One of the most precious Manipuri folk music is the Khullang Esei, which is usually delivered in duet. It signifies the exchange of romantic emotions between a lad and a lady through highly literary verses in the form of natural tunes without any musical accompaniment. It may also be considered as a tuned dialogue of poetic verses between a male and a female, mostly on romantic themes. Importantly, Khullang Esei is sung while concentrating on physical work. Tilling of fields, harvesting of paddy, grinding of paddy, etc. are the inherent laborious works of the indigenous people of Manipur. Khullang Esei, usually sung during work, not only breaks the monotony of hard work but also hastens the progress of the work. Khullang Esei is completely the improvisation of the singers without any written script. The immediate and spontaneous emotional responses to queries and charges in the form of a uniform tone and style of singing are featured in the Khullang Esei. The verses are intelligently and intellectually created. Highly literary proverbs to describe emotions, romance, things, places, and situations are components of Khullang Esei.
