Manipuri Oral Literature: Phunga-Wari

Oral literature is a verbal culture which is preserved by memory, repetition and performance, it is dependent on a narrator who uses gestures, tones in voice and prevailing situations for transmitting moral lessons, traditions and societal values. Folktales, fables, myths, legends, proverbs and riddles are the components of oral literature which are narrated from one generation to another generation to keep our cultural identity alive and have social cohesion by promoting community engagement and addressing conflict resolution based on cultural wisdom. Oral tradition is a vital part of oral literature that can be traced before the development of writing system and its use in modern era remains mainly for the cultural preservation. Folk narrative, songs, ballads, rituals and chants are the components of oral tradition performed by elders, shamans and rhapsodes with full flair and creativity incorporating elements of drama, music and dance. Global presence of oral tradition can be sensed with the examples of ancient epic poems of Homer, the Native American oral histories of tribes such as the Navajo and Cherokee and the aboriginal dreamtime stories in Australia. In India, due to India’s linguistic and cultural diversity, oral tradition ranges greatly across different regions and communities with a significant role of preserving the cultural, historical, and spiritual practices of the region's diverse communities. Phunga-wari is one of the folk-narrative of Manipur that plays integral part of preserving oral literature focused mainly towards children as the audience. This paper yield towards analysis of Phunga-wari as a storytelling performed for the children and its repercussion in the modern society.