FEATURESFRIDAYREVIEW

Published:February12,201515:40IST|Updated:February12,201515:40ISTFebruary12,2015

WarinwordsSANGEETABAROOAHPISHAROTY

TheHinduNameirakpamIbemniDeviatIGNCA,NewDelhi.Photo:ShankerChakravarty

NameirakpamIbemniDevi,anexponentofKhongjomParba,talkstoSangeetaBarooahPisharotyaboutthepopularballadgenreofManipurwhichdepictsthevalourofthelocalwarheroesinthe1891battleagainsttheBritish.

AgehasobviouslymadeImphalbasedNameirakpamIbemniDevifrail.At85,thePadmaShri(2012)accordedwellknownballadeerfromManipurtakessmallmeasuredstepsonthelawnsofNewDelhisIndiraGandhiNationalCentrefortheArts(IGNCA),lookingforaspotofsunonacoldday.Finally,whenshesettlesdown,IbemniDevi,inhertraditionalattirephanek,herelegantinnaphishawlsittinglightlyonhershoulders,standsoutamongthecrowdofcitybredvisitorsatIGNCAsKathakarInternationalStorytellersFestival.

Herart,KhongjomParba,toostandsoutinthepageantoforaltraditionsthiscountryhas.ThoughtheBritishdefeatedmanylocalrulerstobegintheirrule,nottoooftendowecomeacrossanestablishedtraditioninacommunitythatrecountsthroughballadsthetalesofheroeswhowentdownfightingforthemotherland.Inasingsongway,KhongjomParbadepictstheheroicbattletheManipurisfoughtagainsttheBritishinaplacecalledKhongjomontheIndiaBurmaRoadin1891.ThesuperiorforceoftheBritisharmyledtothefallofKhongjomwhichbroughttheKingdomofManipurunderBritishhegemony.Manipurlostsomeofitscelebratedheroesinthatwarsay,PaonaBrijabasi,Chenglensana,YaiskulLakpa,NarangbaPoila,ChongtaMiaSingh.

AwarmemorialinKhongjomandaremembrancedayobservedeveryApril23intheStatekeepalivethememoryofthisimportantpageofManipurihistory.Butmuchbeforethat,itisthetraditionofKhongjomParbathathaskeptitfreshinpublicmemory.IbemniDevi,eventhoughshelostherfatherattheageofthree,stillremembershimsingingpaeanstothosewarheroesbyweavingintothelinestheirpainandsuffering,theirsacrificefortheland,beforeanassembledcrowdinhervillage.ThoughhewasoneofthefirstballadeerstodoKhongjomParba,hewasnotitsfounder.DhobiLeinowas,addstheSangeetNatakAkademiAwardrecipient(2004).

IbemniDevibeganlearningtheartfromherfathersstudentChaobaSinghattheageofsix.Beinganoraltradition,theparbaneedstobememorised.Itisverylong.Ifyoucontinuetosingitandemotewiththedialogues,thewholestorywouldtakeyou10to12days.Wechoosedifferentpartsoftheballadtoreciteinagathering.Typically,onesessiongoesonforabouttwohours,shesays.SincetherearenowrittenversionsoftheParba,thereisalwaysascopeforimprovisationinit,shepointsout.

Theaccompanyinginstrumentofthissoloartisthedholak.IbemniDevi,bytheway,isnotonlythefirstwomanKhongjomballadeerbutisalsosaidtobethefirstwomaninManipurtoplaythedholak.IlearntitfromTombiSinghandKrishnaMohan.Bothweremyfathersdisciples,sherecalls.

KhongjomParbaissunginBengali,theofficiallanguageadoptedbytheroyaltyinManipurbetweentheearly18thandmid20thcenturiesleadingtothebanofthelocallanguageMeeteilon.Sheadds,AftersinginginBengali,ItranslateittoMeeteilonforpeopletounderstandit.Intermsofthetone,shesays,Itemulatestheveerrasa.

IbemniDevialsoregularlysingsballadsdepictingepisodesfromtheRamayanaandtheMahabharataatthefamousGovindajiTempleinImphalintheKhongjomParbastyle.

IusuallysingaboutSitavanavas.Ittalksofherviraha.SitaasksMotherEarthwhyshewasneverdestinedforhappiness,whyseedsofsorrowwerealwayssownonherpath.Sheexplainstherasaherebyemotingafewlinesoftheballadinherfeeblebutstillsocaptivatingvoice.Thoughmanyballadcompositionsarecreditedtoher,shestates,ItwouldbewrongtosaythatIcomposedthemalone,mygurusalsocontributedtothem.

ToteachKhongjomParbatomoreandmorepeople,shehasbeenrunningaschoolfromherhomeinImphalsince1964.Withalaughshe

says,Someofmystudentsarelongdead.Thoughagehasweakenedherbody,itisthepassionfortheart,shesays,thatmakesherteachstudentseveryday.Shepinsherhopeonsomeofherdisciplessaying,Theyhavethepotentialtotaketheartforward.

Sheisalsoteachingsomeofhergrandchildrenbutadds,Agurugivesknowledgeequallytoeveryone.Itdependsonastudenthowmuchheorshecantakefromtheguru.SheelaboratesitwithanepisodefromtheMahabharatapopularinManipur.BothKuntiandGandhariweregreatdevoteesofLordShiva.Oneday,bothwantedtoknowfromShivawhowasabetterdevotee.Shivasaid,whoevercangetme100goldenchampakflowerswith100petalseachthenextmorningwillbetheone.BothKuntiandGandharifelttheywouldnotbeabletogiveShivatheofferinghehadaskedforandweresadaboutit.Theyshareditwiththeirsons.ArjunagotforKuntithegoldenflowersbypiercingarrowsatKuberastreasurytogetallthegoldheneededandthenwithhisarrowscreatedbeautifulchampakflowers.Arjunasaidhelearnttheartfromhisguru.ThoughallthePandavasandtheKauravashadthesameguru,itwasonlyArjunawhocouldlearntheart.

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