Loktak Folklore Museum

The Loktak Lake, one of the biggest freshwater lakes in North-East India, has occupied an important place in the socio-cultural, economic and environmental aspects of the people of Manipur since time immemorial. This wetland of great significance has started diminishing due to drastic changes taking place with human activities. Over the last few decades, the ecosystem of the lake has been greatly affected due to environmental threats like siltation from the rivers and the dumping of waste. Experts have opined that the lake is no longer safe to use for human consumption. This means that the lake is highly polluted and filled with toxic chemicals. On the other hand, the fishing community living in and around the lake is now facing tremendous problems to earn their livelihood because of the drastic changes in the lake ecosystem. The abundance of indigenous fish varieties and rich flora and fauna has diminished drastically. This has led to a threat to the habitat of the Sangai, the only dancing deer on the planet. The age-old traditional fishing techniques are also no more applicable.

The coming generations will unfortunately never be able to witness the great habitat of the Loktak Lake, tremendously rich in folk customs and beliefs, folk medicine, folk literature and also the huge variety of flora and fauna. The Tongbram family recently took up the initiative to set up the Loktak Folklore Museum at Thanga Tongbram Leikai in Bishnupur District, Manipur. It was inaugurated by Tongbram Mangibabu, Hon’ble MLA of Thanga, and presided by Dr. K. Sushila, Director of Art and Culture, Government of Manipur. The museum has been established with the objective to preserve and promote the belief systems, folk art and craft, folk literature, folk medicine, and so on, of the region. It also plans to host artist residential camps to capture the scenic beauty of the Loktak Lake and the mythological and legendary tales based on Loktak on their canvases. The curator of the museum strongly believes that museums play an important role in educating the younger generations about their ancestors and our environment.