Manipur theatre looking for new possibilities

          Imphal: Theatre artists in Manipur are bidding farewell to stereo-typed plays and drama. They are now actively pursuing new leads and possibilities to attract the discerning viewers. Interacting with some of the Manipuri theatre stalwarts brings this message out loud and clear. As veteran director Kanhailal succinctly puts it, audiences need to be mesmerised by plays that are powerful and explorative in their delivery. "I don't like the conventional way of doing theatre. So, I rejected stereotyping. I rejected the legitimacy that nothing can be changed. I wanted to explore new possibilities, which can be worked out by the body of the performer without depending too much on text. Theatre becomes dominated by the literature. Theatre should be autonomous. So, I have been working to explore this kind of possibility," Kanhailal said .

           For most, the culture of the north east is seen as remote and different. Therefore, when showcased in parts of the country, the response is appreaciative and celebratory in nature. When it comes to theatre from the north east, Manipur leads the way, as it is known for its admix of the contemporary with tradition while projecting social and political themes. Take for instance, the theatre group Kalashetra which presented Kanhailal's powerful folk-tale-based play, "Pebet". "Pebet" tries to explore the possibility of a better life. Pebet is a folktale about a mother bird fighting to protect her children from a predatory cat. Kanhailal transforms this familiar story into a struggle against the political and cultural colonization of Manipur. Pebet in the play eventually succeeds in protecting her children (Manipuris) from the predator cat. "We like the peace. How we can express the peace...so every field socially, politically.. all these things are not good. So, we work through theatre medium," says one of the actors of the play. Neighbouring Mizoram isn't too far behind Manipur on the theatre front. Its folk dance,"Solakia", representing the Pawi and Mara communities, celebrates a victory in war. Marked with five principal movements, the dance seeks to recapture the actions of a hero at war. "Manipuri plays are amazing. Apart from fact that you see a folk story from Manipur, it's also a very powerful presentation of woman character, that's what we know about Manipur as such, that we are very powerful," says a theatre aficianado. Manipur had its first permanent theatre house in the early years of first decade of 20th century in the form of Manipur Friends Dramatic Union. During this era plays were mainly Manipuri adaptation of Bangali plays. But 1925 saw the beginning of truly Manipuri plays with "Narasingh". The pace of theatrical movement was geared up with the institution of various groups such as Manipur Dramatic Union (MDU) (1930), Arian Theatre (1935), Chitrangada Natya Mandir (1936), Society Theatre (1937), Rupmahal (1942), Cosmopolitan Dramatic Union (1968), The Chorus Repertory Theatre of Ratan Thiyam (1976) etc. These groups started experimenting with various types of plays apart from historical and pauranic ones. As a result theatre started disseminating to other parts of Manipur such as Nambol to encourage people to take active part in developing this art form.
- February 24, 2005

Konark dance festival

          Bhubaneswar: Artists from all over the country are attending the Konark Dance Festival. Organised by the Orissa Dance Academy, the 20th Konark Dance festival commenced on Saturday. The Academy hosts the festival every year under the guidance of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, the pioneer of the festival. The three-day festival concludes today with more of classical and folk-dance performances by popular troupes from all over the country. The festival began with an Odissi dance ballet "Konark Jagaran" followed by a Kathak ballet "Ghungroo" performed by Kolkata based Upasana Center For Drama.The ballet depicts the significance of anklets in a dancers life. The festival celebrates the culture and art of Orissa and aims at promoting the rich and varied cultural heritage of India. "This is a platform where other than Odissi dance the other art forms of Orissa and as well as the art forms of India can be represented and people will have a place to see all the classical dance forms as well as the folk dance forms to be staged," said Madhusmita, an artist. The uniqueness of the festival is that, the artists come here not only to perform but also to pay tribute to a 'guru' who has dedicated his whole life for the development of the art. The backdrop of the event is The Konark temple, considered to be an architectural marvel. The backdrop added a touch of reality to the performances. "I think the programme was absolutely fantastic. It's among the most beautiful Indian dances I've witnessed and I've seen a lot of them and it shows the creative mind of the Orissa spirit and for me it was really beauty come alive," said a tourist.
- February 21, 2005

Ajoka performs in Kashmir

          Lahore: Pakistani theatre group, Ajoka, presented a performance in Jammu and Kashmir recently. Briefing mediapersons here on Friday, Madeeha Gauhar of Ajoka Theatre said the artists performed the famous stage play 'Bullah'. She said that it was the first performance by a Pakistani culture group in Kashmir, adding that the group travelled to Jammu by road from Amritsar. "The vice-chancellor and other senior officials of the Jammu University had invited us and gave us a warm welcome on our arrival," the Daily Times quoted Gauhar as saying. The Ajoka team presented a qawwali evening, singing kalams written by sufi poets. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Saeed was the chief guest, she said.
- February 12, 2005

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