Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 02 2009:
Taking theatrical activities to the hill districts of Manipur for the first time, a 45-day long theatre workshop cum production has been begun from today at Tongou village in Ukhrul district today.
Hosted by Zingso Arts and Films, the theatre workshop cum production is being organised by Khenjonglang, a theatre group based at Imphal in association with Meisum, Ukhrul as part of the Extension Programme of the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi.
The inaugural function of the workshop was attended titular king of Manipur Leishemba Sanajaoba as chief guest, president of Tangkhul Naga Long Stephen Angkang as guest of honour and chief of Tongou village AS Wungmatem as functional president.
Speaking at the occasion, Leishemba Sanajaoba stressed on modernising the traditional cultural elements instead of blind imitation of the western culture.
Only then the true identity of our culture can be preserved from the onslaught of globalisation, he said.
In his address as guest of honour of the function, Stephen Angkang expressed apprehension that the cultural elements of Tangkhul may be lost forever if there is no cultural institution to look after the preservation of these cultural elements.
While informing that efforts are being made to set up such a cultural institution at Tongou village, Stephen announced that the proposed cultural institution would function as a centre where the young Tangkhul boys and girls can learn about their culture and tradition.
Delivering his presidential address, chief of Tongou village AS Wungmatem described Tongou as a village which has closed relation in historical annals of Manipur.
Most of the people in Tongou are lovers of arts and culture.
But it is for the first time in the history of Tangkhul that such a theatre workshop is being organised, he said.
Explaining about the workshop, director of the workshop Thanilleima said it aims to take the rich cultural tradition of Tangkhul at the State and National level.
Apart from performance at Tongou and Imphal, the production to be finalised at the end of the workshop would be showcased even at the drama festival of the NSD, she informed.
Around 40 trainees including young artistes from five different villages namely Sana Keithel, Somdal, Tongou, Ukhrul and Imphal are taking part in the workshop during which the training session of acting and theory could be conducted by resource persons from NSD.
At the inaugural function of the workshop today, cultural dances of Tangkhul were performed apart from presentation of songs by the artistes of Khenjonglang.