BENGALURU: As a little girl, Sonia Nepram’s mother did not allow her to wash her phanek, a piece of cloth similar to a sarong along with men’s clothes. She was forbidden to hang it in the courtyard when her father was leaving for work, for it is considered inauspicious to men. Bloody Phanek, the 48-minute documentary that was recently screened for the first time in the city, explores how the phanek has been used as a political symbol in Manipur.
Talking about the importance of the piece of cloth, the dircetor of the documentary, Sonia Nepram says, “On the other hand, Manipuri women who have always been at the forefront of any social and political issue used the cloth as a medium for protest. For example, hanging it on the roads during general strikes and blockades, to protest against socio-economic, political injustice and state terrorism.”
Further adding, she says, Phanek was used in the Meira Paibi movement where Manipuri women marched through the streets at night, protesting and demanding justice for human rights violations committed by paramilitary and armed forces units against the innocent.
“Our grandmothers used to tell us that thrashing a man with a phanek was no different from challenging his masculinity,” adds the director.”
How could a cloth so powerful, be considered impure or untouchable by society?
“The documentary Bloody Phanek is my own quest to get an answer to this question. It speaks volumes about the seriousness of this piece of cloth. It’s worth questioning as to how the same phanek that could be used as an ultimate weapon against injustice on the streets, and is not allowed to be kept next to men’s clothes back home,” Sonia points out.
Ask her if she feels such stories from this region are not brought to the mainstream and she says,” In terms of Manipur and North east in general, it is a highly political topic. Many have been fighting for the right to self-determination to reclaim their political rights.”
She adds, “We don’t want to play the victim card, complaining that India has been neglecting us or that it sees us merely as a territory of the nation-state and nothing more. There are complaints of how we are not even included in the national anthem. The point is, we need to start a discourse about movements by women in their struggle for selfhood.”
Her story is precisely this. In a land where identity politics is rife, Sonia wants to bring out the stories on how the paradoxical Phanek plays a crucial role.
“For me as a storyteller, it is important to come up with stories from my place. It’s about women’s aspiration. I believe the world will be a better place if we can understand each other by narrating and hearing out each other’s stories. As I grew up there, the film is both personal and political to me,” she shares.