Lost melodies: Violence robs Manipur of its musical vibrancy
Cleave, a metal band from Imphal, was looking for an opportunity to stage a comeback when an invitation to perform at the ShiRock Festival 2023 knocked at their door. They were scheduled to open Day 3 of the festival on May 19. It would have been the band’s first major gig in the past 11 years. They were hungry; had a lot bundled up inside and were rearing to let it all out in front of a...
Cleave, a metal band from Imphal, was looking for an opportunity to stage a comeback when an invitation to perform at the ShiRock Festival 2023 knocked at their door. They were scheduled to open Day 3 of the festival on May 19. It would have been the band’s first major gig in the past 11 years. They were hungry; had a lot bundled up inside and were rearing to let it all out in front of a home crowd. But it wasn’t to be as violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 and till date, peace eludes the North East’s ‘jewelled land’.
After lying dormant for a decade; Cleave was looking forward to the ShiRock stage. “We had been practising for over a month; we wanted to let everyone know that Cleave is still belting good progressive metal. But just days before the gig, all that excitement turned into fear,” says Thoi Khunjaoba, the drummer of the band, from Imphal.
The day when violence broke out at ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in Imphal, Thoi was getting ready for this daily jam with the band. “We usually jam at night. That day, I had just reached home from work and was flipping through some notes before the rehearsals when I heard about the clashes in news; it was probably around 7 pm,” he says.
What transpired in the next couple of days made Thoi a different person; a person who is now unable to do “normal” things. He hasn’t touched his drum kit in days and all he has been thinking about is his family’s safety. “By that night, the clashes escalated. The government cut off the internet. We were clueless what to do; reports of mobs burning houses and killing people were pouring in from all over. It’s been over one-and-a-half months now; we still have not been able to do normal things. All we can think of is what will happen next; will we be safe?” he informs.
From harmony to discord
After being confined strictly to homes during the pandemic and most of last year, Manipur’s music scene was recovering well in 2023. Concerts were being planned, international artistes were on the itineraries, fresh talents were rearing to make a mark — an eventful musical summer was on the cards for the fans.
One of the key events among the many was the annual, international rock festival of Manipur — ShiRock 2023. Scheduled to begin on May 17, like previous years, the four-day festival had released a stellar line-up with Israeli metal band Orphaned Land as the headliner. But the government event was called off.
“In the current scenario, hosting the festival is out of question. The committee also mulled over the option of postponing it to October, but looking at how things are, we don’t think we would be able to pull it off this year,” says Allen Robertson, the curator of the festival.
Allen informs that following the violence, a lot of festivals in Manipur have met with the same fate — the Northeast Autumn Festival at Jorcheng, Ukhrul in September and Sangai Festival in Churachandpur in November, to name a couple. The fate of the traditional festivals too hangs in balance, he says.
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Organiser of one of India’s most sought-after independent festivals – Where Have All The Flowers Gone, Akhu Chingangbam, informs that this year’s edition of the three-day, sustainable, music and art festival will not take place.
“Perhaps, if conditions improve during the winter (specifically in December), there might be a possibility for us to proceed. Although currently it seems unfeasible; if circumstances allow, we can start planning again,” says the songwriter and vocalist of the band Imphal Talkies.
For some, the music festival’s near-future looks bleak as the tragic episode will have a severe repercussion on them in terms of turnout. “For instance, a lot of people have migrated to other Northeastern states following the violence. Security will be a major concern as people would be afraid to travel to certain areas; it will be difficult to get international artistes as well,” Allen says.
Imphal, a no-go?
Imphal, the capital, is univocally the hub of music in the state. But the recent clashes have understandably instilled a sense of apprehension among musicians from diverse communities to come and take the stage. These artistes, who were once regulars in the city’s vibrant music scene, are now hesitant to perform in Imphal.
“Returning to my hometown, Imphal now would be scary. But I still want to go back since that’s where I grew up and have many childhood friends. In fact, I have more Meitei friends than from my own community. Unfortunately, even if the situation improves in the future and I am there, I’ll always have to look over my shoulder. I came to Delhi a few days ago… So, performing in Imphal isn’t something I see happening anytime soon,” says Anggu – a musician from the Kuki community who pioneered the café-gig culture around Imphal and had opened for Mr Big’s Eric Martin in Manipur.
Currently in Mumbai, Asherie, a vocalist who had shared the stage with bigwigs such as Nazareth and Extreme, is “somewhat okay” with performing in Imphal but it’s the mobs she is worried about. “I was born in Imphal and would love to go back; why would I have any issue with my own people? But I am scared of mobs. We don’t know who these people are,” she avers.
Peace talks
Of late, peaceful protests against the violence have mushroomed all over the nation, somewhat adding to the already mounting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the nation on the issue. And keeping in line, some artistes from the Imphal music fraternity are mulling over a peace protest and put their weight behind the appeal for PM’s intervention.
“Yes, we are contemplating a peace protest in Imphal to urge for unconditional peace in our state,” reveals Kendy Heigrujam, vocalist of the alt-punk band, Dirty Strikes.
He goes on to say that if staged, the protest will not be limited to the participation by Meiteis alone; invitations will be extended to the Kukis, Zos, Nagas, Tangkhuls, and other communities, urging them to unite in this collective endeavour. “We will be having a meeting in the next couple of days,” he informs, clarifying that he doesn’t align with any particular organisation.
Meanwhile, Akhu, while expressing his unawareness of such a planned demonstration, emphasises that “peace can only return to Manipur when violence ceases to exist”. Acknowledging the recent surge in peace protests within the region and outside, he firmly asserts that peace and violence cannot coexist. “Firing is still going on, people are still being killed, thousands are homeless; in such a situation, how can we talk of peace; who will listen,” he says, adding that instead, people should step up and help rehabilitate the victims of violence.
Notes of resilience
The unfortunate events that have unfolded in Manipur have indeed cast a shadow over the future of music in the state. But, amidst the turmoil, musicians are striving to provide rehabilitation and support.
Akhu, together with his musician friend Chaoba Thiyam, creative director at Siyom, an experimental folk ensemble in Imphal, have started visiting relief camps providing assistance in their individual capacities.
“As the violence escalated after May 3, a sense of guilt overwhelmed me. Imphal still offers a relatively safer environment but people in other parts of the state are suffering. I thought of Phayeng (village). I wanted to personally reach out to its inhabitants and enquire about their well-being as we are friends,” says Choaba.
Determined to offer support, he contacted Akhu, and together they journeyed to Phayeng. “The village was fraught with tension, marked by roadblocks. We had to go through a series of frisking and could only enter the village through persuasion. But we managed to meet with the people and provided essential medical kits and grocery supplies that we were carrying,” he says.
The Supreme Court on May 8 had asked the Centre to raise security, and focus on relief and rehabilitation of those affected the violence. “Some NGOs and activists have taken the initiative of visiting the relief camps and providing education to the children. But it’s not easy to go all out in individual capacity — you require support, resources, funding, and necessary supplies. But plans in this direction are afoot,” Akhu adds.
Matai Society, an inclusive society for queer, trans persons and women, has been actively working towards this goal in Moirang. Based out of the town is about 45 km from Imphal, the society has been striving to provide rehabilitation to children of displaced families in two relief camps in the Bishnupur district.
“We are getting heart-warming support from the artistes. The ones that we personally know called us up asking how they can help in the relief works. That is very supportive and heart-warming to begin with. We work very closely with them,” said Davidson Kumam, founder of the society.
Shantanu Heisram, an electronic musician, who recently volunteered in one of the camps that houses over 20 children, says that his hidden agenda was to keep the kids occupied with creative activities.
“So, that got me thinking. One day, I gathered whatever resources I could find — mostly activity books for children given to me by Akhu some years ago —and headed to one of these camps in Moirang. It turned out to be an incredibly engaging and unique experience. I believe it must have been equally different for the kids. However, for me, it was primarily a personal endeavour to not keep kids away from books for a long time,” says Shantanu.