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The Last Day on Earth in Imphal

📖 Contents

Preface
Page Previews (A sneak peek of the pages on the PDF)
Thangjam Ibopishak on Apunba Lairik
Wit Is Educated Insolence

List of Published Works
List of Awards

Conclusion
Watch/Read

Page Specifications of the PDF

Thangjam Ibopishak’s poems on this blog

Download and read one complete dozen of Laishram Samarendra’s poems that have been translated and compiled in a booklet (PDF)! The PDF is stored on my personal Google Drive, so it’s completely safe to save this seireng lairik on your device.

Preface

The fifth death anniversary of Laishram Samarendra (20 July 1925–2 June 2016) was two weeks ago but it had passed quietly unnoticed amidst the restrictions of the pandemic. He was one month shy of 91 when he drew his last breath, and in a career spanning more than five decades, the doyen of modern Manipuri literature published eight books: six poetry titles, a compilation of non-fictional essays and a collection of his works. He also dabbled in fine art.

It was delightful to see him in person and I had got a chance once, only once but quite memorable in that, during the book launch of his collection Laishram Samarendragi Apunba Lairik (ed. by Thangjam Ibopishak and Yumlembam Ibomcha, Poknapham Publications, 2012) at the MDU Hall nine years ago. I had written about the event titled A Compilation of Works by Laishram Samarendra Released on His 87th Birthday and a tribute—in the form of translating 12 poems that are as well included in this booklet—a day after his demise five summers ago: A Tribute to Laishram Samarendra (20 July 1925–2 June 2016).

Page Previews

(A sneak peek of the pages on the PDF)

Download PDF

Thangjam Ibopishak on Apunba Lairik

According to one of the editors of Apunba Lairik, Thangjam Ibopishak, who is another influential figure in Manipuri literature, Oja Samarendra began his illustrious career by writing individual poems. Particularly, it was in 1946 when Oja Samarendra had literally started a new chapter in modern Manipuri literature by composing Lei Laangba. In the same year, he had also penned poems such as Meira Pareng, on the occasion of the establishment of the oldest college in Manipur, Dhanamanjuri College (or DM College, which is now Dhanamanjuri University) and Sita on the emancipation of women.

In the preface, Oja Ibopishak mentioned that Lei Laangba, unfortunately, failed to capture the attention of the Manipuri literary world despite its avant-garde style and technique. He deliberates Oja Samarendra’s unconventional writing was also the same reason why it could not make a mark in those days. It was the beginning of a new era, yet the readers’ sensibilities were still under the influence of romantic traditions championed by writers such as Khwairakpam Chaoba and Dr Lamabam Kamal. To loosely translate a passage from the preface:

Two of the most prolific figures in post-war, modern Manipuri literature are Elangbam Nilakanta and Laishram Samarendra, who have lived in the same era and social milieu. However, they are worlds apart in their identities, attitudes and sensibilities. Nilakanta’s work is fashioned by the ethos of Manipuri and Meitei indigenous culture. He is also influenced by the Hindu Vedas and his approaches are serious and intellectual in nature. You can find traces, amongst others, of TS Eliot, Hilaire Belloc, Attila József, Jibanananda Das and Rabindranath Tagore in his writings.
On the contrary, Samarendra steers clear of erudite and serious poetry. He would consciously avoid the influence of his favourite Tagore and ensure it does not reflect on his works. Neither he writes by force nor unless he finds inspirations. Samarendra never tries to imitate even the most original poets. Instead he draws his ideas from the sociopolitical issues in Manipur; urban and rural lifestyles; the folk art; the world of pena and Khongjom Parva ballads; and the culture and ethos that have developed from the native soil. In modern Manipuri literature, he is also the master of satire and humour. We simply cannot imitate his style of using satire, sarcasm, wit, and irony, just as we cannot emulate GC Tongba in the world of drama.

Wit Is Educated Insolence

Oja Samarendra had also talked about how he liked Rabindranath Tagore at the Apunba Lairik book launch. And he entertained the audience by humming Rabindra Sangeet as well as several songs in many tribal languages of Manipur. (Yours truly has also been delighted to have received a signed copy of the Apunba Lairik on that day.)

Through his writings, Oja Samarendra paints Manipur in its bare skeleton while picking apart its pieces with wit in such a typical Aristotelian style of incorporating ‘educated insolence ’. One of the hallmarks of his works is the use of simple colloquial language. He also combines both the personal and the political, while contrasting life between what we desire and what we receive, all with such inimitable humour.

However, there was one area which concerns me when I was translating his poems. A danger of missing the nuances lurks, while expressing the simple yet sophisticated imagery in a second language, with my unseasoned approach. Maintaining simplicity is a difficult task! My endeavour has, thus, focused more on the translation of the lines and expressions only as linguistically close as possible.

Oja Samarendra will remain a source of inspiration as much as he has been a critically acclaimed writer. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for Mamang Leikai Thambal Shatle in 1976; a year before that, he was conferred with the Manipur State Kala Akademi Award; and for his lifelong contribution to art and literature, he was honoured with Manipur State Kala Akademi fellowship in 2013.

List of Awards

Awards (Year of achievement)
Jamini Sundar Guha Gold Medal (1975)
Manipur State Kala Akademi Award (1975)
Sahitya Akademi Award (1976)
Kabiratna (1992)
Khoirom Tomchou Ningsing Sanagi Medal (2000)
Jananeta Irabot Mana (2003)
Dr Kamal Kabiratna Ningsing Selgi Mana (2004)
Manipur State Kala Akademi Award Fellowship (2013)

List of Published Works (Seireng, Waareng, Khomjinba)

Titles	Type	Year of Publication
Waa Amata Haige Telangga	Poetry	1962
Mamang Leikai Thambal Shatle	Poetry	1974
Khul Amagi Wari	Poetry	1985
Kabi Samarendragi Khomjinba Lairik	Poetry	1997
Sana Kiethelgi Laiphaddabi	Poetry	1999
Wakching-gi Kabita	Poetry	1999
Swargada Awaba Amasoong Nungaiba	Prose	1999
Laishram Samarendragi Apunba Lairik	Collection	2012

Conclusion

The title of the booklet is taken from his poem, seireng, Imphalda Prithivigi Aroiba Numitta, which I had earlier translated as On the Last Day of the Earth in Imphal, which has now been retitled as The Last Day on Earth in Imphal (see page 9 in the booklet). You can also check the graphic series based on this poem that has been titled as The Last Monologue on my blog but I have retained the new title in the booklet (page 17).

Scan and download: The Last Day on Earth in Imphal

Besides, I have always wanted to present his work to a wider audience by incorporating an itsy-bitsy sense of style, which I have managed to use in my presentations, and the enthusiasm has resulted in the creation of this booklet.

Finally, in our orthodox society with norms and mores galore, it might be a good idea to inform his surviving family members about putting his ‘altered’ work up on a public space like a blog, and this, I shall do very soon. In the same breath, I’d like to mention that this work is solely for reading-for-pleasure and academic purposes, and that there is no commercial interest or profit motive whatsoever in creating and distributing the work.

Note: You can also use the code to scan and download the free PDF/seireng lairik.

Read: You can read Laishram Samarendra’s poem on this blog here.

Watch/Read

Download PDF

Page Specifications
Dimension: A5 \| 148×210mm
Number of pages: 32
Filesize: 6.28MB
Do let me know how the translation and the PDF are. Comment below or give me a holler using the Contact form on the sidebar. If you want to print it out with professional settings and high-end Adobe PDF presets, you can get a press-quality file (148×210mm) with a bleed of 3mm, which is available on request.