Tale of Radhaand Krishna

“Bhanushingher Padabali”, a collection of Vaishnava lyrics by Rabindranath Tagore in Brajabuli with its theme of romance between Radha and Krishna, was written when the poet was just a slip of a lad of 16. It was staged at Rabindra Sadan, a premier hall in Kolkata, to mark celebration of Guru Bipin Singh’s centenary by his disciple Gauri Dutta. However, the poet had spent the next 70 years in revising the lyrics multiple times.

While all the lyrics are deeply philosophical, the intense spiritualism of some touches the core of one’s heart. “Maranere tuhu mamo Shyam Saman” – “Oh death you are like Shyam to me/You are dark like the clouds/with clouds as your matted hair/your compassionate lap cools the oppressed heart.” And finally “Death you are the giver of immortality”

Art of choreographing

Gauri Dutta, Artistic Director of Nartanashram, choreographed and directed the dance composition of Guru Bipin Singh. He was aided by the vocal rendition of Pramita Mallick and group and Kalavati Devi, besides flautist Khokn Sengupta and esraj artist Anjan Dutta. It is an old recording in which Guru Bipin Singh himself had played the mridang and pung. The Manipuri idiom was just suitable for the theme. Young girls expressed their feelings spontaneously in sharing Radha’s various moods of joy and despondency.

The evening was flagged off with the invocation of Radha and Krishna in keeping with the theme. Manini Radha also fell in line portraying divine love.

Bimbavati Devi graced the proscenium stage with a self composition “Madhura Nartan”. She showcased the soft grace of the aura of Krishna with ease and fluidity, not lifting her feet away from the ground above the knee and subtlety of body language and not losing the sthayee-bhava even for a second. She was accompanied by Romila Devi and Brojen Singh in vocals and pung playing respectively.

Vaishnavism had set-up its deep roots in Manipur during the time of King Bhagyachandra in the 18th Century, when the worship of Radha and Krishna became prevalent. History of Manipur is the history of a war ravaged state State surrounded by hostile neighbours. Hence the need to develop a protective shield was as necessary as bread and butter. Therefore Thang Ta which is basically the art of wielding the spear and the sword were of prime importance, though the art of battle did not develop without envisioning a value system of fighting a just battle. Thang Ta became an expression of the virile art form of Manipur.

The existence of Vaishnavism along side Thang Ta though a seeming dichotomy, makes sense when one understands the history of Manipur.

Artists Suraj Kumar, T.H. Imocha , T. H.Tarun Singh, N.Nongshalen Singh and B. Praveen Sharma of Anjika – Centre for Manipuri Dance and Movements Therapy founded by Guru Bipin Singh’s student Priti Patel, provided brief glimpses of Thang Ta – Manipuri martial arts of swords and spears.