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Dance, man’s most vibrant and eloquent
expression of joy and sorrow, has sustained itself in the tribal,
folk and classical forms among the people of North-East India.
Manipur, the land of
jewels, gateway to east India, bordered on the north, west and south
by the hill tracts of Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram is identified by
some historians as the setting for episodes of the Mahabharata epic.
The land of misty mornings, mountains and plains that lies just next
to Burma was formed, according to legend, when Lord Shiva touched the
point of his trident to the earth and created a lake which formed the
background for his dance with his consort, Panthoibi. Legend also
has it that Manipur was the land where Arjuna, the unerring marksman
and the most courageous of the five Pandava brothers in the epic,
fell in love with Chitrangada, the daughter of a local king and
married her. Manipur’s association with dance goes back to the
gandharvas and the apsaras (celestial beings) as well
as Arjuna, Balarama and Narada (epic heroes).
The land is also the
birthplace of many folk and community dances as well as the youngest
but the most distinctive form of classical dance in the country –
the Ras Lila. The origin of the Rasa dances were rooted in a dream
of Rajasthani Bhagya Chandra Maharaj (1763-1798) where he saw Lord
Krishna in dance and merriment with his love, Radha, and the other
gopikas (milkmaids). Even today the raiment worn in the Ras
Lila, the stiff under skirn and the short upper one reaching up to
the knees, are attributed to King Bhagya Chandra Maharaja’s
dream.
The Ras Lila dances
though in appearance a folk community dance form, reveal highly
stylized and honed characteristics. The basic theme of the Ras Lila
is the love of Radha and Lord Krishna and their differences and tiffs
and making-up and the final joyous celebration of eternal
togetherness. They are portrayed as the ideal couple, the ideal
lovers. Though the theme itself and the strong vein of classicism
evident in the Ras Lila seem to suggest an earlier origin, it was
really in the 18th century that the Ras Lila flowered and
blossomed into a fine classical dance form. What today goes by the
term ‘classical Manipuri dance’ is based on a foundation
laid by King Chandra Kirti (1850-56).
The five Rasas of the
finely sculptured Manipuri Rasa tradition each have a specific
occasion and season at which to be performed. The six main phases of
the dance form are generally composed of an initial stage where Lord
Krishna appears and translates his emotions into natya (dance)
and abhinaya (expression). Radhya follows and they dance in
unison. This forms the Ras Lila proper and is followed by bhangi
or argument during which one or the other piqued lover refuses to
participate in the general merriment. The lover then proceeds to
appease the dejected one and persuades him or her to forgive and join
in the dancing again. Milan or reunion of the lovers is then
celebrated along with the gopis and gopikas. The final
stage is one of prayer where both Radha and the gopis pledge
never-ending devotion and trust.
In each of the Rasas,
however, the sequence of the stages may differ. Maha Rasa,
the most elaborate of the Rasas is performed during kartika
(November) during the full moon. It depicts the parting of the
lovers. Radha threatens suicide in a desperate attempt to impress
upon Krishna the depth and intensity of her love. Krishna returns.
Basant Rasa is
performed in spring (March-April). The focus in this Rasa is a
serious quarrel between Radha and Krishna when he reneges an
agreement with his love. a painful separation follows. Latter, a
contrite Krishna returns to plead with her. In the Kunj Rasa,
joy at togetherness even in the seemingly trivial occupations of
daily life is the main theme. Nitya Rasa can be performed on
any day of the year. Diva Rasa has to be performed only
during the day. The Ashta Gopi/Ashta Shyam Rasa is performed
during spring and depicts eight gopis in joyous celebration with
eight forms of Lord Krishna. In the Natha Rasa eight gopis
sport with Krishna in a magnificent show of colour, mime and facial
expression.
The poetry of the Rasa
dancers is based on the Bhagavat Purana and the verses of poet
Jayadeva in the Gita Govinda written in the 12th
century. Occasionally women singers take over the singing of the
verses allowing the dancers to concentrate purely on the movements
and the mime.
During the most popular
festival of Lai Haroba, the rituals enact the formation of
cosmos, the creation and destruction, very symbolically, by placing
leaves (the male and the female principle) in the lake at the
culmination of a ritual procession.
The Jatras (a form
of ballet) are usually held during the three major seasons in the
annual cycle. The Jhula jatra is performed in autumn and
during the monsoon; the Dhol Jatra in winter and the Rath
jatra in spring. Men and women sing and dance hand in hand.
Among the other popular dances of Manipur is the Pung Cholam
where performers dance with the pung or mridanga (king
of drum) to amazingly agile and synchronized movements. There is
also the Thabal Chongba performed in moonlight in March. But
the Manipuri Rasa tradition of classical dance remains the most
distinctive and alluring among the classical Indian dance forms in
its raiments, its expressions, its music and its very character.
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