The Bishnupriya Manipuri language (BPM) (ইমার ঠার/বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী) is an Indo-Aryan language.

History and development

Bishnupriya Manipuri (BPM), spoken in parts of Assam, Tripura, Manipur (Jiribam Sub-division) in India, in Bangladesh, in Burma and other countries, is different from many Indo-Aryan languages like Bangalis, Assamse, Oriya etc. The language was originated and developed in Manipur and was originally confined to the surroundings of the Lake Loktak in Manipur. The principal localities where this language was spoken are now known as Khangabok, Heirok, Mayang Yamphal, Bishnupur, Khunan, Ningthankhong, Ngakhong, Thamnapoxpi and so on.

A great majority of speakers of BPM fled from Manipur and took refuge in Assam, Tripura, Sylhet and Cachar during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries due to internal conflicts among the princes of Manipur and due to Burmese attack. Consequently, it was difficult for the small number of Bishnupriyas who remained in Manipur to retain their language in the face of the impact of Meitei, although Dr. G.A. Grierson, in 1891 found the existence of a considerable number of speakers in two or three villages near Bishnupur, locally known as Lamangdong.( LSI, Vol -V, Page 419). The language slowly started losing its ground in Manipur against a vast majority of Meiteis and slowly facing its decay in Cachar and Bangladesh against a vast majority of Banglalese. This language is still being spoken in jiribam sub-division of Manipur, Cachar district of Assam and in some pockets in Bangladesh and Tripura.

Source and origin

Bishnupriya Manipuri language is certainly not one of the Tibeto Burman languages, but is closer to Indo-Aryan group of languages with remarkable influence of Meitei both in grammatically and phonetically. It was probably developed from the Sanskrit, Souraseni and Maharastri Prakrta and ranks with Hindi, Bengali, Oriya and Assamese. This is clear from the fact that it has retained the dominant characteristies of Soraseni and Maharastri Pronouns and declensional and conjugational endings are the most stable elements of a language; they undergo changes very slowly. A study of pronouns, the conjugational and declensional endings of Bishnupriya shows that most of these forms are same, as are closely related to those of the languages which are derived

Dialects

Bishnupriyas have two dialects namely, Rajar Gang (Kings village and Madai Gang (Queans village) Unlike the dialects of other tribes, these dialects of Bishnupriyaa are not confined to ditinct geographical areas, rather they exist side by side in the same localities.In Manipur however,these two dialects were cofined to well-defined territories.The Madai Gang dialect was spoken probably in the Khangabok-Heirokk area and the Rajar Gang dialect in the Bishnupur-Ningthankhong area. From the view point of phonetics, Madai Gang is more akin to Assamese and Meitei, whereas Rajar Gang is more akin to Bengali in respect of vocabulary Madai Gang is more influenced by Meitei while Rajar Gang is more akin to Bengali and Assamese. Morphological difference between these two dialects in negligible.

Bishnupriya Manipuri a Manipuri Language?

Even a few years back, a Bisnupriya would identify himself not as "bishnupriya manipuri', but as Manipuri. After a few years of India's independence the term 'manipuri' has been chosen for 'Meitei' by the Government of Manipur, as there was not a respectable number of indigenous Bishnupriya speakers found in Manipur by census. But the Bishnupriyas outside manipur, in pursuance of their tradition, call themselves and their language 'Manipuri' even now, and use the term 'Bishnupriya' to distinguish themselves from 'Meitei'. Just as the meiteis use the term 'Meitei' to distinguish themselves from use the term 'Bishnupriya'. Even today, no Meitei introduces himself to Bishnupriya as 'Manipuri'.

Keeping aside the question of the prehistoric position of the land and people of Manipur, we may put forward the following Historical, socio-cultural and legal points to show that the Bishnupriyas, like the Meiteis, are verily Manipuris:

1. Historical points:
   1. Though the Bishnupriyas never identify themselves as Mayangs, the Meiteis sometimes call them Mayangs. And the written history of the Mayangs in Manipur goes back to the 7th century A. D.9 if not earlier, Hence it is groundless to 'hold that the Bishnupriyas (or Mayangs) are not Manipuris.
   2. Formerly, Manipur, was an independent state, and all the people of,Manipur were identified as Manipuris. Of course, this concept of was not accepted by some.tribes like the Nagas, the kukis, Lusais etc., as they are but off shoots of the people of the neighbouring states. But as the Meiteis and the Bishnupriyas were wholly confinect to Manipur itself, they identified themselves as 'Manipuris'. At present also, both these groups in their social forum identify themselves as 'Manipuris' without any discrimination.
2. Socio-cultural points:
   1. The Bishnupriyas and the Meiteis have formed a homogeneous culture. Their kirtana, Rasalila, dance, music, dress, style of living, food-habit, marriage-system, shraddha-system and all other socio-cultural matters are identical in nature. For centuries, the same songs and ragas Of Kirtana and Rasa are sung uniformly by the people of both these
      
      
      
      sections living anywhere-,whether in Manipur, Assam, Tripura or Bangladesh.
      
   2. The Bishnupriyas never accept into their society any member of their community marrying some person of any other community, tut they have no objection to establish matrimonial relation with the Meiteis. And, actually, marriage between these two communities particularly, among the Brahmins of both these groups is regularly and formally held. The Bishnupriyas never allow any person of any other community to take part in their socio-religious feasts, but they not only allow but also invite the Meiteis to take part in such feasts. In religio-cultural functions, artists like singers, drummers, dancers etc. of both these sections of people jointly take part without the least sense of 'otherness'.
3. Legal points (that the Bishnupriyas have been legally accepted as 'Manipuris, by the Government of India both of the British regime and of the Independent India- can be attested by the following facts):
   1. G.A Grierson,s in his Linguistic Survey of India (the only basis of India's language classification) has described the Bishnupriyas as 'Bishnupuriya Manipuris.
   2. In the statistics of students of the School Board, Cachar, during the British regime,
      

the main heading ' Manipuri' was sub-divided into 'Meitei' and Bishnupriya'

1. 1. In the Census Report of India, 1961, also the main heading 'Manipuri' was Subdivided into 'Meitei' and Bishnupriya.
   2. In the census Report of India. 1971,the nomenclature 'Bishnupriya Manipuri' has been strongly defended.
      
   3. In 1976 the govt of Bangladesh took steps to telecast of regular programs from Radio Bangladesh, Sylhet station in Bishnupriya and Meitei language under a Manipuri line.
   4. In October 25, 1983 The Govt. of Assam allowed to introduce Bishnupriya Manipuri Language at the Primary stage of education as a medium of instruction in the state.
   5. In 1995, The Govt. of Tripura also allowed to introduce Bishnupriya Manipuri Language at the Primary stage of education as a medium of instruction in the state.
   6. In 1999 Gouhati Highcourt gave opinion in favour of govt. of India to recognise Bishnupriya Manipuri as a Manipuri language.

From these and other facts, it can be well surmised that the Bishnupriyas, like the Meiteis, are verily Manipuris and accordingly, the term 'Manipuri' includes the Bishinupriyas also. But, as the Meiteis strengthened by political power, or rather, the state-power of Manipur are constantly raising the slogan that 'the Bishnupriyas are not Manipuris it has become imperative to include the 'Bishnupriya Manipuris' in the list of OBC or in any other list to safeguard the identity of the community.

Vocabulary

• Tatsama words (OIA) number approx . 10,000
• Semi-Tatsama words, approx. 1,500
• Tadvaba words (words derived from OIA, found in Hindi,
• Assamese and others), approx. 8,000
• Tadvabas words, specific to Bishnupriya Manipuri, approx.2,000
• Meitei words, approx. 3,500
• Perso-Arabic words, approx. 2,000
• English words, approx. 700
• Hybrid words, approx. 1,000
• Desi and other words, approx. 1,500
• Words of obscure origin, approx. 1,300

Not a dialect of Bengali or Assamese?

Though there is a co-relation of the denotative words of the BPM language with those of the Bengali, Assmese and Meitei languages for regional and periodical reasons, it does not mean that the original language is lost by the influence of the surrounding languages nor it reasonable to think that the BPM language is the formative language of the plain people of Assam, Bengal and Manipur as unwisely viewed by certain phoneticians; because the phonological and syntactical mainstream of the BPM language was never hampered and the same is even now with its distinct identity. Moreover, the plain people of Assam, Bengal and Manipur were perhaps not culturally, linguistically and politically so united ; nor so conscious that they unitedly might have formed a language like The BPM in the Valley of Manipur.

Dr. Suniti kumar Chatterjee, a recognized Bangle phonetician, listed the BPM language to be a dialect of Bengali whereas, Dr. Maheswer Neog and Dr. Banikanta Kakti claimed it as a dialect of Assamese. Both being not keen on the matter, did not do justice to Bishnupriya Manipuri people and the language. Their assumptions later caused contradiction about the origin of Bishnupriya Manipuri language. But the assumptions were proved to be baseless, illogical and injustice according to scientific research and observation of morphology, vocables and phonology of BPM language.

Firstly, mere similarities of a few elements are not sufficient to prove that BPM is a dialect of one or that other language. Secondly, Dr. Chatterjee in his phonetic analysis, had used a peculiar version of Bishnupriya Manipuri language, which is much different from the original BPM language that is being spoken by the Bishnupriya Manipuri locality in Assam, Tripura, Manipur or Bangladesh . Lines like "Manu agor Puto Dugo asil.." are not in a syntactically and grammatically the correct form of BPM. Thirdly, There are a numerous dissimilarities between Bengali /Assamese and BPM in the context of syntax, semantics and morphology. In fact, Bishnupriya Manipuri is a complete language itself and cannot be called a is a dialect of any other language.

Ancient literature

The ancient literature of Bishnupriya Manipuri is represented by folk stories, folk-songs, folk-poems, rhymes and proverbs. Of them, a rain-invoking song called boron-dahanir Ela(1450-1600A.D.) and a song relating to the conjugal life of Madai and Soralel known as Madai Soralel Ela(1500-1600 A.D.) are most important.

See also

• Manipuri: The Bishnupriyas and Meiteis of Manipur
• Mahabharata Theory of Bishnupriya Language
• Bishnupriya Manipuri Society

References

1. G.K. Ghose / Tribals and Their Culture in Manipur and Nagaland, 1982
2. Raj Mohan Nath / The Background of Assamese Culture, 2nd edn, 1978
3. Sir G. A. Grierson / Linguistic Survey of India, Vol-5,1903
4. Dr. K.P. Sinha / An Etymological Dictionary of Bishnupriya Manipuri, 1982
5. Dr. M. Kirti Singh / Religious developments in Manipur in the 18th and 19th centuuy, Imphal, 1980
6. Singha, Jagat Mohan & Singha, Birendra / The Bishnupriya Manipuris & Their Language, silchar, 1976