A compelling peace collage

Play -CHANDAN SARMAH

A scene from Shamandraba Mami. A Telegraph picture A haunting array of images, devoid of a conventional narrative made for a compelling watch when Manipuri director H. Tomba took the stage at the recently concluded Surjya National Theatre Festival. The play, Shamandraba Mami (Disjointed Image), spoke for itself. Son of illustrious parents, H. Kanhailal and H. Sabitri Devi, Tomba proved his mettle as one of the finest directors not only in Manipur, but the rest of the Northeast. Instead of a well-knit storyline, the director, with his strong sense of visual design, opted for images. The theme of the play was the search for peace against the socio-political backdrop of Manipur. The director re-created contemporary images from the trouble-torn city of Imphal and presented them in the style of collage on stage — the self-immolation by journalist and developmental activist, Ibom Chittaranjan, and the indefinite hungerstrike by a woman. Around 16 actors brought alive Manipur’s angst through complex physical movements set to stunning choreography and haunting music. The innovative light design has made the scenes a rare experience for the audience. All the artistes on stage were immaculate in this flamboyant piece of drama. Of them, S. Bembem deserves special mention. This young actress shows promise. Shamandraba Mami did exactly what it had intended to do — experiment and break the code of conventional theatre in search a new theatrical vocabulary. A product of the torment is Shamandraba Mami.