By Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net,
Imphal: One of the prominent civil organizations of Muslim women in Manipur, United Manipur Muslim Women Development Organization (UMMDWO) resolved to erect a memorial stone in memory of those Muslim women who took part in the Women Agitation of 1939, popularly known as Nupi Lal in the history of Manipur.
The decision was taken at a meeting organized at the office of the organization at Hafiz Hatta, Imphal on June 12, 2013. The meeting attended by the members and sympathizers of the organization also resolved to institute a Construction Committee of three members: Md. Abdul Qayum as Convenor and Advisor, Anwari Noorjahan as Chairperson and Ahmadi Malhotra as Finance Convenor.
UMMDWO, Pangal (Manipuri Muslim) Political Forum (PPF), Manipur and few other Muslim organizations have been pressing the State Government to officially recognize the name of the Muslim women who took part in the Nupi Lal of 1939 and include their names in the official list of women agitators of the Nupi Lal of 1904 and 1939. So far, the State Government has not given any positive response. Research scholars have gathered the names of 31 Muslim women took part in the Nupi Lal of 1939.
The first Nupi Lal took place in 1904 when Manipuri women-folk came out in thousands against the British Imperialist order of using Manipuri men-folk as forced-labourers for construction of the house of an Assistant Political Agent. The order had directed all the men-folk in and around Imphal to go to Burma to get the required woods for the construction.
In the second Nupi Lal, which broke out on Dec. 12, 1939, thousands of women marched to the State Darbar Hall protesting against export of local rice to Indian states by non-local businessmen (Marwaris) with the support of the British authorities. The export of rice had caused acute shortage of rice in the State.
Every year Dec. 12 is observed as Nupi Lal Day in Manipur. The day is observed throughout the State. The State function is organized at Nupi Lal Memorial Complex at Imphal. The name of the women agitators are etched at the memorial.
UMMDWO and PPF have been observing the day to pay their respect to those Muslim women who took part in the historic agitation of 1939.