Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part L (2025)

This paper discusses various Manipuri poets and their selected poems, which are associated with the historical context of Manipur, particularly during the difficult period from 1970 to 2000. The poetry of Laishram Samarendra, Elangbam Nilakanta, Thangjam Ibopishak, Yumlemba Ibomcha, R.K. Bhubonsana, Chingsubam Birchandra, and Saratchand Thiyam reflects a struggle with challenging political and socioeconomic issues. Their poetic outputs serve as a counter-narrative to the superficial materialism and absence of a work ethic, the legitimization of violence, and the dehumanizing effects of both oppressive state and non-state political powers, providing individuals with a means to confront their suffering and seek healing. Through the lens of Hayden White’s metahistory framework, poets are analyzed for their engagement with various ideological stances—conservatism, liberalism, radicalism, and anarchism—while employing different modes of expression, including representational, reductionist, integrative, and negational, to convey their viewpoints. Their poetry reflects a society engulfed in chaos; however, it transcends mere disorder—it embodies the concept of freedom through turmoil. Its strength resides in its ability to transform disruption into creativity, illustrating that from disarray and defiance, novel interpretations can arise. Anarchic poetry, characterized by its rejection of conventional structure and its acceptance of upheaval, may be perceived as a concealed utopia—a realm where language defies the limitations imposed by authority and paves the way for radical potential.