By L. Somi Roy, The Asia Society PART 1 | PART 2
The ancient epic ballads of Nongpok Ningthou and Panthoibi, and the story of the lovers Khamba and Thoibi in the epic Moirang Parba form an
important part
of the telling and performance of the cosmology and history. They are performed by balladeers called pena khongbas, and shaman priestesses, called maibis,
during the Lai
Haraoba. Even as late as the 1891, the Khongjom Parba, an epic historical ballad about the conquest of Manipur by the British was composed and is regularly performed
today.
Manipuri, or Meiteilon, is a Tibeto-Burman language with a vigorous contemporary literature. It has an 800-year old indigenous script, currently being revived after the
adoption of the Bengali script since the late 19th century. Meiteilon is the language of the early oral histories and literary forms such as the historical ballads, the
Cheitharol Kumbaba, Manipur’s official royal chronicles, and the manuscripts of Meitei cosmology for most of the 2000 year-old history of the kingdom. Manipur’s earliest
literature in the form of ritual texts such as the Leithak Leikharol and the Thirel Layat of the Lai Haraoba, were first written in indigenous Meitei script. Meitei story
telling, called Wari Liba, is the prime vehicle for the transmission of the epic stories of the Mahabharata.
In the 18th century, the conversion of the Meiteis to Vaishnavism by King Pamheiba, led to the destruction of many of these texts. Meiteilon began to be written in the modern
Bengali script in the late 19th century. Contemporary literature, from poetry to essays, plays and novels are in Meiteilon written in the Bengali script. The 20th century saw
the Manipuri literary elite drawing its inspiration from Bengali and to a lesser degree, other Indian languages. Novels, short stories, essays, poems, plays, lyrics, and
screenplays are published in Meiteilon today. Lyricists and composers write for popular music performed by numerous bands, including some playing Western style rock. Pulp
novels of the detective genre also abound.
Coming out of old theater of the commedia dell’arte style such as Thangmei Makhong Lila and Thok Lila, Manipur has about 200 troupes
Coming out of old theater of the commedia dell’arte style such as Thangmei Makhong Lila and Thok Lila, Manipur has about 200 troupes performing the tremendously popular
Sumaang Lila, the traditional courtyard theater. Ratan Thiyam is Manipur’s leading modern theater director, whose plays draw upon the traditional Manipuri dance, music,
storytelling, martial arts and rituals. There are about 40 other modern experimental theater companies.
Manipur has one of the world’s few film industries that are completely digitized, from production to exhibition. It has about a dozen movie theaters that screen the 30–40
digital feature films produced every year. Local filmmakers also make dance films, documentaries, television films and soap operas. Aribam Syam Sharma, its leading film
filmmaker, has shown his films at festivals such as Cannes, Toronto, and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
L. Somi Roy is a New York-based media programmer and arts producer. He is a native of Manipur.
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