Imphal: A 23-member delegation from the Manipuri Youth Cultural Organisation (MYCO), Bangladesh, met Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh at the Secretariat on Friday to discuss cultural preservation and ties between the two communities.
The delegation included 19 men and four women. The members discussed measures to preserve the heritage, language and traditions of an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 Manipuris living in Bangladesh.
They also raised issues concerning the community and invited the chief minister to visit their settlements.
“I assured them that I would visit Bangladesh to meet and interact with our Manipuri brethren there,” Chief Minister Singh said in a post on his official Facebook page after the meeting.
The Manipuri community in Bangladesh has a history spanning more than two centuries. Its presence there is linked to migrations during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The community migrated to areas that are now part of Bangladesh in three major phases.
Between 1764 and 1789, groups moved from Manipur during the reign of King Ching-Thang Khomba amid political conflicts in the region.
A larger migration took place between 1819 and 1826, during the Seven Years Devastation, when Burmese forces invaded Manipur. Royal princes sought refuge in the British-ruled Surma Valley, where Manipuri settlements were established.
Another major migration followed the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891 and the subsequent British annexation of Manipur.
Historical Manipuri settlements in Dhaka, Mymensingh and Brahmanbaria have largely declined due to assimilation. However, the community remains concentrated in the Sylhet division, particularly in Maulvibazar, Habiganj and Sunamganj.
The Manipuri community is recognised for its agricultural practices, cultural heritage and traditional Manipuri Rasa dance.