The Meira Paibi Movement in Manipur: Is the ground shifting?

<strong>CENTRE FOR WOMEN'S STUDIES, JNU</strong> a Seminar on <strong>The Meira Paibi Movement in Manipur: Is the ground shifting?</strong> by <strong>Dr. Vijaylakshmi Brara</strong> (Associate Professor, Center for Manipur Studies, Manipur University) Date: <strong>8th September 2015</strong> The present paper entitled "The Meira Paibi Movement: Is the Ground Shifting?" is an attempt to examine some of the significant new developments accompanying the Meira Paibi Movement in recent times. It will discuss the accountability and sustainability factors, and where this movement is heading. A lot of water has flown from the times of nupilan or the Women's War of 1939 to the nisha bandh or the Anti –Alcohol movement of the 1980s and the naked protest in 2004. Given this history of political engagement, the paper engages with the following questions: Are the Meira Paibi's still talking about humanism or are they delving into the politics of ethnicity? Are they still the symbols of motherhood or is their power base shaking?