A performance during the musical programme. Picture by H. Shatananda Sharma

Rhythm of Manipur, a leading Manipuri orchestra group, presented a unique synthesis of traditional Manipuri and Indian classical musical instruments at the Manipur Tourism Festival at Leimakhong.

The 40-minute presentation comprised three compositions — Tension, Lamghdai Khonjel (fusion) and Sanbungda Meeyam (crowd in playground).

In Tension, composer S. Mahanta Sharma expressed the agony of Manipuri women with a harmonious blend of Meitei traditional instruments like pung, gong, pena and haobung and Indian classical instruments including sitar, violin, dholak and tabla.

Manipuri women are the direct victims of armed conflicts and drug and alcohol abuse and Mahanta tried to express their sufferings through his composition.

The opening notes of the composition gave the impression of an electric post being struck. The sense of danger was well represented by the chalice’s reverberations and mezzo forte of violin. The resonance evoked the “tension” effect on the audience.

Mahanta was not only the composer of the piece but also performed by drumming Haobung, a traditional musical instrument of Manipur. He held the listeners’ attention with his skilled, energetic moves.

Since music transcends the barrier of language, everybody at the venue enjoyed the concerto.

The second composition, Lamghdai Khonjel, was composed by H. Nisheswor Singh.

The genre of this composition was a fusion of traditional Manipuri, Indian classical and modern music. Western classical, Indian classical and traditional Manipuri musical instruments were used to create the effect.

The third concerto, Sanabungda Meeyam, was composed by M. Kula. Its main theme was universal peace and peaceful co-existence of the different communities.

The director of all three presentations was H. Bhagat and stage manager R.K. Sanatomba arranged the traditional attires of the musicians.