ICH Communities
started the Manipuri eatre group when I was years this production: sixty-ve songs were set based on Manipuri old. Our rst production was held in Ghoramara, and the Natapala . ree krishnas , three radhas , and three barai were experience and feelings of it were inexplicable. e word set in the production for the demands of acting variety I‘theatre’ was alien to us until then. We realized that the vil- of the play. lagers were not accustomed to such an indigenous production. We took the name Manipuri eatre so that it blends with It was not like traditional folk theatre on religious tales—the the ethos of the Manipuri community. In ", three plays subject delved into vagaries of everyday life and struggle. were staged in the Manipuri eatre Festival—it was a com- Manipuri Theatre in Bangladesh— However, the idea was incepted in a casual way. At that age, plete Manipuri eatre Festival. e group gradually started our usual recreation was sports or picnic. Drama production to get noticed throughout Bangladesh. Fourteen national had never been an option. e idea came from watching tradi- dailies printed reports with photos. e themes were varied: In a Quest for Identity tional Manipuri religious drama Ras Leela . Chandrakala was the story of poor Chandrakala’s struggle in For the rst production, we collectively wrote an eight- life and Ami Ahilei was the story of children and youth. Shuvashis Sinha page script at a friend’s Laxmi Narayan temple. We sat In %, we received a fund of &, Bangladeshi Taka Founder, Manipuri Theatre together in candle light and started reading the script. (BDT) from Group eatre Federation. is facilitated the Everyone liked the concept. e script touched di!erent staging of Bhanubil —a story of the indigenous Manipuri com- aspects of society. It included freedom ght, village politics, munity’s struggle against British colonial oppression, a chapter love, etc. Interestingly, we started the rehearsal prior to com- nearly forgotten in modern historical narratives. e rst o*- pleting the script. Our excitement was at its pinnacle. cial national-level recognition came in $. Until that time, it We have produced di!erent kinds of drama, keeping in was our only bilingual production in Bengali and Bishnupriya Manipuri eatre, established in at a remote village of Bishupriya Manipuris living in Manipur and other northeastern tune with the Manipuri culture. e rst was in Ghoramara languages. e story was set in a period of historic cultural Ghoramara in Kamalganj Upazila of the Moulvibazar district states of India through regular cultural exchanges. Village, and the name of the drama was Megh-Brishti-Rode crisis in Manipuri society. of Bangladesh, has become an example of theatre excellence. e e members were very young when they formed the (Cloud-Rain-Sunlight ). It was a natural production, keeping A+er that, Debatar Gras was staged in a sesquicentennial main objective of the organization revolves around safeguarding group. At the early age of to years, they felt the need for the associated elements at a minimal level. Initially, it was a celebration of Rabindranath Tagore. e next production was Manipuri culture and to showcase the ICH traditions of the setting up a platform for revitalizing Manipuri heritage. e challenge for us to make people watch the production. But we Leima —emotion and philosophy was the main attraction of Manipuri community to a wider audience. Over the last twenty concept was unique in the village atmosphere. e story, the made it, and credit for the same goes to the scores of people this production. It was designed mainly on dialogues and years, the organization has made a mark in theatre, producing stage, the elements of acting, the costumes—everything of their who turned up to watch the production. e reason behind languages translated from Eyema of Lorca . It was instrumental around thirty plays. e journey of Manipuri eatre is quite productions had a unique touch and quite dierent from regular such success can be traced to two factors. First, the stage in gaining a position beside the renowned directors like Fayez inspiring. In the past two decades, it has been able to attract dramatic productions. People started to have faith in them and rehearsal became popular among the surrounding villagers. Zahir and Abul Kalam. In ", we visited the Indian cities of theatre goers, create a village-based theatre studio, and present believed that Manipuri eatre could usher in the much-needed Local people were aware of the freshness of the production, Agartala and Silchar as representatives of Bangladesh. some excellent productions. eir work has been acclaimed connectivity to the mainstream as well as to the land of origin, and hence, they wanted to experience it on stage. Second, We also worked on di!erent traditional forms of Manipur for being instrumental in social inclusion of the marginalized Manipur and other northeastern states of India. Subhashish the broader aspect, the mythical relation between human gharana (Manipur tradition). We worked with various artists Bishnupriya Manipuris and in the ght against extremism in Sinha, the founder of the organization, poignantly describes the being and the theatre, further contributed toward success. and were successful in establishing a relationship with them. society. e organization has also successfully connected to the journey in his own words in the following paragraphs. As Shakespeare mentioned, the entire world as a stage and ey were always with us. We have brought out the annual human beings are but actors. eatre gives the opportunity to Manipurer eatre Patrika for last ve years. experience life’s di!erent aspects: joy, sorrow, suspense, and e Bengali production Kohe Birangana became a mouth- fear of the unknown. piece. Several theatre-loving groups from India invited us to Our second production was Ajabpurer Barsho Baran ( New present Kohe Birangana at di!erent festivals in Assam and Year at Ajabpur )—the story of a revolutionary emperor, and Tripura. Organizing nance for these was a struggle but we it was presented at the New Year festival. e next drama was managed with assistance from di!erent quarters. e presen- Nai Rajar Darbar ( Court in Absentia of King ), and the theme tations were a breakaway from the historical, religious, and of it was challenging the existence of God. social theatre. In "##$, I joined Jahangir Nagar University in the Drama In ", we got a permanent address—Noto Mandap. My and Dramatics Department. My nephew Asim Kumar Singha father donated the land. He passed away before the structure was my inspiration. My association with Selim Alauddin and was completed. In "/, the nal structure in a vernacular the departmental education helped me to think about theatre; style was completed. Noto Mandap is made of bamboo, cane, especially Selim’s Madhyajuger Bangla Natya has molded me. and clay. e style of juxtaposing tradition with modernity touched me. We have always tried to maintain a healthy thought process e story Taraleimar Pala ( Story of Taraleimar ) was a unique as we worked to revive, revitalize, and rejuvenate the language where the singers themselves took part in acting. e play was of a marginalized ethnic group caught in an identity crisis. For written by the most renowned poet of the Manipuri language, a community that has Chandidas, Bidyapati, and Govindadas Brajendra Kumar Singha. e issue of the community and as its rich past, we tried to add Baru Chandidas, Michael its existential crisis was showcased through the character of Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, and O’Henry in Taraleima. its contemporary cultural canvas along with the traditions Sri Krishna Kirtan was the rst drama where we established and rituals of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community in faith in ourselves. e inspiration of the story was the writings Bangladesh. We know our journey is not easy. Once upon of Baru Chandidas. In Sri Krishna Kirtan , the relationship a time, we were a theatre group from a tiny village beside a of Radha and Krishna was more highlighted than the philo- tiny stream. Today, we are known across the nation. We have sophical part of Baru Chandidas’ writings. Help came in from integrated an excluded community with the larger community Scene from a play based on friends and family. A di!erent rhythm and scale were used in through theatre. Our work has just started. Tagore’s work © Shuvashis Sinha
ichcourier.ichcap.org VOLUME 38 ICH COURIER 27