Crafting the Word

Manipur has a rich tradition of folk and oral narratives, as well as written texts dating from as early as in eighth century AD. But it was only in the second half of the twentieth century that women began writing and publishing their works. Today, women's writing forms a vibrant part of Manipuri literature, and their voices are amplified through their coming together as an all-woman literary group. Put together in discussions and workshops by Thingnam Anjulika Samom, "Crafting the Word" captures a region steeped in conservative patriarchy and at the center of an armed conflict. It is also a place, however, where women's activism has been at the forefront of peace-making and where their contributions in informal commerce and trade hold together the economy of daily life.