Sovereign Father could not and did not raise all of his children himself. It is possible that he was so preoccupied with his many pursuits and pastimes that he forgot about his children. This is the fate of children born of fathers with great responsibilities. This is also the eternal lament, the eternal accusation in children’s tantrums against their fathers. Our father did not do that for us and so we have become losers, and so on.
So when I started writing down the story of the vast household of my sovereign father, I pondered, what do I call this endeavour? It is not the story of my life; it is not even a part of a complete biography of my sovereign father. How could I, a latecomer, know everything about a great, long life? My thoughts arrive constantly, bringing memories of people to my attention. I did not know the order of events and forgot what was to be said and what left unsaid. This was my difficulty.
I know Sovereign Father was an affectionate father to his children. He arranged the marriages of most of his daughters, after looking at worthy suitors from eligible clans. Tamphasana, Thanilsana, Chamusana and Amusana – these four were given away in marriage by him. As children, we saw them being taken away, borne on elephants; all except for my sister Princess Tamphasana. There were some who were given away in marriage by my elder Tamo Maharaja Bodhachandra.
Besides Sovereign Father’s immediate family members and offspring, there was another family that was very close to him and that he took good care of. It would be wrong to forget them. I think it would be right to mention them even though I did not know them all.
I would like to insert one thing in the middle of this. Long before he had broken off with sister-in-law Rampyari, Sovereign Father found another wife for elder Tamo the crown prince – this was Princess Ishwari of Ramnagar. She was a Nepali maiden. But Ishwari was not one to live behind a veil with her head covered as Rampyari did. Rampyari was but a girl while sister-in-law Ishwari was a mature, worldly woman. She tried to get to know Manipur and abide by its traditions. So she even led the annual Jalakeli42 songs offered to Lord Govinda. Though we were not on intimate terms with her, we met her on appropriate occasions and we used to talk. After my Tamo the maharaja passed away, she even ran for office as a candidate for Member of Parliament for inner Manipur, with a rose as her symbol. But she did not win as she lacked competent advisers. I think that if she had lived longer, the plight of the palace would not be what it is today. When we talk about Maharaja Churachand’s family and its history, it would be wrong to forget Ishwari or to keep her out.
I wonder today why the kind-hearted poet Bodhchandra did he not take his wife Ishwari, the Nepali maharani when he went to Shillong to sign the Merger Agreement. Was it because he did not want to take her along, or was it a political conspiracy? I mull over these questions today. Will I be unable to complete this story? So much is lying before me…
And so I remember Sovereign Father’s closest adviser, our Ipu Member, Nongmaithem Shyamacharan, also known as Courtier Tomchou. He was a high-ranking nobleman, a member of the royal court. I heard he was in charge of judicial matters. I remember him, I remember him over a long time. It was he who was a bulwark for my sovereign father. In the palace, mentioning Courtier Tomchou’s name was all it took. This distinguished person resided in a separate house in the palace along with his retinue of attendants. He did not live off the palace. He lived with decorum and elegance. My sovereign father used to call him ‘Uncle’. At times my irresponsible, pampered father would report even small childish matters of little consequence to Ipu Member, it was said. He came from a well-established family that lived at Yaiskul Chingakham Leirak. Haobam Shyamo, the artist who is well known in Manipur today, was his grandson. Maibam Haricharan, the noted news editor at All India Radio was also his grandson. Very tall, handsome and dignified was Ipu Member Shyamacharan, the Courtier Tomchou.
The Moirangthem scholar was the head pundit in the scholars’ office. We never knew his name. He was known as the Ogre of Moirang. He was a terror to behold. We often saw him coming in his palanquin to meet Sovereign Father. The palanquin used to be carried all the way into the courtyard. This scholar was accorded the highest respect by Sovereign Father and was the maharaja’s closest pundit. He safeguarded the child king carefully. They say he advised him on how to correctly follow the rituals and the ancient books of knowledge of our Meitei homeland. By the time we saw him, the head pundit had become very old and feeble; when he walked, a grandson named Babu led him. This was the time the British were firmly in power, but if they crossed a line, the old pundit would meet the Political Agent of the time and berate him, ‘Sahib, even if you British are in power, you cannot do this; it is not done in our Meitei homeland – our books of knowledge do not permit it, and so on.’ Even the British feared him, it was said. The Moirangthem scholar Chandrasingh was his grandson. Oja Sanasam Gourahari, private secretary to Maharaja Bodhchandra, was his son-in-law. Oja Gourahari told me many other stories. The head scholar also resided in a big traditional Meitei mansion in the palace. They were a family close to Sovereign Father.
In this way, even though Sovereign Father was the king, powerful nobles like these men defended the land. So whenever Maharaja Churachand tried to overstep established norms, these protective, powerful noblemen took him to task. And among the most careful and protective of them all was Raja Dumbrasingh, the eldest brother of my sovereign father.
Besides these, Sovereign Father had other close advisers who frequented the palace. They could not have been actual advisors to Maharaja Churachand. We do not know why they were so close. But they seemed like family. They were Sanajaoba the Muslim and Kasturichand Patni. It is said that Sanajaoba was appointed to the post of Kazi. People made fun of him behind his back, ‘Oh, what are you saying, he used to be just a porter in the market! It is simply his good fortune that the king has made him the Kazi.’ My sisters told us many such interesting stories. We saw the dark-skinned, red-turbaned Kazi Sanajaoba sitting around the palace for long periods at a time. We never knew what he did. Today’s well-known Helim Choudhury was married to the daughter of Sanajaoba the Muslim and was his son-in-law.
Kasturi Babu also came to the palace now and then. His visits were happy occasions for us, the children. He brought baskets of snacks like sweets and fruits. We also considered him part of the family. Even today, Kasturi Babu’s descendants consider us close to them. Padmashri43 Dharamchand is his grandson. Kasturi Babu was very dark. Hence, it was said that the palace wags would say, Maharaja Churachand, Sanajaoba the Muslim and Kasturichand the Indian were brothers in a previous life, and so on. In this way, Sovereign Father kept a wide circle of friends.
The settlement of Kabui Nagas at Keisamthong was more or less Sovereign Father’s neighbourhood. Most of the players in father’s cricket team came from the Keisamthong settlement. We heard that Sovereign Father even used to dress in Kabui attire and join in the dance in their festivals. They say this angered many. But he was the child king; no one could express it openly. At times one heard the strains of music late at night. I do not know what the music was but it was said it was a Muslim song. This was the other life of Maharaja Churachand. We were children; we did not know everything. May those who will write his biography tell the detailed story of Maharaja Churachand.