Senapati: Mount Everest College, Senapati organised its annual Cultural Day under the theme, “Retell to remember” at the college auditorium hall. The event was organised by the college Cultural Committee.
In his keynote address, Gonmei Meithuanlungpou, vice principal of the college while calling the day as beautiful stated that cultural day is observed every year with different theme each year. In the past years too, the college had organised the day under “Folk Dance,” “Folk songs” and the current year has chosen the theme on folk tales drama. The vice principal called the day as “Historic day” because the institution had never conducted on it. Folktales are the oral textbooks of the past as they did not have hard copy or textbooks nor any digital copy like the present but folktales was one of the ways in which the children were taught and told to entertain the children. It is the sole responsibility of the elders and parents to tell folk stories to their children and grand children especially during the evening around the fire or during bed time. Folktales were so entertaining that every children love to listen it. Referring to the present age, the Vice Principal urged all to learn in an entertaining way. Such kind of entertainment, the elders also educate the children in an interesting way and the values of the society. They were educated in the value system through the story as every story has a lesson to be learned. 9 different folk tales on the day would give different stories at the end. While folk tales are the oral textbooks of the past, the present generation also keep them alive by retelling them which is the duty of everyone to retell the story to the future generations too. If not, such precious treasures of the ancestors will be lost sooner or later. The Vice Principal urged the gathering that each tribe should love to tell the story of their own tribes to keep them alive. “It is the duty of every student to keep the folktales alive and that’s why, such cultural day is observed every year,” he said. The VP also acknowledged the participants for their intense research about a particular folktale. While calling the day not as the last one, the VP reminded the gathering that it is one’s duty to learn and retell the folktales and to preserve them as folktales is part of the people’s culture.
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Showcasing the diverse cultures of the state, folk tales drama competition was organised during the event. The B.A. 1st Semester displayed “Kasung and Disunga” of the Maram folk tale, the B. Com 6th Semester with “Proupouzei, the great warrior” of the Poumai folk tale, B. Sc. 6th Semester with “100 heads” of the Liangmai folk tale, B.Sc. 4th Semester with “Sandrembi Chaishra” of the Manipuri folk tale, B. Com 1st Semester with “Kateine and Kajine” of the Poumai folk tale, B.A. 4th Semester with “Maitonphi and Shimreishang” of the Tangkhul folk tale, B. Com 4th Semester with “Love story of Pou and Reine” of the Poumai folk tale, B.A. 6th Semester with “The wicked step mother” of the Rongmei folk tale and the B. Sc. 1st Semester on “Loushingna Shamu faba” of the Manipuri folk tale. The later part of the program followed with traditional couple show showcasing the rich traditional attires of different tribes and of the valley.
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The jury board judged on the criteria of authenticity, plot and storyline, costume and props, acting and emotion and stage presence and audience engagement.
At the end of the event, the jury members declared the result as B. Sc. 6th Semester with “100 heads” of the Liangmai folk tale to have bagged the first position, B.A. 4th Semester with “Maitonphi and Shimreishang” of the Tangkhul folk tale bagged the second position and B.Sc. 4th Semester with “Sandrembi Chaishra” of the Manipuri folk tale bagged the third position respectively.
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