This collection documents Meitei beliefs and some of the many oral versions of Manipuri folktales which the author heard as a child. Many folktales and beliefs have sacred and unutterable secrets in their wombs. The occult practices mentioned herein are based on personal conversations with native exorcists (known as maiba and maibe, male and female shamans). No culture can be an island in itself. The author does not believe in a time-bound and immune culture that exists on its own. Cultures can interbreed and evolve with time. If science can benefit from collaboration, why not culture? As long as any single individual who considers himself or herself a Manipuri lives, what he or she does will continue to define what Manipuri culture is. By that right, the author picks up various threads gathered over his short life and weaves them into new clothes that will define his identity and hopefully the identity of his kindred spirits.

Part memoir, part oral testimony, part eyewitness account, Binodini’s The Maharaja’s Household provides a unique and engrossingly intimate view of life in the erstwhile royal household of Manipur in northeast India. It brings to life stories of kingdoms long vanished, and is an important addition to the untold histories of the British Raj. Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi, or Binodini as she preferred to be known, published The Maharaja’s Household as a series of essays between 2002 and 2007 for an avid newspaper-reading public in Manipur. Already celebrated in Manipur for her award-winning novel, short stories and film scripts that had brought her to the attention of international followers of world cinema, Binodini entranced her readers anew with her stories of royal life, told from a woman’s point of view and informed by a deep empathy for the common people in her father’s gilded circle. Elephant hunts, polo matches and Hindu temple performances form the backdrop for palace intrigues, colonial rule and White Rajahs. With gentle humour, piquant observations and heartfelt nostalgia, Binodini evokes a lifestyle and an era that is now lost. Her book paints a portrait of the household of a king that only a princess – his daughter – could have written. Published by Zubaan.

July 15, 2004: An amazing scene unfolds in front of the Kangla Fort in Manipur, the headquarters of the Assam Rifles, a unit of the Indian army. Soldiers and officers watch aghast as twelve women, all in their sixties and seventies, position themselves in front of the gates and then, one by one, strip themselves naked. The imas, the mothers of Manipur, are in a cold fury, protesting the custodial rape and murder of Thangjam Manorama, a 32-year-old woman, alleged by the army to be a militant. The women hold aloft banners that shout, 'Indian Army Rape Us', 'Take Our Flesh'. Never has this happened before: the army is appalled. Hundreds of thousands of people around the country, watching the drama unfold, are shocked. Can this be possible? A naked protest in India? By mothers? The imas of Manipur are known to be strong, self-sufficient. It is they who by and large run the economy of the state; here, though, they are doing something different. Manorama's death is the trigger for their renewed protest against the Draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958, which is used with impunity in the state and excuses all sorts of army excesses. Manipur has witnessed several decades of low-intensity war with more than twenty militant outfits operating in the state. In this unusual book, journalist Teresa Rehman, tells the story of the twelve women, of how they took the momentous decision - in some cases unknown to their families - and how they carried it out with precision and care. The story of the mothers of Manipur reflects the larger history of the conflict-torn state and of the courage and resistance of the people in the face of overwhelming odds.

UPSC New Syllabus Preliminary and Mains Exam with Quick GK 2017 ebook is the revised 2nd edition of the syllabus book for undergraduate STUDENTS taking up the UPSC examinations for recruitment into the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). The book contains the details of each and every subject topic which is relevant to the IAS Preliminary and Mains examination. The book will update the aspirants on the latest changes in the syllabus of the Preliminary and Mains exams. It is an important handy tool for the aspirants which they can refer throughout their preparation.

The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal has a project to map the cultural heritage of North-East India. One volume is planned on each state. Manipur is one of the unique multi-ethnic states of North-East India which has a complex but distinctive cultural heritage of its own. This book presents the different facets of the cultural heritage of the border state of Manipur ingrained within its historicity, identity and political ecology. This book will be of much value for scholars across the disciplinary frames and pave the way for further research. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.