December 12 Class 6 English Solution is a complete guide for class 6 students studying under the Board Of Secondary Education Manipur. All the educational resources related to this lesson are provided on this page.
December 12
The night has passed,
Another day has gone,
Devi, tuck and tie your hair
Hanging loose and dishevelled.
One December Twelve’s gone and
Another December Twelve’s come,
Have you forgotten that?
Did you believe hair’ll be tucked and tied?
Did you really think the day would come again?
-An English rendering of a Manipuri poem on Nupi Lan by Hijam Irabot Singh.
About the Poet
Hijam Irabot Singh was a poet, social reformer and revolutionist. He wrote “Emagi Puja”, a collection of 49 poems while he was in jail in Sylhet, Bangladesh. The poem “December 12” is also from this collection.
Nupi Lan in brief:
History has witnessed two Nupi Lan in Manipur. The first one took place in 1904 against forced labour. The second Nupi Lan came in December 1939 against the export of rice from Manipur while people were starving. The fight against the export of rice later on led to the establishment of a better government in Manipur, a government that was responsible and accountable to its people.
The substance of the poem.
Nupi Lan brought a lot of changes and hope in every sphere of the then-Manipuri society. The poet had written this poem to pay tribute to the women of Manipur for their courage, unity and righteousness. Through this poem, he was trying to wake them up again and encourage them not to stop fighting for an even better society in Manipur.
Explanations of the Poem December 12 Class 6 English
The night has passed,
Another day has gone,
These lines refer to the passing away of time. The worst day of atrocities had gone for the Nupi Lan brought better days in the Manipuri society. But, as time passes away since then, the poet hints at the need to look forward to further changes again.
Devi, tuck and tie your hair
Hanging loose and dishevelled.
The poet told the women of Manipur to gather their untidy hair and tie it up to get themselves ready to fight again like they did in the Nupi Lan of December 1939.
One December Twelve’s gone and
Another December Twelve’s come,
Have you forgotten that?
As years passed by, several December 12 came and passed. But this great day, December 12, 1939, will remain in the history of Manipur forever, reminding us of the courage, unity and righteousness of the women of Manipur throughout generations to come. The poet asked if we have forgotten this fact to remind us we shouldn’t.
Did you believe hair’ll be tucked and tied?
Did you really think the day would come again?
it was unexpected for women to come forward to fight fearlessly and shed their blood for the cause of their society. Asking if we could believe they would tie their hair i.e., come up to fight, the poet was praising the amazing courage unity and shrewdness of Manipuri Women. Again asking whether such a day would come again, the poet meant whether Manipuri women would come forward to fight again as they did in the future too. he wanted to encourage the women of Manipur not to stop fighting for a better tomorrow.
Answer the following questions
Q1. What does the poet mean by December 12?
Ans: By December 12, the poet means Nupi Lan.
Q2. Who is the Devi the poet has referred to?
Ans: The Devi refers to the women of Manipur who are known for their amazing courage.
Q3. What does the poet mean by the following lines:
The night has passed,
Another day has gone,
Ans:- These lines are taken from the poem “December 12”. This refers to the passing away of time. As Nupi Lan brought changes, the worst day of atrocities had gone. But the poet still made a hint at the need to look forward to better days.
Devi, tuck and tie your hair
Hanging loose and dishevelled.
Ans:- These lines are taken from the poem “December 12”. The poet told women of Manipur to gather their untidy hair and tie them up to get ready to fight again; like they did in Nupi Lan.
One December Twelve’s gone and
Another December Twelve’s come.
Ans:- These lines are taken from the poem “December 12”. As years pass by, December 12 will come and go. This will remind us of the Nupi Lan of December 12, 1939, and the amazing courage and unity of Manipuri women all the time.
Did you believe hair’ll be tucked and tied?
Did you really think the day would come again?
Ans:- These lines are taken from the poem “December 12”. Asking these questions, the poet was actually praising the amazing courage of Manipur women who came forward to fight for society. He also asked whether they would fight again like they did in the future.
Q4. Why does the poet think that the day will come again?
Ans:- The poet believed that Manipur women with their essence of great courage and unity would surely come forward to fight for changes in society again in the future.
