Any art needs peace to thrive, say Manipuri dancers

CHENNAI: Upon arriving at the Chennai Sangamam venue, the traditional Lai Haraoba artistes from Manipur sat at a spot quietly before this reporter greeted them ‘Khurumjari’ (Hello in the Meitei dialect). Their faces flushed with joy hearing their language from a stranger far away from home.

The Meetei Indigenous Thang Ta & Cultural Institute (MITTACI) performers were in the city for the annual Chennai Sangamam festival.

The ritualistic dance of the Lai Haraoba honours the Sanamahi gods, and dates back to centuries before the advent of Vaishnavism. It depicts the creationist myth according to the Sanamahi lore, and is performed honouring the Umang Lais (guardian deities) for peace and prosperity of the land.

Lai Haraoba traces the Sanamahi tradition which has long been subsumed by the Krishna-centric belief system embraced enmasse by the Meitei community. “People of hundreds of villages, irrespective of their age, participate in our dance festival which is 10-15 days long,” says Churchandra.

The Lai Haraoba group has 10 dancers — 5 men and women, with instruments such a localised version of pung (mridangam), cymbals, bamboo-flute, violin (used instead of a traditional bowed mono-string instrument — pena), a traditional log drum, and a vocalist. The dance is choreographed according to the tone of the vocalist, and the movements switch from fast to slow according to the singing.

The men wear headgear with peacock feathers on top and a wrap-around resembling a lungi. “I’ve been teaching Lai Haraoba for the past 9 years. The dancers performing at the festival here have been learning the art for almost three years from me. Our school (MITTACI) trains over 100 students,” added Churchandra.

The troupe braved the unprecedented political crisis in Manipur to reach Chennai for the event. “We put our lives at stake to come here and perform. The roads we commuted were highly perilous,” he stated.

While discussing the political climate, his student and flautist Bikash took out his phone to show the attacks against their people recently. “We’ve been receiving daily updates on attacks in our State on our WhatsApp group while we were performing here in Chennai,” elaborated Bikash. “I don’t know what news of horrors await us while we perform. But every time we get on the stage, we’re scared of the bad news we’d receive after the performance.”

Appreciating the city’s hospitality, Churchandra said he and his team loved the city for its restaurants and shopping. “We faced dangers in our State, but once we stepped in Chennai, we felt safe. The city has been treating us well during our stay. This is our debut in Chennai Sangamam, but we had already been here to perform for the Republic Day,” said Churchandra.

Another student, who will be at the log drum, Biken said he was happy to see several cultural performances at the event. “Appreciating other cultures will help the brotherhood to thrive,” he added. “Art can flourish only in a peaceful atmosphere. We request both the Centre and the Manipur government to restore peace in our State.”

Just when the Lai Haraoba performers were getting ready, a sevai aattam dancer who just finished, got down from the stage and appreciated Churchandra for bringing their art to Tamil Nadu. With a smattering of English and Tamil, the dancer said he prayed for the safety and peace of the Manipuri people and wished them luck for their performance.

A brief silence, followed by friendly smiles, conveyed a deeper message a thousand words could not.