Rajendra’s Hanglai, staged at the 2008 NSD festival in Calcutta

Laughter is the best medicine, says director-actor-playwright Yumnam Rajendra of Manipur. An important artiste of the second generation of Manipuri theatre — after Ratan Thiyam, H. Kanhailal and Lokendra Arambam — Rajendra draws inspiration from the nearly extinct Manipuri folk form thok leela.

Rajendra tells t2 why he does theatre and what are the subjects closest to his heart...

You stage plays with the primary aim to entertain the audience...

Yes, my plays are entertaining, highly entertaining, because I don’t want to do theatre for the 20 per cent people who prefer theatre that makes them think. But my theatre is not just that — there’s a message communicated through that entertainment. That way maybe, I can attract that 20 per cent audience too.

Why do you feel humour is so essential for theatre?

I had begun with body language, non-verbal serious theatre. But I realised that the tension and anxiety of our times is so great that it is important to help people release it through laughter. Only then can there be creative development and progress. Behind all the laughter is dead seriousness. My plays are reflections of the wrongs in society. I want the audience to laugh at the follies and reflect on the problems as they laugh.

And you also weave in folk theatre to drive home the point...

I pick up elements from our folk tales and fairy tales, and try to relate them to our contemporary reality. But with a lot of laughter. Instead of the western model of the clown, our actors use Faggiroi, the traditional Manipuri comedian. But the ideas and expressions are contemporary.

What does your latest play Umanglai try to say?

‘Umanglai’ means contemporary benevolent deities. There are several shrines of these lesser gods all over Manipur. We are focussing on a tradition that is still prevalent among members of upper-class families. They make false deities out of women to cover up their crimes. And even though people know that these women are not gods, they don’t have the power to challenge.

Umanglai begins with the beautiful, young, low-caste girl Langol Lairambi being told that she is an incarnation of Yumjao Lairambi, a female goddess of Manipur known for her seductive power.

Langol Lairambi is then raped, killed and deified in the same way Yumjao Lairambi had been 500 years ago. The play asks how long Manipuri women must suffer oppression in silence, muted by superstitions and conventions.

Is Umanglai staged only in the proscenium?

No, it can be performed anywhere. There are two groups of 15-16 actors each, who form the chorus, human characters and the deities. There are four main actors. The deities wear masks. The set is metaphoric, creative and ritualistic.

What plays does the Panthoibi Natya Mandir repertoire have?

Our group Panthoibi Natya Mandir has 12 very committed actors. The repertoire has several full-length plays, like Lairol and Hanglai, children’s plays and a play on AIDS, which is in collaboration with a tribal community.