Manipuri Dance (Pung Cholom)
As an army officer’s daughter, I
got to travel a lot. It wasn’t a
touristy way of seeing places cause most of the time I was riding in heavily
armored vehicles and had an entourage of security personnel following me as I
explored aptly termed ‘disturbed states’. Last year, I chanced upon an
opportunity to travel to Manipur along with my father and I jumped at it. My first impression of Manipur as I got out of
the airport was how bad the roads were. Security was tight due to constant
threat by militant groups and there were road blocks after every two minutes. Years
of political unrest and military rule had not washed away the beauty of the
landscape. The place was almost virginal, untouched by city life but it would
have been serenely beautiful had it not been for constant political strife in
Manipur. Imphal, the city capital seemed
like a battleground captured with all the security that one could see on the
roads. As I peered out of the car to look at a woman police officer directing
traffic all I could do was sigh.
That evening however, things
changed for the better. As I sat among “lady wives” listening to conversations
of how exorbitant food prices were in Manipur and how people were struggling to
purchase basic amenities, a painting on the wall caught my attention. It
depicted a strong white turbaned man holding onto the reins of a stallion ridden
by a beautiful princess. I wanted to know more and walked over to Colonel
Rajbir Singh, who was busy enjoying scotch and smoking his cigar in a corner.
The colonel was delighted to answer my
questions and thus the night proceeded with him narrating Meitei myths and legends, among them the famous tragic love story of ‘khamba and thoibi’ (characters in the painting). Manipur then
transformed into a land of brave warriors battling elephant and tigers and
beautiful princesses sacrificing all for
love.
(Now, the Meitei (s) history can be traced back to the Stone Age, from being
nature worshippers, they later converted to Hinduism. The Meitei Hindus arguably belong to the Kshatriyas (the warrior clan) and consider themselves to be
descendents of Prince Arjuna (from Mahabharata-the great Indian epic). Being
devotees of Lord Krishna they sport large
Chandan (sandalwood) tilaks from
their nose to foreheads. The men are excellent horsemen and women gifted
weavers, making the finest embroidered cotton fabrics. Most of their art
reflects religious and mythical motifs and with such rich history and culture,
Manipuris have mastered all forms of art whether its dance, paintings,
artifacts or the martial arts)
My Manipuri sojourn did not end
with an evening listening to Colonel Singh’s narration. Army life has its
privileges even in most hostile environment, and my need to learn more about Meitei art was fulfilled with opportunities to visit museums and galleries there. From watching khamba-thoibi , pung cholom, Ras Lila dance
forms to visiting handicraft cottages, I did it all. What I realized through
the course of my visit was that although the government was doing its bit to
promote these artists still a lot is left to be done.
A trip to Moirang, another city in Manipur, exposed
me to artists specializing in wood work. Due to the political climate, there
were no tourists visiting this old cultural village. Most of these craftsmen
were abandoning art to accommodate occupations that would bring in very little
money for food and clean water. Samples of woodworks in Burmese teak were
collected from various houses and I was told that I could choose and order the
pieces I like. I was saddened by the state of affairs and decided then that
something had to be done to keep this art form alive and thriving. Artists
needed to get back to their craft and more people needed to know about Meitei art and culture.
(An example of Manipur Woodwork can be seen on of our previous blog posts. Here is the link : http://kriyakalash.blogspot.in/2012/01/manipuri-woodwork.html)
Fast forwarding to a year later,
back in Kolkata, a friend and I decided to do our bit in reviving and promoting
artisans and their artifacts. Manipur and its Meitei art form is a priority for
us. Keeping our hopes and dreams alive we are pushing forward this cause
inspired by words of Manipuri poet and social activist Irom Sharmila...
“I’ll spread the fragrance of peace
From kanglei, my birthplace
In the ages to come
It will spread all over the world.”
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