Dr Ranjan pitches for promoting mime plays
Source: Chronicle News Service / DIPR
Imphal, April 16 2022:
Union minister of state for external affairs & education Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh inaugurated the 2nd National Mime Festival on Saturday at Kanglei Mime Theatre Repertory Complex, Langthabal Kunja.
The festival organised by Kanglei Mime Theatre Repertory (KMRT) Imphal, under the sponsorship of North Eastern Council (NEC), Shillong, ministry of DoNER will continue till April 19 .
Speaking as chief guest, Dr RK Ranjan applauded efforts of the theatre director in bringing and promoting the art form in the state.
He stated that mime plays a big role in making people in other parts of the country aware about culture and tradition through voiceless expressions/gestures.
He further stated that through the medium of mime we can express the wants and desires of the people.
Dr Ranjan said there is a lot of potential among the people of the state and talented people need to be prop erly groomed like that in sports.
Mime can be popularised in schools and education system as extra-curricular activities.
"We need to appreciate and encourage the KMRT which have earned a place in this particular art form," he added.
The union minister also gave assurance in co-relating with embassies of different countries through Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), ministry of External Affairs to popularise the mime of the state at international and national level.
Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba, who is also the titular king of Manipur, and attended the event as president, said that the art form can play a big role in national integration through its performance regardless of language barrier.
Mime Artistes from Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Rajasthan are participating in the workshop and giving performances at the festival.
It is worth mentioning that Mime, in the modern sense, is a drama performance or scene played with movement and gesture without speech, thus a non-literary art.
Action and feeling are expressed through gesture and movement, the meaning of which is usually very clear.
Mime as an art form in the west originated from Europe.
It was well practiced as a theatrical art form from as early as the Greek Classic age.
Tripura University vice chancellor Dr Ganga Prasad Prasain, delegates from Japan, scholars and theatre artistes attended the inaugural function.
The inaugural function was marked by presentation of mime play 'Illusion, Love, Feelings, Dentist' by Suvendhu and Subrata Das from Kolkata.