The second International Classical Manipuri Dance Festival was held at Satyajit Ray Auditorium to pay a tribute to the 106th birth anniversary of Guru Bipin Singh by the artistic director Sruti Bandhopadhay under the Horizon series of ICCR.

Hailing from Cachar, an adjacent district of Manipur, Guru Bipin Singh was trained in the art of Manipuri dance by various Gurus. His accomplishments in Manipuri dance are unparalleled. Since 1954, he has made ceaseless efforts to preserve, perpetuate, and propagate the art of Manipuri dance in its pristine purity and has made a creative contribution to the cultural renaissance of the country.

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The very first piece, Mangalacharan, was performed by Sruti Performing Troupe. Dancers hailed Krishna and Radha and sorted their blessings very significantly through the composition of Guru Bipin Singh, supported by the vocal rendition of Atashi Chatterjee, the pung played by Birmangal Singh.

Bilash Singh, director, Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, and Minakshi Mishra, regional director of ICCR, inaugurated the ceremony.

Sruti Bandopadhay and Priti Patel, disciples of Guru Bipin Singh, also paid their tributes to their Guru.

The various workshops that the students and members of the Sruti Performing Troupe attended or organised in the previous year were included in the evening’s program. Swaraprabandha, imparted through a workshop conducted in June by Prof. Sruti Bandopadhay herself, was one of them. Swarprabhanda was a pure dance item where Lalita, the main Sakhi of Krishna and Radha, dances to please Krishna and Radha. Based on tala Khuji of 16 beats, it used the Bhupali Raga. The Sanskrit shloka described the Ragamurti of Bhupali Raga. The song used combinations of the swaras or the notes to knit a prabandha song, on which choicest dignified lasya movements were created. This song was sung by Guru Kalavati Devi, and Pung Vadan was by Birmangal Singh. It was performed by Soma Roy and Arpita Saha from Manipuri Nartanalaya and Somabha Bandopadhay; Amrita Ghosh Ratri Manik from Sruti Performing Troupe. Makok Chingbi is taught by Padmasree awardee Darshana Jhaveri. Makok Chinbi is a traditional dance on the pung syllables of the primary gopi based on tala tanchep. The next item, Ek Gopi Ek Shyam—a composition of Guru Bipin Singh—was taught by Darshana Jhaveri. According to Ras Panchadhayi Shrimadbhagabat, at the end of this Maharasa, all the gopis feel the presence of Krishna with each of them. Hence the concept of ek gopi ek shyam. It was sung by Atashi Chatterjee, and the pung vadan was by Birmangal Singh. Krishna Roop Barnan was performed by the disciples, Sruti Bandopadhay. Set in Taal Teora, it was sung by Kalavati Devi. The dance composition was by Guru Bipin Singh and performed by Kosturi Hazra, Namrata Das, Ratri Manik, and Sohini Tudu. Anangashep by the students of Sruti Bandopadhay was unique. In the story line, Radha accuses Ananga Deva, the God of Love, of mistaking her for Shiva. According to mythology, Shiva once enraged and burnt Ananga Deva to ashes. In seeking revenge, Ananga Deva mistakenly inflicts Radha. Radha appeals to Ananga Deva to unite her with Krishna and experience the bliss of love. Set to the rhythms of Taal Tanchap and Mankup, the dancers Kosturi, Namrata, Ratri, and Sohini emoted well. Somabha Bandopadhay, an accomplished Manipuri dancer, excelled in performing Balaram Nartan, which is a both lyrical and forceful composition of Guru Bipin Singh sung by Draupadi Devi. Yugal Nartan of Radha and Krishna was a combination of the Lasya and Tandava aspects of Manipuri dance portrayed tellingly. Atashi Chaterjee and Kalavati Devi gave them the vocal support. It was composed with a range of talas—Duitalmacha of 12 beats, Brahmatal of 28 beats, Tanchep of 8 beats, Menkup of 6 beats—only a creative mind with good knowledge could have composed and choreographed it. Radha Nartan, sung by Kalavati Devi to the lyric composition of Bimbavati Devi, was a unique piece performed by Anwesha Bagchi, Amrita Ghosh, Ajlakshmi Ghosh, Namrata Das, Mallika Ghosh, Sohini Tudu, Shrabanti Chowdhury, Purba Hor, Rinki Das and Arpita Laha.

Inspired by the Padavali songs of Tagore, Bhanusingher Padavali students of Manorath Institute of Dance—directed by Iliya Das Mukherjee, one of the senior disciples of Sruti Bandopadhay—presented a few of her choreographed pieces. Performed by Purba Dey, Samriddhi Saha, Dipshikha Sarkar, Mouparna Maity, Ankita Mandol, Dipanwita Natta and Debadrita Das.

After this, the audience got to see glimpses of Rabindra Nritya, the dance idiom of Rabindranath, which she has been researching in Sangeet Bhavana, Viswabharati University. Her association with Sangit Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, is responsible for her abiding interest in Rabindranritya, the dance idiom of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore was inspired greatly by the lyrical and soft movements of Manipuri Dance and took all efforts in bringing the Gurus of the dance form to his ashram in Santiniketan, and there began the flowering of his idiom of dance.

The dance pieces were performed by scholarship holders in Rabindranritya, junior fellowship holders in Rabindranritya, who are not only working with Sruti Performing Troupe but also are research scholars under her at Viswabharati University. “Nupuro Beje Jay Rini rini”—coreographed in pristine Manipuri style by Nabakumar Singh—”Amay Khomo he khomo,” from Natir Puja, written in 1926—which created history when a Bengali girl danced a solo Manipuri dance for public view, “Kusume kusume Charono Chinno diye jai,” were the pieces danced with elan.

The evening ended with “Nanichuri”—on the childhood pranks of Krishna—a popular composition of Guru Bipin Singh by the disciples of Sruti Bandopadhay. The stealing of buttermilk by Krishna and his friends is a favourite theme among all dance forms, more so in Manipuri. The inspiration for the piece was the Udukhal rasa of Manipur. It is set on Tala Tanchep and Menkup.

There was a surprise presentation with live music by Krishna Balyaleela by the young disciples of Manipuri exponent Priti Patel.

Guru Bipin Singh was a pioneer in bringing the unique tradition of Manipuri dance on to the stage. He took inspiration from the tradition and composed some iconic compositions. Excerpts from the Goshta Leela, which are events from Krishna’s childhood, were enacted. Guruji composed the dances of Krishna and Balaram and their play in the meadows. The piece presented began with Krishna Balaram Nartan, followed by Kandukkhel, Kaliya Daman and Bakasur Vadh.

Young Pung Cholom artists L. Bidyasagar Sharma and Swatik Kumar Sharma commended themselves very well. In the role of Krishna was W. Gunchenbi, and in the role of Balaram was W. Henthoi. S. Robert Meitei was Kaliya, and K. Sushil Singh was Bakasur. The musicians were vocal—W. Suraj Kumar, Pung—K. Ratan Singh, flute—Ratan Singh, costume—S. Karuna Devi, and lights—Samar Das. Artistic direction was by Priti Patel. The dancers, who were young children, displayed unbelievable talent.

The writer is a senior dance critic