Sanamahi likely to be included in census

IMPHAL, February 7: There is hope that Sanamahi Laining, the indigenous religion of the Meiteis will be included in the Census record in the forthcoming nation-wide census operation commencing from February 9 to 28. This was stated by the general secretary of Joint Action Committee for Inclusion of Sanamahi religion in the census of India, Ayekpam Tomba Meitei while addressing a group of newsmen at the Children's Home, Tera Keithel today. Appealing to all the Meiteis, including followers of Manipuri-Hinduism to write Sanamahi Laining or Sanamahism in the relevant columns given in the census forms, he opined that by that only, the world will come to know of the existence of the group of people called Meiteis. Non-inclusion of it will tantamount to self-determination of one's own race, he said. The JAC was formed on September 24 last year with the main motive of pressurising the centre to include Sanamahism in the census operation with the representatives of 15 different religious groups of the Meiteis. So far, the committee has organised wide publicity in all parts of the State in this regard, the general secretary informed. Coming back to the possibility of inclusion of Sanamahism from the millennium's first census operation, Tomba said that the representatives of the JAC had already communicated with the Director General of Census Commission at New Delhi and assurance had been given. Moreover, Sanamahism has found mention in the census record of 1981 in serial number 145 of the 183 major religions of India recognised, he informed and added that all the major religious groups of the Meiteis have also resolved to include the mention of the religion in the census.