When I first saw Manipuri dance for the first time in one of art and culture book, I thought it’s a fairy tale. My interest was captured by its colourful costumes beautiful damsel (just like fairies) and there graceful gestures.

As I grew up, my interest to know more and more about it remained intact. I read books, articles and columns to know more about it unaltered. I read books, columns to know more about it.

As I was born and brought up in North East , when I learnt that it is one of the six classical dances of India, I really felt proud of it. The others are Bharatnatyam, , Kuchipuri, Kathak, Kathakali and Oddisi.

The Manipuri dance is unique from other as it has retained its past glory starting from Vedic times to present times . It is said that the indigenous people of this region were said to be dance experts called Gandharvas, which is mentioned in the epic of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and other religious scriptures. These dance forms are religious in nature, which is performed to attain spiritual experience.

Among the Manipuri dances, the most popular is Raas Lila. It is actually a dance drama, choreographed on ‘Viashnavite Padavalis’. These Padavalis are composed by eminent Bengali poets and Manipuri Gurus.

The story goes back to the 15th century. It was then when  that all religious developments taking place in Bangladesh casted its impact upon Manipuri. This influence was visible in Manipuri songs and dance in mid 17th century.

The Raas Leela specially enliven the play days and dances of Radhe Krsna with Gopinis. It is ritualistic and recreational. The technique of dance is very unique. The dancers main objective is to get rounded movements avoiding sharp edges, straight line jerks. One will be amazed to see that the dancers never strike the ground by producing sound impact. Even the Mudras are very subtle and not hard. Their facial movements are also meaningful. The dance aims for devotion and grace. The ankle and knee joints are purposefully used as shock absorbers.

The costumes that the Manipuri dancers wear are very attractive. It has it own significance. They are brilliantly decorated and adorned aesthetically. The female dancers wear Patloi. The Lehanga that they wear is ‘Kumin’, which has rich intricately woven designs done with mirrors and Zari work.

The instruments that are played in the dance, as I have studied, are Pung, Pena, Kartal(cymbals) and Mazilla, Mangkang, Sembang, Baashi and Harmonium. Dances and the beats are very much based on Kartal. They are not simply used as accompaniment, but are actually used in the dances.

Apart from Raas Leela, the other Manipuri dances are Gostha Lila(Rahu kaal), Khamba Thoibi,  Pala Kirtana, Pung Cholom.

Ther present acclaimed Manipuri dancers are Guru Senavik Raaj Kumar hanjaba, Guru Bipin Singha , Guru Chandrakanta Singha-Nartanacharya, Guru Nilmadhab Mukherjee,  Bibhavati Devi, Kalavati Devi to name a few.

The Manipuri Dance College of Imphal (Jawaharlal Manipur Dance Academy in 1957) wasa started in 1954. In 1972, Manipuri Nartanalaya was founded in Mumbai, Kolakata and Imphal by Guru Bipin Singh, the Jhaveri Sisters and kalavati Devi.

Ther popularity of Manbipuri dance, particularly the Raas Leela, is not only in North East, but across India and the Globe. Guru Rabindranath Tagore , the world poet, was so much mesmerized by the dance form that he invited luminaries of the art to teach the same to Shantiniketan. The Guru, who were invited were Guru Budhimantra Singh to teach Gostha Lila, Guru Naba Kumar, Guru Senarik Singh Rajkumar, Guru Nieshwar Mukhrjee and Guru Atomba Singh. They assisted Gurudev in choreography of several dance dramas in Shantiniketan.

So, the childhood fantasy about a fairy tale is not surprising. The more I am reading about it, the more I want to. This is how  I am interpreting a fairytale.