru and Vaiphei communities, took an oath to change their ?westernised and Hindu? names to traditional ones used by their ancestors, a court source said.
At least three oath commissioners, who were appointed by the court, had a tough time administering oaths to the group. Some of the traditional names chosen by the individuals include Mangolnganbi, Sakhen, Ngachonmei and Shimray.
Followers of Hinduism, particularly among the Meiteis, usually follow their priest?s advice and adopt Hindu names such as Krishna, Gopal, Radha and so on.
The tribal population in the hills, who are Christians, prefer names such as Joseph, John, Paul. Names like these, the two organisations believe, have eroded the identity and culture of Manipuris.
Apart from the hundred, another batch of 300 people took the oath to convert their ?alien? names to traditional ones during a session organised by the two NGOs at Panchayat Bhavan, in the complex of the deputy commissioner?s office in Imphal East a few days ago. The main objective of the programme, the organisers said, is to promote the mothertongue, tradition, culture and also patriotism.
?If you use your traditional name, you will walk tall,? said Chingsubamakaba, president of the Meitei National Front. ?If one uses borrowed names, his identity and culture will be lost forever,? added A. Tondangluwang, leader of the federation.
The campaign has gained momentum with legislators and student groups backing it. Vivek Raj Wangkhem, a legislator from Imphal East, said choosing a traditional name for a child would help preserve his identity. It will also promote the language and script.
?We should also stop adding Singh to Meitei names in future,? suggested the legislator, who does use Singh as a surname. Wangkhem has assured the two organisations that he, too, would change his name.
Welcoming the campaign, the vice-president of the Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (Desam) said his organisation would initiate steps to ask students who are willing to change their names as recorded in the certificates issued by the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur as well as by the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur.
Before this campaign, the Meitei National Front had successfully launched another drive to use the Meitei script on signboards and billboards in the city.
Now, the state government has started using the Meitei script on office signboards. The script has also been introduced in primary schools. Manipur has been using Bengali script from the 17th century.