Imphal, December 22: In an effort to revive and preserve Pena, an indigenous musical instrument of the traditionally cultured people of Manipur, an eight day long Pena Phamshak festival was held here at Naoremthong for the first time after a gap of more than a decade or so.

The colourfully arranged musical festival specially on Pena which began from December 15 concluded this evening with echoic solo and group performance displayed by eminent Pena players from Meitei and Tangkhul community.

Such a rare eight day long festival of Pena Phamshak was organized by the Epanath Ipunath Thijinba Kanglup popularly known as EPATHOUKOK across this state under the sponsorship of northeast zonal cultural centre, Dimapur and Department of Art and Culture, Government of Manipur.

"The main idea of organizing such kind of festival is to preserve the royal court music, Pena in this contemporary Manipuri society" Makhonmani Mongshaba, Secretary of EPATHOUKOK said.

Makhonmani, a national awardee for producing a popular Manipuri feature film Chatledo Eidi and currently undergoing research works in many of the indigenous musical instruments as well as other traditional costumes made it clear that "Pena is royal court music" not just an ordinary folk music compared to other indigenous instruments.

"Of course pena is a kind of folk music, but then it has its own place in the royal court when Manipur was a princely State, it was clearly written in the Royal Chronicle Cheitharol Kumbaba", he said.

During this eight day long festival of such indigenous royal court music, Pena, not less than 18 eminent Pena players cum singers who can performed the coveted Phamshak sequences unlike others, of Manipur participated in the festival.

According to the researchers, there are about 145 Pena players cum singers in the valley areas.

There are also some Pena players in the hill districts particularly among the different tribes.

Two Tangkhul Pena players cum singers also came out openly in public this time and took part in the eight day long festival.

Talking to this correspondent, RS Shangmakhai, a Pena singer from Shangshak in Ukhrul district presently settling in Yaingangpokpi along the Imphal-Ukhrul road said "nowadays we hardly get the opportunity to perform old old-time talents in playing tingtela (Pena in Tangkhul dialect) in view of the modern day's music," adding "however we are always invited for our performance during LUI NGAI NI festival or during Yanger-Luikup-Phani season.

LUI NGAI NI is the seed sowing festival of the Naga tribes living in Manipur which always falls on February 15 of every year, while the Yanger-Luikap-Phani is another post harvest festival celebrated among the Tangkhul community in the State prior to the beginning of the festival.

EPATHOUKOK also organized one day seminar to preserve PENA as royal court music on December 4 last wherein the delegates resolved to urge the concerned authorities to revive the status of Pena as royal court music as respected in the past.

The resolution copy of the seminar was also made available to the Art and Culture Minister Dr M Nara for his attention in upgrading the present status of Pena as well as to consider the matter while framing the final draft policy of proposed forthcoming Manipur Cultural policy, the first and only cultural policy to be enacted in a State in this sub-continent.

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