A retrospective of the Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance

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A night view of Shree Shree Govindajee Temple complex, Kangla Fort , Imphal on November 08 2014 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

For the first time in 1989, a national level classical dance festival was held at the Shree Shree Govindajee temple at the Kangla in Imphal. Conceived as a tribute to the saint king of Manipur, Meidingu Chingthamkhomba popularly known as Rajashi Bhagyachandra (1759-1798 A.D.), who is credited as the creator of the world renown Manipuri classical dance Raas Leela, the festival was aptly named as the Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance.

The then Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri Rajkumar Jaichandra Singh opened the festival (1st to 5th November) which showcased performances by well known classical dance exponents like Kalamandalam Krishna Nair (Kathakali), Birju Maharaj (Kathak), Alarmel Valli (Bharatanatyam), Protima Bedi (Odissi), Bharata Shivaji (Mohiniyattam) and Kala Krishna (Kuchipudi).

Manipuri artistes Thambalngoubi Devi and Charu Sija interacted with them. The opening function was presided by Shri Veera Raghavan, •Secretary (Culture), Government of India. The festival was jointly organized by the East Zone Cultural Centre, Calcutta; the North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur and the Department of Social Welfare, Art & Culture, Government of Manipur.

The second edition of the festival was held in Imphal from the 19th to the 22nd of March in 1993. Shri Sagolsem Kalidamon, eminent Guru of Manipuri Nata Sankritana, inaugurated the festival at the Palace Compound campus of the Directorate of Art & Culture, Manipur, with the temple of Thangal General in the background. Popular Odissi exponents Sonal Mu-.dngh, Sutopa Talukdar and Jayanta Mukherjee enthralled the audience at the festival. Manipuri classical dance performances by Th. Surjamukhi Devi, A. Rasheswori Devi, W. Lokendrajit Singh, A. Lakshmi Devi, Priti Patel and Sruti Banerjee were the other features of the festival.

The third edition was held from May 28th up to June 1st in 1995. Kathak exponent Rani Khanam, Odissi exponent Kumkum Mohanty, and Manipuri artistes A. Lakshmi Devi, K. Binakumari Devi, A. Rasheswori Devi, Sh. Nimita Devi, T.Gyanpati Devi and L. Manorama Devi performed at the festival. Nata Sankritana (Nupa pala) and Nritya Raas performance was held at the Shree Shree Bijoygovinda mandap in Imphal on the concluding day.

The fourth edition was held in Imphal from the 15th up to 18th November in 1997. Performances by well known Bharatanatyam artiste Leela Samson, Odissi artiste Madhvi Mudgal, Kathak artistes Veronique Azan and Aditi Mangal Das were the highlight of the festival. Manipuri artistes N. Amusana Devi, R.K. Sushila Devi and G. Latasana Devi performed at the festival.

The fifth Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance was held at the Bhagyachandra Open Air Theater in Imphal from the 4th up to 6th December in 1999. Bharatanatyam performance by Madhuboni Chatterjee, group Kathakali performance by the artistes of Trivendrum based Kalabharathi, group Manipuri performance by the artistes of Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal and solo Manipuri performance by Mayanglambam Sorojini Chanu were the highlights of the festival.

The sixth edition of the festival was also held at the Bhagyachandra Open Air Theater in Imphal from the 25th up to 28th February in 2002. An opening event of Nata Sankritana (Nupa pala) and Nritya Raas was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy on the 25th. Well known Odissi exponent Sonal Mansingh, Odissi artiste Rupashree Mahapatra, Kathak artiste Shovana Narayan, Kuchipudi artiste Ananda Shankar Jayant and Kathak artiste Malti Shyam enthralled the audience at the festival.

Manipuri artistes M. Dhanapati Devi, Priti Patel, S. Noyonsakhi Devi, and W. Lokendrajit Singh performed at the festival. Group performances by the artistes of JNMDA and the Government Dance College, Imphal were the other highlights of the festival.

The ninth edition of the festival was held from the 10th up to the 13th of November in 2011. On the opening day, Nata Sankritana (Nupa pala) and Nritya Raas was held at the sacred Kaina site in Imphal East District. Kaina is associated with Rajarshi Bhagyachandra who conceived the Raas leela towards the end of the 18th century A.D. The classical dance performances were held at the Shree Shree Govindajee temple complex at Kangla in central Imphal.

Kuchipudi artiste Vedantam Venkata Naga Chalapathi Rao, Sattriya artiste Anita Sharma, Odissi artistes Madhusmita Mohanty and Ramesh Chandra Jena, Mohiniyattam artiste Pallavi Krishnan, Kathak artiste Pandit Rajendra Gangani, Bharatanatyam artiste Vani Ganapathy, and Manipuri artistes Thokchom Ibemubi Devi, Elam Indira Devi, Pukhrambam Bilash Singh,