Ramani Devi- An Icon

Original Source- http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Ramani-Devi/1216522893


Researcher- Hansa Rochlani

Ramani is one of the most well-known faces that represent Manipuri women today.
One of the icons of the strength, valour and never-say-die spirit of Manipuri womanhood, she is one of the leading figures behind the Meira Paibi movements in the state, and one of the women striving for a violence-free Manipur.

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Ngaithem Ningol Thokchom ongbi Ramani Devi was born at Loklaobung in Imphal west district.About five or six months after her birth, her father Bapu, a teacher by profession, shifted to Mao and started teaching there.After a while he took a new wife and settled there. For sometime, Ramani and her mother Chaobiyaima, a housewife, stayed with her paternal grandmother, but soon it became a hard survival and they had to part ways.Her grandmother shifted to Lamabam Leikai, while Ramani and her mother went back to her mother's maternal house own house at Singjamei Thongam Leikai. Ramani had her initial education at the Government LP School at Thongam Leikai.When she was about six or seven years and enrolled in Class III, the Second World War, known locally as Japan War broke out. Ramani and her family sought refuge in Thoubal and she had to leave school.When things calmed down a bit, they came back, but had to flee again, this time to Wangoi, when the aerial bombings started anew. Ramani was seventeen years when she was given in marriage to a band player in Thongam Leikai, the same locality.After the birth of her first daughter, he got a job as a compounder, earning around Rs 50 per month, a big sum at that time.They have six children - three daughters and three sons. When her husband brought home a new wife after the birth of her fourth child, Ramani engaged herself in the silver jewellery business - getting together her children and some other people in the locality to make the silver chains, bangles, etc and then selling them to vendors in the market. Around the mid-seventies, Ramani started involving herself in the nisha bandh movement along with prominent women leaders like the late Momon, late Chaobi, Indramani, and Taruni.She was also one of the leading members in the newly formed women's body, All Manipur Social Development and Reformation Samaj, which has as its main objectives checking alcoholism, selling alcohol, gambling, etc in the state. On 29th December, 1980, an incident which occurred in her own leikai took Ramani further into the women's social movement in the state.

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However this time the incident happened in the locality where Ramani, then publicity secretary for the Reformation Samaj lived.Quickly she informed her co-activist Momon about the incident in her locality and the two decided to do something for the innocents. Changing into old clothes so that she takes the guise of a local woman, Ramani and Momon went around and gathered the womenfolk.

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Ramani is also well versed in khubak eshei and dance forms of Ras Leela and Sansenba.

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Ramani often sleeps over at the office, I go only when there is a major event.Back home too, my daughter-in-laws has joined the meira vigil.I rest."