Among the Meitei community residing in the tea-garden hamlets and heritage settlements of Bangladesh, Khunung Ishei (traditional Meitei folk music) forms the bedrock of ancestral memory. Originating in the ancient valleys of Manipur, these musical chronicles were carried across borders through centuries of migration, settlement, and cultural resilience.
The Poetics of Oral Heritage
Unlike contemporary recorded music, Khunung Ishei was historically shared in community gatherings, seasonal harvest festivals, and family courtyards. The lyrics are deeply pastoral and philosophical, woven with allegories of mountain winds, sacred rivers, and legendary love epics such as Khamba and Thoibi.
In Bangladesh, independent folk bards continue to sustain this art form with extraordinary dedication. However, without systematic audio documentation and digital preservation, many nuanced verses risk fading from everyday memory. Eikhoigi Puwari's archival initiative records, categorizes, and distributes these folk expressions to ensure that the younger generation has unhindered access to their authentic sonic heritage.