Manimacha Devi (1st from right) with her troupe.
Manimacha Devi, the cymbal queen, is a great female singer of Manipuri nata sankirtana genre. When she breaks into song, she is a flamboyant bird wafting her luminous wings for a flight of melody tinged with bhakti. The music permeats her whole being -- her face changes expression with every line of song and her frame swings gently with every nuance of lyric. Her eyelashes flutter with tears down the cheek. The ultimate devotion is ecstatic.
She courageously fought a battle that was won and lost. She was excommunicated by Sangeet Natya Sabha (SNS), with tacit backing from Brahma Sabha and Govinda Temple Board. A female singer was to fight a Goliath for her professional survival. A tragic heroine was to search a medium to fully express her musical talents.
The use of kartal by female singers during nata sankirtana performance was objected by the SNS tooth and nail saying that it was an anathema to the parampara of the music. The grip of Vaishnavism in the Manipuri Hindu society was then very strong and the social mores and religious traditions were fixed by the Brahma Sabha. Anybody who went beyond the parameter was to face the ire and the resultant excommunication followed. Manimacha and her party had suffered the humiliation and pang of dejection.
Born on December 26, 1929 in Imphal, Manimacha Devi today is a happy and contended singer. She best recaptures her voluptuous past in the glory of the devotional songs she had sung. Sitting on the pinnacle of fame as a nata sankirtana singer, her versatility and continuous hold on the public is even more firmed.
Encouraged by her father Ibochouba to become a great artiste, she took part in gour leela, sansenba, etc., from an early age. Naorem Mani was her adi guru while musical celebrities of her time like Meisnam Guru Amubi, Haobam Oja Tomba, Akham Tomba, Sorokhaibam Paka, Yumnam Natum, and Ngangom Jugindro etc., also taught her the intricacies of song rendering.
Her singing career also took a new turn after her marriage. On her husband Thokchom Modhu's insistence, she went to the school of Konjengbam Oja Atoyaima of Sagolband to learn further the secret techniques of nata sankirtana. This Oja is more or less responsible for what she could achieve today and she proudly acknowdledges that she is a product of Atoyaima gharana.
With blessings from Oja Atoyaima, Manimacha and her party started singing sankirtana in standing position by holding mandila in their hands with abhinaya. Before that, the female singers used to sit on the floor of the mandapa where the sankirtana was held.
The experiment of holding kartal by female singers was successful and widely acclaimed by the public. However, the members of the SNS objected to that and thus started the war of attrition between Manimacha Devi and the SNS. She fought a court battle for five years.
Her sterling qualities were her good looks and mellifluous voice. She soon became a rage, an instant success and an unprecedented sell out.
At Heirok village, along the Indo-Burma road, one of her fans, Rupamani, organised a Basok in which Manimacha Devi's party was invited to sing. Rupamani announced through a loud speaker to dare excommunicate her for organising the programme. Thus Manimacha's admirers grew by leaps and bounds.
Finally, Manimacha Devi won the court case. She and her party were allowed to sing and dance with kartal in the mandapa of Shri Govindaji.
Manimacha Devi
In 1972 a hari sankirtana was performed in the temple of Shri Govindaji and Manimacha Devi and her party was formally invited to participate. In 1973 a programme was organised by the state government to commemorate the statehood day celebration. In 1979 a festival of Geeta Govinda was arranged by the Manipur State Kala Akademy and Manimacha Devi and Tampakleima got invitation for that. It is interesting to note that the chairman of the festival committee was Sagolsem Kalidaman who at one time was the president of SNS. No voice of protest, let alone excommunication, ever came from him.
In 1971 Manimacha Devi was invited to America to sing Nupipala along with Kunjeswari and Tampakleima -- a programme sponsored by Ranganiketan International of ISKCON. In 1974 the prestigious "Manipur State Kala Akademy Award" was bestowed upon her in recognition of her tireless contribution for the cause of Manipuri nata sankirtana genre.
Manimacha today is an institution by herself. Charangpat Bino, Chajing Angoubi, Praneswari and Sorojini, popular singers of the day, are the proud pupils of Manimacha Devi.
Konjengbam Kameshore
(Courtesy: North East Sun, New Delhi, Nov. 28, 1996)
