4th All Manipur Folk Drama Festival, 2014 kick started
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 14 2014:
Funded by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the 4th All Manipur Folk Drama Festival kick started today at Manipur Dramatic Union (MDU) hall.
The festival is being organised by Manipur Dramatic Union with an aim to preserve and promote the ancient folk dramas of the State.
The inaugural event was presided by retired professor, MU, Dr Nongmaithem Tombi Singh as functional chief guest, theatre critic IS Kangjam as guest of honour and Manipur Dramatic Union president Ksh Ibohal Singh as functional president respectively.
Delivering the key note address of the inaugural function, MDU vice-president H Shyamdhani Singh said that folk drama is one of the treasured forms of art introduced by early dramatists of the State.
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Folk drama at one point of history was the most appreciated form of art.
At present, however, the form is at the edge of extinction, he observed.
Manipur Dramatic Union has, since 2011, been celebrating the All Manipur Folk Drama festival with an aim to preserve and promote folk form of drama.
Speaking on the occasion, functional chief guest Dr N Tombi lauded the MDU for organising such an event.
A unique form of drama, introduced and staged only in Manipur, the folk drama has lost the position it once used to hold, the professor added.
He further encouraged authorities concerned to come up with policies and projects in order to revive the said form of drama.
Folk drama often depicts the ancient life of the people of Manipur.
These form, if lost, would rob the dramas of Manipur off its literary and aesthetic value, the Professor added.
He therefore, advised all drama personalities to document the form.
During his speech, guest of honour IS Kangjam called for mass support from the people in keeping alive the dramatic form.
Ksh Ibohal later appealed to the State Government to aid the union in its effort to preserve the State's folk drama.
A total of six folk plays would be staged during the six day long festival.
The Union' s very own play "Haoba Kounu" was staged during the inaugural function today.
Department of Art and Culture Director Dr K Sobita Devi and BJP Manipur Pradesh president Th Chaoba were present during the staging of the play.