Shandrembi and Chaishra

Once upon a time in a far village of the princely state of Manipur, there lived a man who had two wives and three children. The first wife had two children – a female girl named Shandrembi and a boy. The second wife had also a girl named Chaishra. After some time, the man had died of his prolong illness. The co-widows had maintained their families by fishing in the nearby lake and by collecting beet, sorrel and red spinach in the nearby fields. The second co-widow and her daughter Chaishra had always plotted to harm the elder co-widow and her daughter Shandrembi. One day, the two  co-widows equipped with fishing baskets and nets on their hands went out to catch a basketful of fish. But Chaishra’s mother caught a basketful of poisonous baby snakes.

When the sun set on the western sky, tired from their tedious works, they took a rest under a large fig tree. After taking a brief rest, Chaishra’s mother climbed up the fig tree and offered her elder sister to eat the ripe fruits. Chaishra’s mother sitting on a branch of the tree said, “Open you mouth I will drop delicious ripe of fig”. The widow under the tree opened her mouth and closed her eyes awaiting the fruit dropping. After eating one ripe fig, the widow atop the tree asked the co-widow under the tree to open her mouth again widely so as to drop more delicious fruits. This time, the second co-widow on the tree turned her basket upside down and shook it well dropping the poisonous baby snakes into the widen mouth of the first co-widow who was awaiting to eat the ripe fruits with her eyes closed. Shandrembi’s mother died instantly. Chaishra’s mother had placed and hidden the dead body under the lake water. Chaishra’s mother, the second co-widow had come back to her house alone with the basketful of fish caught by the deceased widow. Shandrembi saw her step mother returning home alone. She was feeling a lot of anxiety about her mother. She asked her step mother where her mother left out.

“Your refractory mother was persistently going on her fishing even in the late hours despite my repeated requests to end her works”, the step mother said with a false replies. The night was far advanced but Shandrembi’s mother didn’t  return home. Shandrembi and her younger brother had nothing but to cry in the wilderness. The step mother had scolded them for breaking the silence of the night. At the late hours, Shandrembi took a sleep. In her dream, her mother told her that she was killed by Chaishra’s mother by dropping the poisonous snakes from the top of the fig tree with her trick of dropping the ripe fig. Her body was hiding under the lake water. Her soul was in the form of a tortoise. Her daughter was instructed to get up early in the morning and catch the tortoise which would be cultured for five days in an earthen pot filled with water. It would be hidden in the secluded place of the house. On the sixth day, the mother further told her daughter that she would be revived transforming into the human being from the tortoise.

In the morning, Shandrembi did what her mother had instructed in her dream. In her attempts to catch the tortoise, some fish were trapped in her fishing basket and net. But she released them all in the lake. Upon her returning home, her step mother asked her how many fish were caught, Shandrambi replied negatively. But she had hidden the small sized tortoise into her fishing clothes. While the tortoise was trying to preserve into the earthen pot, her half sister Chaishra had got the scene of it. Next day, Chaishra dipped her left hand into the pot water and caught the tortoise. She later handed it over to her mother who asked her step daughter Shandrembi to boil the four footed water animal for a nice dish. Fear from the possible torture of her step mother, Shendrambi with tears in her eyes reluctantly took the tortoise from the hands of her step mother and dropped it into a pot filled with water. She began burning the pot under its lower portion at the fireplace. When the water getting heat from the burning fire, the tortoise inside the cauldron said, “Shandrembi, I am getting warm on my foot”. Hearing the shocking words, Shandrembi pulled out the burning fire woods from the fireplace and continued her crying. On seeing it, her half sister Chaishra informed about it to her mother. The step mother instructed her daughter to give slaps across the face of Shandrembi. Shandrembi in fear of the step mother resumed her unwanted works. When the temperature of  the water increasing degree by degree inside the cauldron, the tortoise under the water of  the cauldron said, “Oh My daughter Shandrembi, I am getting the degree of hot water up to the waist, chest, and neck and at last,  I am finished.”

The tortoise at last died inside the boil water of the cauldron. Despite instruction from her step mother, Shandrembi refused to eat the tortoise dishes. She remained cried. The step mother and her daughter had taken the tortoise dish. The skeletons and bones remained from the tortoise were dumped at the cesspool located on the backyard of the house. On that night Shandrembi dreamed yet another dream. In her dream, her mother advised her to collect the bones and skeletons remained from the tortoise dishes and put them into a basket for seven days. If so, on the 8^th day, the remains of the tortoise will transform into human being as your mother. Anxious to see the remains of the tortoise bones and skeletons inside the basket, Shandrembi opened the basket on the sixth day. Upon her opening the basket, a swallow had flown away from inside the basket. Shandrembi cried on seeing it.

The two girls grew up day by day. They were ripe for seeking bridegrooms. One day, Shandrembi and Chaishra with one pitcher each on their hands were going to fetch water. Shandrembi attired in old clothes and her half sister Chaishra dressed in new and beautiful clothes were going on road side. The king Tukaoba guarded by his royal guards was riding on his horseback. The king was attracted by the beauties and graces of Shandrembi although her attires were old and rags. The king approached towards Shandrembi and requested her for having a mouthful of water.

Shamdrembi refused the request in fear of her half sister who would be informing the situation to her mother. Shandrembi, however, requested the king to drink the water from her half sister. On hearing the replies, the king in disgraced face drove away without fulfill his thirst of water. Chaishra, upon reaching her home, told the details to her mother. Under the instruction of her mother, Chaishra, attired old and rag clothes and Shandrembi, new and beautiful clothes were going on the roadside the next day to fetch water. As expected, the king was waiting Shandrembi. This time, the king was madly in love when he saw the beauties of Shandrembi who wore the new clothes. He began and again requested Shandrembi for water. Unable to bear the pressure of the king, Shandrembi lifted down the pitcher from her head and offered it to the king. The ling had lifted his love heart and drove along with her away on the horse towards the royal palace. Chaishra’s dream for becoming the sweetheart of the king was broken. As usual, Chaishra had told her mother about the incident in details. She and her mother were disheartened. After having lived in the royal place in peace and prosperity, Shandrembi got a son next year. The disheartened Chaishra and her mother invited Shandrembi for taking a grand feast in the former house. After taking permission from the king, Shandrembi had come alone for the feast. She did not accompany her son at the instigation of the king. In the evening, Shandrembi was ready for returning to the royal palace. To her surprise, her beautiful clothes were thrown out under the bed stamp of her half sister.

While trying to collect them, her step mother had thrown boiling water on her head and face. Shandrembi died on the spot. Her soul transformed into a dove. The dove was looking on dead body of Shandrembi and crying. The step mother had tried to kill the dove but it flew away. Chaishra wore the beautiful royal clothes and came to royal palace. On seeing the ugly face of Chaishra, the king with suspicious asked, “Hey Shandrembi! What had happened? Today your face us disgrace, your eyes shrunken and your heels with full of cracks!” Chaishra in disguise of Shandrembi replies, “My lovely heart, in thinking of my lovely son, I am running fast thereby cracking up my heels, my eyes shrunken in crying for remembrance of parenets.” On hearing the false replies, the king was full of suspicious. One day, the dove transformed by the soul of the Shandrembu flew down the royal palace and perched at a branch of a tree grown there. Under the tree, a royal grazier was cutting grasses for feeding the king’s horse. The dove sings

Ah! Coo, coo

The poor man

Tell your King,

Tell your disguised Queen

Cause trouble not

To my son in the palace,

Unless you inform the King

The weapon used in cutting grasses

And horses in the royal stable

All will be in peril.

Oh! The King Tukaoba

Have you forgotten your genuine Queen?

Shandrembi changed in the form of a dove

Sitting on the top of a tree branch and

Wicked Chaishra, on the Queen’s thrown

Ah! Coo, coo

The poor man…..

The grazier was surprised when he heard voice of the dove cooing-cooing in communicable language. He rushed and informed the whole story to the king. While the king and his grazier were talking, the dove perched near them. On seeing the dove, the king felt pity for the bird and said, “If you are transformed from the soul of my lovely queen Shandrembi, come and perch on my hand. And take the rice from my palm” The king trapped the dove while perching on his hand and kept it into a cage. In his dream, the king was told by his queen Shandrembi that the dove would be kept secretly for six days. On the seventh day, it would be transformed into human being… Shandrembi. The king was further told that her queen Shandrembi was still in love for her son. She wanted to take care of her lovely son.

While the king and his trusted guards were out for hunting expeditions in the far forests, Chaishra had had killed the bird kept secretly in the king’s secret chamber and she had made the bird a nice dish. The king was very angry when he knew that the dove was made into dish. He rebuked Chairsha for killing and using bird into a dish. The king ordered Chaishra to throw the dish on the cesspool. After some time, a mango sapling grew up at the spot where the dove dish was thrown away. When the mango plant was at its full growth, it bore only one mango. The king had well protected the mango and its tree. One day the grazier wanted to eat mango. At his request, Chaishra plucked off the mango. The grazier had brought the mango to his house. Upon his reaching home, the king had ordered the grazier to come to the royal palace immediately. The grazier went ot the palace after keeping the mango inside a rice pot. After returning to his house, the attendant tried to eat the mango. He searched out a knife to splint the mango. But he did not find the small weapon. Next day, he got the knife and tried to eat the mango. This time, he had forgotten the location of the rice pot containing the mango. Thus for seven consecutive days, the attendant had faced either forgotten the location of the rice pot or missing of the knife. On the night of the seven day, the mango tree changed into a beautiful girl. On the 8^th day, while the royal grazier had gone to do his royal duties, the girl came out from a corner of the house and cooked a nice meal.

Then she had gone to her hiding inside the house. Thus, the girl had prepared meals for four days. The grazier who was informed by the neighbours on being inquired about the meal arrangement was surprised and wanted to know about it. So making a trick of going out his royal duties, he slipped into his house. He saw a beautiful girl coming out of a corner of his house and preparing for the meal. The grazier tried to hold her hands. But the girl said, “Oh! Grandpa, I am Shandrembi”. She disclosed the attendant of her past histories in details. The attendant rushed and informed the king who had immediately called Shamdrembi in his royal palace. The King organized a public function where Shandrembi and Chaishra were given one knife each and asked them to fight. The winner would be the Queen. At first Chaishra using her knife stabbed her half sister. But the knife didn’t make a cut on the body of Shandrembi. Then Shandrembi chopped to death her cruel half sister in presence of the king and his subjects. Then the king Tukaoba and his queen Shandrembi ruled their land and lived in peace and prosperity.