Khunung Ishei — The Voice of the Ancestral Soil
Khunung Ishei (literally "Village Songs" or folk melodies) represents the unvarnished musical conscience of the Meitei civilization, capturing everyday life, agricultural rhythms, sacred rituals, and folklore across Bangladesh and the ancestral homeland.
Songs of Memory, Nature, and Lore
In traditional Meitei society, folk songs were not composed as commercial spectacles; they were integral to the community's seasonal and spiritual calendar. From sowing the fertile paddy fields during the monsoon to harvesting during late autumn, rhythmic call-and-response verses resonated across the countryside.
A central element of Khunung Ishei is its lyrical intimacy. Balladeers recount classic love tragedies—most famously the epic romantic saga of Khamba and Thoibi of Moirang—as well as songs invoking the spirits of ancestral woods, sacred hills (Chings), and winding rivers.
Lourok & Harvest Melodies
Sung during agricultural seasons, these rhythmic chants united farming collectives, easing arduous physical labor through communal harmony and playful poetic banter.
Moirang Kangleirol Epics
Extensive lyrical chronicles narrating the legendary seven incarnations of divine love, valor, and human sacrifice in the ancient kingdom of Moirang.
Acoustic Instrumentation
Accompanied traditionally by the Pena, indigenous cymbals (Kartal/Mandila), and traditional hand percussion, maintaining an organic acoustic resonance.
Safeguarding Independent Folk Bards
In Bangladesh, several senior folk singers and instrumentalists preserve rare Khunung Ishei verses known only through oral transmission. Because these masters reside in regional communities with limited access to modern studio technology and international payment gateways, their voices often fail to reach global listeners.
Eikhoigi Puwari actively identifies, records, and provides free digital music distribution for eligible folk artists, publishing their works to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music while preserving complete artistic ownership for the creators.