In this monograph, Chaoba's (1896-1950) works are surveyed in brief through his race, milieu and moment at the frontier region of the early twentieth century. This period has produced the material of Chaoba s literature. Chaoba handled the language of his age as his efficient instrument of creative expression. The taste of the people was also full of meditative flavour in Caoba's works. This is the 'mark' left by him which is no doubt seraphically free from the taints of his personal likes and dislikes.
During his short span of life covering only fifty-five years, his contribution to the great movement is pregnant with significance. His perception of the external world impinges on his psychic reality and often distrubs the balance of his inner life. He could successfully translate this paradigm on its own autonom us existence. The corpus poeticum of modern Manipuri literature shall be incomplete witnout Chaoba's poetics.
R. K. Mani Singh (b. 1939), a fictionist, translator and litterateur is an exponent of Manipuri language and literature. His works include two collections of his short stories, children's literature series, Manipuri translations of Hemingway's novel, selected poems of Oct to Paz, Jayadev's Geet Govinda, Iravati Karve's Jugant and Pandurang Rao's Valmiki. His Ningtam Wari is a book of essays on the freedom struggle of India. He received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1994 ar. NCERT's National prize for children's literature in 1995 etc.
In spite of its past richness, Manipuri literature, modern in form and content is considered to have started from the early days of the twentieth century. With the arrival of printing facilities in this geographically isolated territory, poetry, drama, fiction, critical essays, linguistics and dictionaries etc. began to be produced in large numbers as if in a great movement. Many gifted pioneers and talented writers had been contributing their best towards the revival of arts and letters in this part of the world. No wonder, the Manipuri language by virtue of having its own script, grammar and rich literature, has now been recognized as a scheduled language in the Constitution of India.
Khwairakpam Chaoba Singh (1896-1950) was one of the pioneers belonging to the early stages of the movement. In his writings almost all the genres of modern Manipuri literature were experimented. He was a writer of historical novel, a poet of religious mysticism and ancient glories of Manipur, a prolific essayist and lyricist, a literary theoretician and critic, a promoter of belles lettres and travelogues, a playwright and a translator all rolled into one. He was a culture hero too. His works are, indeed, imbued with significance.
To prepare a proper account of the life and works of such a refined personality will not be an easy task unless comprehensive surveys are made on the range and thrust of his serious thoughts on society, religion, aesthetics, education, nationalism, humanism, universalism and other values shaping the human destiny. In this monograph, however, only a humble attempt is made to have a bird's eye view on his life and works.
In the following pages, the reader will find a few glimpses of the poet's life-style and his mind-set on the various issues encountered by him in his own changing times. He was one of those who struggled hard for a new era of literary aesthetics through the mother tongue.
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