Shumang Leela Festival : Mdlom artistes wow audience with 'Shirui Lily'
Source: Chronicle News Service / Mission Oinam
Imphal, February 18 2023:
The Nupi (Female) Shumang Leela category of the ongoing 51st All Manipur Shumang Leela Festival 2022-23 organised by Manipur State Kala Akademi at Th Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen, Palace Compound culminated on Friday.
On the seventh and last day for the Nupi (Female) Shumang Leela category of the festival, Malom Panthoibi Artistes' Association presented the contemporary play, 'Shirui Lily'.
The play is centred on Meetei lad Thoungamba who works as a carpenter in Shirui village of Ukhrul district.
He married Luingam's daughter Singhorla and the couple was blessed with a daughter, Lily.
However, Thoungamba went into hiding after the authorities tried to arrest him on charges of having links with banned Naga outfits.
Unable to bear the separation from her husband, Singhorla dies and Lily is raised by her grandfather Luingam.
Lily, however, is ill-treated by the villagers for being mixed-blood and both the aggrieved grand-father-granddaughter duo move to Ukhrul town.
While Luingam and the father of Ukhrul police station SI Ningheimo promise to have their wards marry each other, Lily falls in love with Meetei lad Nongpok, who works in Ukhrul and wants to embrace her identity as a Meetei ningol.
Meanwhile, Sumila, a liquor vendor who disregards the lives of women, colludes with a Punjabi Dilip Singh in destroying the lives of many women.
Sumila also tries to sell Lily to Dilip Singh and sets a trap for the same, but is killed by Lily in self-defence.
SI Ningheimo investigates Sumila's murder and finds that Lily is the murderer.
He also unearths various illegal activities involving Sumila and Dilip Singh.
However, he chose to protect Lily, taking her as his blood-sister and hides the details of the investigation.
After saving Lily, Ningheimo ensures the happy ending of Nongpok and Lily.
Meanwhile, Lily's birth father Thoungamba shoots Dilip Singh dead and surrenders himself to the police.
Written by A Tomchou, the play has been directed by Y Somita Devi.
The male roles are portrayed by Lemba Ch (Nongpok), A Naobi (SI Ningheimo), Y Somita Devi (Luingam), Ch Landhoni (Thoungamba), Sana (Khomei), L Manihanbi (Dilip Singh) and police constables played by Ch Manglembi and I Modhumala.
The female characters were played by S Roshni (Lily), L Ishoni (Rozy) and N Sushila (Sumila) .
'Shirui Lily' was a different genre, compared to other plays performed during the festival.
Most of the plays were either historical or folklore based, but 'Shirui Lily' is a social play, carrying the message of deepening the relationship between the hills and the valley.
Although social plays performed by all women Leela groups often had weak execution in the past, Malom Panthoibi Artistes' Association broke the stereotype with this play.
The artistes matched well with the physiques of the characters and acted out their roles satisfactorily.
There is still room for improvement but enthralling the audience through a different genre is laudable.