[ Pisi Zauing ]
MIAO, 30 Aug: The construction of India’s largest and tallest ceremonial pillars of the Singpho tribe, Manau Shadung, has commenced here in Changlang district.
The concrete base work started on 28 August in a simple ceremony, solemnized as per Singpho traditional customs in the presence of all the Singpho chieftains and different organisational leaders of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, including panchayat and political party leaders. All the prominent Singpho leaders attended and represented the Tai Khamti Singpho Council, the World Kachin Congress, the Singpho Development Society, the Singpho Women Organization India, the Pan Singpho Students’ Union, the Miao Singpho Ramma Hpung, the All Tai Khamti Singpho Students Union, and the Singpho Youth Organization, among others.
It is noteworthy that the Shapawng Yawng Manau Poi came into being for the first time from the soil of Miao in 1985. Since then, the ethno-cultural dance festival of the Singpho community has come a long way, with improvement in all spheres of culture and societal chores. Shapawng Yawng Manau Poi can be termed one of the most beautiful and most expensive cultural extravaganzas in the country. The annual festival is celebrated on a rotational basis among the traditionally Singpho inhabited areas.
Concrete Manau Shadung have been constructed in all the Singpho inhabited areas – including in Jorhat, Golaghat and Karbin Anglong districts of Assam – except in Miao.
With a mission and challenge to complete by December, the construction of the Manau Shadung here is being overseen and supervised by the Manau Wang Development Committee, headed by Jowkhong Singpho as president and Jawong Tingwa as working president. The Manau Wang Development Committee has Pinna K Singpho as the general secretary and Innao Gumrong as the treasurer. The development committee has hired architects Rajesh Gudung and Omiyo Ningda.
The Manau Shadung in question will be the largest and taller than all other existing Manau Shadung standing undeterred in Bordumsa, Namgo, Namsai, and Innao in Arunachal, and in the Margherita administrative subdivision in Tinsukia district of Assam.
After the construction of the Manau Shadung is complete within the stipulated period, a celebration committee will be formed for conducting the 42nd Shapawng Yawng Manau Poi, 2026 here from 13 to 15 February next year.
Manau Wang Development Committee president Jowkhong Singpho extended gratefulness to all the Singpho chieftains and organization leaders of Arunachal and Assam, including panchayat and political party leaders, for participating in the ceremony. He also appealed to all Singpho families, government employees, businessmen and entrepreneurs of Miao circle to extend donations on time to ensure timely erection of Manau Shadung. “Your timely contributions will guarantee successful conduct of the 42nd Shapawng Yawng Manau Poi, 2026 in Miao,” he added.
