500 Years Old With Over 4000 Shopkeepers And Not A Man In Sight - This Is Ima Keithal, Manipur's All-Women Market
Last week&rsquos earthquake of 67 hit Imphal the capital of Manipur. The building that housed the Ima Keithal had collapsed. This marketplace has 4000 shopkeepers And not one is a man among them. This market has always been a symbol of women empowerment.
¡°Everything shook and I think it lasted at least a minute.¡± In her squeaky scared tone, my cousin sister tells me how she felt when last week¡¯s earthquake of 6.7 hit Imphal, the capital of Manipur. Sitting in Mumbai, I had no idea about the calamity until I started getting calls from friends in the wee hours of the morning concerned about the well-being of my extended family back home.
All were safe in my world but some unfortunate lives were lost and the devastation to property was massive. I turned to the news sites immediately. Homes, buildings, bridges had cracked and collapsed. For once, I was thankful for the underdeveloped state of my state. We don¡¯t have many high-rise structures. In fact the highest building in the capital Imphal would be 5 floors at the most. While I went through the list of buildings that were damaged, a particular one moved me.
The building that housed the Ima Keithal had collapsed.
Literally translating to Mother¡¯s Market - Ima means ¡®Mother¡¯ and Keithal ¡®Market¡¯ - this marketplace has 4000 shopkeepers. And not one is a man among them.
This place has always been closely associated with my childhood memories. During our summer holidays when we would visit home, one trip here was a must. After all, it had something for everyone. From the small dried fish ngari, to hand-woven woollens, to miniature Manipuri dolls, traditional phaneks (sarong-like skirts worn by Meithei Manipuri women), kitchen utensils, exotic vegetables, smelly bamboo shoot, to crazy red chilies umorok and herbs, it had everything.
I could spend a day here, just roaming around like a roadside bum. But a first experience being here might be a bit overwhelming for an outsider. The strong odour of fermented bamboo shoot to the smell of fish, along with the women laughing and talking through their betel stained teeth, the experience is unique. Especially if there are 4000 of them!
This is the world¡¯s only ¡®all-women marketplace¡¯ and perhaps the oldest of its kind in Asia, so a bit of chaos should be expected. But believe me, it is the chaos that makes being here so exciting.
e-pao.net
But it is not just the sheer number of women or the exotic ware sold here that make the market so special. This market has always been a symbol of women empowerment and is of major historic significance. Some say it started as early as the 16th century (1533 AD) and since then has been under constant threat of relocation by the British occupancy of Manipur in 1891. The British wanted to take control of the economy but it wasn¡¯t easy to jilt these women. This led to the formation of Nupi Lal or the War of the Women where in 1904 and 1939, women protested against exploitative colonial British policies.
This Keithel is not just a hub of commerce, but also of information exchange and socio-political processes. Between their transactions and barters, women would discuss socio-political issues and keep the flow of information going, keeping themselves aware and empowered.
In many ways, it would be unfair, even limiting, to call this platform a market place. It has always been, and is more like an institution - a way of life for women, a hub for revolutionist ideas, and a symbol of gender justice.
While the rest of India is struggling for the dignity of women, Ima Keithal, a market tucked away in the far North East of India continues to be a beautiful example of women empowerment and equality.
Each of them, Mary Koms in their own way.
Dreamer and Doer. Wandering Wordsmith. Dog Cuddler. Serial Rambler.
