“A New Spring Season” (A New Array in Manipuri Theatre)

By: Sougrakpam Bhubol
The ‘Chief Minister gi Artist sing gi Tengbang’ (the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for Artists) has led to materializing the long cherished dream of the state’s artists, and it was proven by the presentation of the “A New Spring Season” on the auditorium of the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy (JNMDA) on Saturday, the 10th February, 2024, that amazingly beautiful dramatic play dumbfounded the attentive audience with new thrills of stimulation, provocative thoughts and meaningful mirth while streaming down the central theme of sketching the life of a renowned female artist whose professional artistic life has been tragically impacted upon by post married seemingly bondage and lethargic life. The play was produced under the ‘Chief Minister gi Artists sing gi Tengbang’ through the Directorate of Art and Culture, Govt. of Manipur. Herein this play, the protagonist ‘Sati’ whose past youthful and frisky life of a popular artist was about to be hesitantly halted with post parried awkward life as if vanquishing of all her inborn talents of artful life and pressurizing to keep quietness and to follow the new family’s vogue and tradition. But, while living unable to shield up for long the strong artistic impulse she possesses as an active volcano in unsure dormancy, she is often astounded by the portrait of a lioness inside its cage keeping in her bed room, all about her past life. Recollecting the bygone blissful moments with the man who presented her the picture and relative past glowing events of life, she perked up with new spring of hope. Thus, the pre- and post- marriage confrontational lives of an artist are skillfully revealed in this drama. When she is awakened, she feels refreshing of all her redundancies and hopes for new artistic ventures are flowing steadily into her mind as if new springs are to decorating her life. With instincts, many artists grew up with high aspirations like a canoe trimming through gigantic waves and tempest and energizing with heavenly artistic lives, but many are often met with abrupt changes after entering new life (marriage) as succumb to uncongenial environment which is often ceasing the flipping wings of artistic talents. This clean message is given herein this play by the collective effort of the playwright, the director and other artists.
The artistic talents of the state are world famous, and among others , the contribution of ‘Manipur Ensemble’ praiseworthy as it has produced various original plays before, and also ones based on translated works of the Indian theatrical and the Greek theatrical plays, but present play entitled ‘A New Spring’ is indeed a play with different taste that can really overwhelm the minds and emotions of the spectators from beginning to end. This new play production is designed and directed by renowned theatre personality Kshetri Jugindra who needs no introduction in the theatrical world, based on the story book entitled ‘Anouba Yenningtha Ama’ (A New Spring Season) written by Shahitya Academy Awardee Ningombam Sunita Devi. Dr Jugindra is indeed a well known visionary theatre personality whose background as graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi and as founding director of the ‘Manipur Ensemble’, Imphal, and also expertise in modern theatre, has contributed commendable works on theatre including producing of many talented artists. His present play is one vivid example of his personality as he can impressively manifest clean blocking, Light and setting values, space utilization and in adeptness of the dramatic science etc. With all these contents, the protagonist role of ‘Sati’ played by artist Nganthoi Chabungbam truly stunned the audience and the other astounding characters played by different skilled artisans including the role of artist Ranibala Mutum for the character of ‘mother-in-law’ have made the play successful. Everyone will certainly praise upon role played by the director for so careful choosing artists for characters and giving assignments which all sent the audience into a trance with amazing acceptance. To conclude, it is suggested that knowing the shortage of state sponsored modernized theatre hall, the long cherishing dream of theatre lovers for showcasing their productions timely and effectively, if a government sponsored theatre is constructed at a right place, the noble objective ‘Chief Minister gi Artists sing gi Tengbang’ shall be more meaningful with applause by one and all.
(The writer is the Secretary of All Manipur Columnists’ Union)