Imphal, December 10 2008: THE NATIONAL School of Drama, the premier theatre institute of Asia established under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India is exploring the beauties of the popular traditional Manipuri theatre form-Shumang Leela (courtyard play) which is only performed in the open space-courtyard or ground, with the audience watching it from all four sides.

Apart from organizing a Shumang Leela workshop recently in Imphal at Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen recently, the National School of Drama has invited a leading Shumang Leela troupe namely Peace Maker Artistes Association from Manipur for the 9-day Contemporary National Theatre Festival which is underway in New Delhi from December 9 as a part of second Delhi International Art Festival 2008 .

The Shumang Leela to be performed on December 17 at 6.30 pm at FICCI Auditorium here is Gusmaogee Khudol, East Timor (Gusmao's Gift, East Timor) directed by Birjit Ngangomba; Ranjit Ningthouja is the playwright.

The theme of the play is, There is no success without Unity.

On the other hand, where there is repression there will be resistance.

The director of the play Birjit Ngangomba said, The play attempts to spread the message to mankind, the importance of freedom.

The population of eight Lakh people in East Timor, an island country of 13667 is lets suffered continual repression and torture from the mainland Indonesian authority.

After subjugation to the Portuguese for a long 400 years, the people who long hoped for their self determination and sovereignty, the small country was again annexed to Indonesia that stands fourth position in global military power in the year 1975.In a melee of massacre, two lakh people lost their lives.

Timori K Rala Janana Gusmao, who was born on the soil of East Timor, who envisaged that ballot paper should defeat the bullet declared the policy of national unity and let flutter the four coloured flag of an independent East Timor on 20th May 2002 .

The play is based on the event that happened in East Timor.

Though the story is fictitious in case of some characters except the date of occasion and the places wherein the events took place, Gusmaogee Khudol is a play specially designed for Shumang Leela by the Peace Maker Artistes Association, Manipur, says the director.

About the production of Shumang Leela, Birjit Ngangomba said, the tradition of Sumang Leela is a long continuing process in Manipur.

My attempt is to produce a play without hindering the real canon of the original Sumang Leela tradition even if the story line of the play is based upon new events and new trend.

With the ability of the performers, the play exhibits the inner human feelings and need of freedom for all the human beings on the earth.

Novelty in story, style and performing design of Shumang Leela is not a continuum, but a tradition in itself GUSMOGEE KHUDOL is a play that is designed to impress upon the mind of the common people, the importance of human freedom.

Manipur had witnessed that a few Shumang Leela organisers had wrongly introduced the Shumang Leela outside Manipur by way of performing it in the proscenium theatre; thus spoiling the whole beauties of the traditional theatre form.

The unique quality of Shumang Leela is its communication skills established by the performers in the actor-audience relationship, in the performance where there is no set, prompter and props except two chairs and one side table.

This beautiful element can not be visible when it is performed in the proscenium stage.

Shumang Leela is not a proscenium theatre; the name Shumang Leela itself speaks the truth.

Momar Ghar (Assamese) directed by Abhinash Sharma from Assam, Radhar Maan Bhajan (Bangla) directed by Nikhil Sarkar from Tripura, The Legend of Chogyal Norzang (Hindi) directed by Sukh Bahadur from Arunachal Pradesh and Spartacus (Nagamese) directed by Gautam Majumdar from Nagaland are among the plays of the festival.

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