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Nat Sangkirtana in Brhaddesi Sangeet Mahotsav-
I
By Samarendra Chongtham
(Thus Spake Matanga)
"In various regions, dhvani (or manifest sound) spontaneously becomes pleasant to living beings and starting with them (it is also pleasant) to the people and kings. This dhvani that arises from region to region is called desi (born in or proceeding from various desas or regions)".
'Brhaddesi' is an immortal musical treatise written by the sage Matanga Muni in the 8th century AD which, for the first time, focused on the distinct musical traditions of the respective regions-different regions practicing and pursuing their own traditions in music. The Sangeet Natak Akademi organized a week long seminar and conference at Guwahati from
February 13-20, 2002 on the regional musical traditions of the
North-East including Sikkim. Evening concerts were followed in the next morning session by an overview of traditions, discussions and analysis of the structural specialties, literary content, use of musical instruments, influences received evolution of new forms etc of every region. Manipur, too participated in a big
way with as many as 99 artistes from Manipur, representing various music traditions like Nata Sankirtana, Pena Lai Haraoba, Khullang Ishei, Kongjom Prava, Ras Sutradhari, Nupi Pala and tribal music. Six scholars from Manipur presented papers in the similar on various subjects such as:-
i) An analysis of the historical development of Nat Sankirtana in Manipur (two papers)
ii) The Tala system of Manipuri Sankirtana (Pung)
iii) The music of Manipur Ras-Raga, Tala and Bhava.
iv) The folk music traditions of the Manipur valley.
v) An overview of the musical traditions of the hill peoples of Manipur.
The festival is as much a tribute by the Sangeet Natak Akademi to Manipuri Nata Sankirtana as a distinct music tradition of the north east just like the Hindustani Music in the north and Carnatic in the South, and more importantly, the suffix classical in Hindustani and Carnatic music never find favor with the Akademi. Every region has its own music tradition and all are equally important music that contributes towards the enrichment of the music of the whole country.
There is no such thing as Hindustani Classical or Carnatic Classical. Precisely to emphasize this, the Sangeet Natak Akademi has celebrated the Brhaddesi Sangeet Mahotsav.
Although not expressed in words, the Festival turned out to be virtually an undeclared war of music between the host state Assam and Manipur–each trying to prove its excellences and superiority in their own music traditions. And what more appropriate forum can be had than the instant festival where almost all the big names of the country in the field of music and musicology were present. Each of the seven states of NE including Sikkim presented their traditional music supported by seminar papers from other scholars. But let me be candid without meaning any disrespect to them, Manipur and Assam topped the list in terms of variety and wealth of music traditions.
With the advantage of being the host state, Assam participated in the Fest. in a big way as supported by their state government they had fielded their best artistes and performed varieties of music like Borgeet, Ankinat and Bhaona, Satriya, Music, Ojhapali etc.
The Manipur contingent was organized, not by the state government but by a committee consisting of some eminent artistes like Ratan Thiyam and Shyam Sharma and a few music enthusiasts. The entire expenditure for the 100-odd artistes from Manipur was borne by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. About 15 of our senior octogenarian Ojhas of Pung and Nata Sankirtana were specially flown upto Guwahati for the crucial performance which had a high stake on the fate of our Nata Sankirtana Music. It was an opportunity not only to perform but also the most appropriate forum to explain to the eminent musicologists of the country about the status of our Nata Sankirtana. The atmosphere was surcharged with emotion and expectations and the tension was palpable in the hearts of every single artiste from Manipur.
The performance began on a specially constructed Manday, with the mighty Brahmaputra as the backdrop. The first night was devoted to our folk music traditions like the Pena (Phamsak), Khongjom Parva, Lai Haraoba songs etc. The second night was resounded with the performance of Dhumel and Nata Sankirtana, Nupi Pala/Vasak Sajjika, Holi Pala, Ras Sutradhari etc. The performances were followed by Seminar, discussions and paper-reading sessions the next morning.
While each and every scholar from Manipur presented their very best
dissertations to explain our multi-faceted music traditions (including tribal music), by far the most outstanding contribution was that of RK Singhajit Singh, the renewned scholar and exponent of Manipuri dance. He did not present any written paper; rather, he spoke ex-tempore on the subject "The Music of Manipur Ras-Raga, Tala, and Bhavan" which kept the distinguished gathering of artistes, scholars and musicologists thrilled and spell-bound by his erudition. After his
presentation, RK Singhajit Singh answered a battery of questions from the scholars and musicologists with great conviction and competence. Guruji, inspite of his busy schedule, came all the way from New Delhi to be able to present his paper. What he did on that day for the cause of Manipur's rich cultural traditions was simply marvelous and he had done Manipur proud.
Here, we have a point worth pondering. It's time for our own heart-searching. There are many eminent Ojhas and Gurus in Manipur in the field of Nata Sankirtana and Ras Dance much better than RK Singhajit Singh. But when it comes to speaking to a national and international audience, sadly, the Ojhas tail, due to lack of communication skill and knowledge of English or Hindi. The same is true about our Manipuri Ras Dance. Many excellent performing artistes are there in Manipur but none, who could give a proper lecture in a national festival, let alone an international forum, this is the Achilles' Heel of our Ojha gurus which is being exploited by some non-Manipuris and Bishnupriyas 'doing' Manipuri Dance elsewhere in the country. Forget about their knowledge of Manipuri dance; their only qualification is: they speak fluent English and Hindi and whatever they write or speak are being circulated as genuine Manipuri stuff. In such a scenario, what we need in Manipur today is someone, who is not merely a performing artiste but also a scholar who can convincingly interpret our Ras dance and Nata Sankirtana outside the four corners of Manipur. In
Guwahati, the mantle fell on the shoulder of RK Singhajit Singh who single-handedly defended our traditions.
It was a treat to watch and listen to his verbal duel with the top
musicologists of the country to prove his point that Nata Sankirtana music is as much a distinct genre of music like the Hindustani or the Carnatic music, quoting extensively from the Sanskrit texts of Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra, Goswami Jayadev's Geet Govinda, Kalidosa's Abhijnan Shakuntalam and even Ramakrishna Parmahans who said, 'I don't like to be sugar; I want to eat sugar.
For, it you are yourself sugar, you will never know the taste of sugar.' One by one he demolished their arguments and criticisms and ultimately convinced and proved to the distinguished scholars that Nata Sankirtana is not a folk music, as some pseudo-scholars wrongly assume, but a rare and distinct music tradition which had flourished in Manipur for the last 400 years which, unfortunately had long been misunderstood.
And this writer, who also attended the week-long festival as a delegate from Manipur, wishes to share his experience and the thrill of listening to RK Singhajit's lecture with my enlightened readers.
to
be continued....
(Courtesy:
The Imphal Free Press) |
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