POSTCOLONIAL FEMINISM AND MANIPURI WOMEN’S POETRY: A READING OF ARAMBAM ONGBI MEMCHOUBI’S POETRY

Memchoubi’s conceptualisation of the indigenous Meitei woman is rooted deep in history and tradition, vastly differing from Eurocentric constructs of womanhood. The paper will focus on select poems of Manipuri poet Arambam Ongbi Memchoubi where she revisits the folklore, myths, and legends of the Meiteis, interspersing them with a resounding call for the creation of a new world. Through a close examination of the poems, the paper will also highlight the ways in which the poet critiques established norms and attempts to reclaim lost agency by rewriting dominant patriarchal narratives. In the process, her poetry seeks to redefine the image of the indigenous Meitei woman by firmly rejecting essentialist definitions of womanhood. Memchoubi’s poetry foregrounds this difference from ‘first world’ womanhood, thereby reinforcing the view that women are real material subjects of their histories. The paper will thus critically examine the poems and will also address the broader implications of women poets’ acts to forge new worlds through their verse.