The Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillol Apunba Lup (MEELAL), during the celebration of its 19th foundation day on Thursday, called on all the local dailies published in Bengali script in the state to include a full page in Meetei-Mayek (for morning paper) and a half page (for eveningers) from Friday - August 20.
Paying floral tributes to late Chingsubam Akhaba, founder leader of MEELAL marked the opening ceremony of the celebration held at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal West
Speaking on the sidelines of the celebration, Luchingpurel of MEELAL Y Biren Meetei informed that a meeting of a Monitoring Committee, Meetei Mayek Implementation consisting of MEELAL, AMWJU and EGM have taken a resolution of adopting a page of Meetei Mayek in local dailies and half page in eveninger of the state published in Bengali script.
He also announced that mass Meetei-Mayek classes will be conducted by MEELAL soon for all those who have difficulties in reading and writing the Meitei-Mayek script.
In her keynote address, secretary general (in-charge) of N ongbi Nongmailembi Leima said that with the burning down of Meitei Puya in 1729, the Bengali script had become an alternative script of Manipur.
Fortunately with the organising of various conventions and public movements between 1985 to 2005, the Meetei-Mayek script was uplifted to the international standard, she said.
MEELAL was established in 2003 with the conglomeration of 38 CSOs and with its initiatives, the Meetei-Mayek was introduced in schools since 2006, she said, adding, Meetei-Mayek is now being taught in the master level and most of the future pillars are unable to read-write the Bengali script.
As a result, MEELAL in consultation with the media houses of Manipur have decided to totally replace the Bengali script of all local dailies published in the state with Meetei-Mayek by January 15, 2023, she added.
During the function, as many as 11 students who cleared the class 12 and 10 examinations with outstanding marks in Meetei-Mayek were felicitated during the celebration apart from releasing its souvenir entitled "9th Ningshing Waphong."
The function was also attended by Paotakloi of MEELAL M Naodalenkhomba and Wayel Paotakloi of MEELAL Ngangom Premkumar as presidium members.
