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A Flower on Lofty Heights: The Role of Women and Dance in Manipur |
| Section: CULTURE / PEOPLES |
| Author: Lalit Gambhir |
| Publication:
The World & I Online |
| Issue Date: 6/1/1991 |
| Size: 2,979 Words, 17,918 Characters |
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To the outside world, the northeastern Indian state of Manipur is a land made famous by the dancing and weaving done by its women. Manipuri women are thought of as gracious tendrils in the breeze, rhythmically swaying, or as retiring housewives, leisurely tucking at their looms. But they are much more.
The Manipuri (or Meithei, as the people call themselves) woman is like the legendary and contemporary heroine. She can be as firm a ruler, and as good or as disloyal a subject, as circumstances deem necessary. For example, when political struggles in the state during this century assumed a popular character, it was inevitable that women would ferment the dough with the yeast of their militancy. Since 1891, there have been various upheavals in the valley lowlands of the mountainous state. Two of the most significant, known in Manipur as Women's War I and II, took place in 1904 and 1939-40 and are now rightly considered as watershed moments in Manipur's fight for independence--from Burmese encroachments--and democracy.
But powerful as Manipuri women are, they are not as renowned as classical Manipuri dance, which was introduced to the country as a whole through the work of Rabindranath Tagore in 1917. Indeed, legends explain that the very creation or discovery of Manipur resulted from the delight the gods took in dancing. One legend claims that it was Shiva--the mythological Master Creator of the Universe--and his wife, Parvati, who first discovered the country. According to this story, the divine couple, longing for some diversion, descended on a sequestered spot and disported themselves in dancing. The snake god Anantha was attracted to the scene and the dance went on for many days and nights. During this time, the gem on the hood of the snake god lit ...
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...ommunicated through dance. The invention of clothing is followed by the beginning of fishing with a net, after which people gather for sports.
Thus we see that, in a simple ceremony, every aspect of the social and cultural milieu of the Meitheis is expressed, the central role of women affirmed, and the time-honored occupations of life attributed the gentle guidance of divine providence.
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Publication Details
(The World & I Online) |
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The World & I Online is a
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articles by scholars and experts in the areas of Global Studies,
Liberal Arts, Fine & Applied Arts, General Science, and Spanish.
Originally published monthly in print as The World & I, our site
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