It's summer in the global north (which is winter in the global south), and for the month of August Literatur.Review is bringing them all together, publishing previously untranslated or unpublished stories from the north and south of our world. 

Ngathem Ningol Kongbam Ongbi Ibeyaima is the president of women’s organisations for the advancement of women. Her first children’s book 'Umaibi Amashung Atei Phunga Warishing' (Eagle and Other Folk Tales) published in 2004 won the Telem Ningol Atoibema Award 2009 for Children’s Literature.

There reigned a king long ago. The king loved to hear stories. His passion for stories was so much that he invited story-tellers from far and wide. So many stories had been told to the king that finally it appeared as if there were no more stories left unheard by him.
But the king became more anxious to hear stories that he had not heard before. But no story-teller could come up with a new story. Many would try their luck telling stories from the far and remote past. As soon as they started telling, the king would moan, “ Oh! No! Stop it. I have heard that.”

The king became desperate to hear at least one more new story. He started thinking that his desire was never going to be fulfilled. He decided that he would give his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man who could tell him a story that he had never heard.
One day, the king said to his men, “My men, I have decided to give my daughter’s hand to the man who can tell me a story I have never heard. Spread the message fast on horseback and in all directions.”

Soon, story tellers from different places came to try their luck. One by one, they had their turn of telling their reserved stories. With all story-tellers, just at the very beginning, the king said, “Stop it. I have heard that already.” All story-tellers failed.
One day, a young man appeared at the palace to try his luck. The young man was no story-teller. But he was desperate to marry the princess.

Showing utmost respect, the young man knelt down on his knees before the king and said, “O king I shall try my luck telling you a story. But first, please give me your words that your majesty shall give me the princess’ hand in marriage if my story turns out to be an unheard one. The king gave his words.

The young man started telling his story—”O King, when your great grandfather ruled, my great grandfather was a minister. My great grandfather was very wealthy. He had herds of horses and elephants. Your great grandfather, the great king, was particularly keen to have my great grandfather by his side always. At that time, a king of another land waged war against your great grandfather. Your great grandfather, the brave king, needed to strengthen his army with more horses and elephants besides what he had to crush the enemy. The great king took one hundred elephants and one hundred horses on loan from my great grandfather for deployment of soldiers in the battle to safeguard the honour of motherland. The great king promised my great grandfather that he would be paid after the war. The brave king won the battle. But he died not long after. He breathed his last before he could make payment to my great grandfather for the elephants and horses. My great grandfather told my grandfather to keep this in record. My grandfather told this to my father who in turn told me the same.”

The young man stopped for a little while and continued, “O King, if you have had heard this, please pay my father what your great grandfather, the brave king, owed my rich great grandfather.”

The king felt funny and reflected himself that the story was amusing. He told himself, “This young man is witty. If I say yes, I shall have to pay a huge sum of money to his father. And if I say no, he shall have the right to claim for my daughter’s hand.”
The king was thinking intently. But the young man interrupted him saying, “O King, have you heard what happened between your great grandfather and my great grandfather?”
The king replied, “No, I’ve not heard.”

The young man folded his hands and knelt down to pray the king. He said respectfully, “O King, you said you have not heard the story. Now, I humbly request you to kindly keep your words.
The king laughed and said, “Yes, of course.”

The wedding of the princess with the young man took place on an appointed day. The king gave huge dowry and precious gifts to his daughter and son-in-law.

Afterword by the author

I heard the folk tales, compiled in my book Sorarengee Machanupi Atonbee Leimashang Amasung Atei Phunga Wareeshing (Soraren’s Youngest Daughter Leimashang and other Folk Tales), from the elders of my family when I was 8-11 years old in the late nineteen forties. The narrators of the stories were my own father, Ngathem Gullap, my eldest aunt, Thingujam Ibeton and my maternal uncle, Wahengbam Tompokchao (husband of my youngest aunt). During the second world war, when people flee their homes to safer places, my uncle, W. Tompokchao and their family joined our family. My eldest aunt, Ibeton was a great story narrator and I heard many stories from her while we were shaping cowdung cakes for drying in the sun to supplement the fuel requirements. We used to call it cowdung- stories in the crudest form of our language.
From the olden days, Manipur had its own ways of unique life style, religion and other forms of cultural activities. From time immemorial, every house used to have a fire-place somewhere in the centre called Phunga. Still people believe the Goddess of wealth, Mother Imoinu dwells at Phunga. With high respect to Mother Imoinu, people solemnly call Phunga as Phunga Lairu. In the olden days, members in a family always made it sure that the fire at Phunga never died and they used to worship the fire-place offering flowers and other items.
In those good old days, the younger and the older members of the family would form a circle around the family-fire-place while waiting for dinner and story narrating for the children by elders would be the sure thing. The stories would be of the wise & fool, good & bad, rich & poor, also the adventures of kings & braves and of their families. They are usually blended with moral lessons. These stories told to children sitting around the fire-place are called ‘Phunga Wari’ (fire place stories). In the present context, story narrating by elders to the children is almost not happening and becomes a thing of the past. Understandably, fuels are not burnt in the fire-place in urban areas as did in the past and people do not think of sitting around the fire-place of the family. Now many children do not know what Phunga is. With this, gone away are the days of Phunga-wari(es) (fire-place stories).
With the changing time, the stories told by our fore-fathers and that passed from generation to generation are getting faded and erased off. Feeling alarmed I tried hard to memorize the old stories told to me by the long gone relatives.

(This story and the afterword are part of Ngathem Ningol Kongbam Ongbi Ibeyaima's award-winning collection of folk tales, Soraren's Youngest Daughter Leimashang and Other Folk Tales, published in Meitei in 2010. The English translation was published by the Writers' Forum Imphal in 2024).