Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla today inaugurated the five-day 1st North East Waree Leeba Festival, 2026, at Irom Meijrao Mamang Community Hall in Imphal West district, bringing together traditional storytelling artists from across the North Eastern region.
The festival is being organised by the Repertory of Waree Leeba, Khurai, in association with the Irom Meijrao Women for Cultural Centre.
During the inaugural function, the Governor paid floral tributes to the portraits of three departed Waree Leeba gurus and felicitated gurus from Assam and Tripura.
Addressing the gathering, Bhalla congratulated the organisers for bringing together artists from different parts of the region to celebrate and preserve the traditional art of storytelling. He observed that Waree Leeba was more than a form of entertainment, describing it as a living cultural tradition through which ancestral knowledge, beliefs, myths and legends are transmitted across generations.
He said traditional storytelling continued to play an important role in educating society and conveying values, adding that preserving Waree Leeba was essential to safeguarding Manipur’s cultural identity and collective memory.
Expressing confidence that the festival would encourage sustained efforts to promote the art form, the Governor also highlighted its potential to strengthen cultural cooperation among the North Eastern states.
As part of the programme, the Governor witnessed a Waree Leeba presentation based on an episode from the Mahabharata, narrated by renowned artist Shyamkanhai Singh. Appreciating the artist’s expressive narration and traditional storytelling skills, he said the performance brought the epic to life through the distinctive art form.
Art and Culture Minister Kh. Loken Singh, along with Waree Leeba gurus and artists, attended the inaugural programme.
