Kanglasha Mang-nga: The Dragon as ‘Symbol’ of Symbols
Just as a cell would occupy the most essential part of a biologist’s life, or numbers do in all the waking hours of a mathematician, a symbol is the oxygen for a symbologist. Symbols are important because it creates the model of a life even before the cell comes into a picture and it counts a lot, as in unifying people and offering them a sense of identity and a feeling of belonging together with the shared symbol. There is us in them together.
Then it is no surprise that in places like Manipur where there are great divisions between people, we have a dearth of symbols that we can relate together, to each other. We do not only lack symbols but also if we have a few of them, those are for all the wrong reasons. Take this month for example, and we have one symbol. We have the June Uprising Day (the prefix ‘Great’ has been omitted intentionally) on 18th the last, and, while it is considered as a symbol of unity in the valley, it is just the opposite in the hills where a general strike is usually called on this day.
The Republic Days and the Independence Days are of the same kind in this context.
To summarise, we need no rhetoric tonight. We need symbols. The more it is relatable, the more it is inclusive, the best it is for everybody. It will also be our common identity. On this note, here’s a poster series on Kanglasha, depicted as a symbol of all the symbols that we need urgently.
႟ A ‘Symbol’ of Symbols
PS: The photographs were originally taken on Coolpad Note 3 Lite that has a 13MP camera. Date: 27 June 2017. From a visit to the Kangla Fort, Imphal West with my nephew Ayush Arambam. 𒎂
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