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Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Theatre director Ratan Thiyam, one of the most outspoken proponents of freedom and personal identity, dies in Imphal
More than a month after ethnic violence, between the Meitiei and Kuki-Zo people, erupted in Manipur in 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that it was setting up a peace committee that would have Chief Minister N Biren Singh and 50 others, such as Padma Shri-awardee theater director Ratan Thiyam, as members. Thiyam was not having any of it. Telling the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it was time that he spoke up and showed a strong political will, Thiyam rejected the invitation to join the committee. 'A strong political will is needed to solve the problem. If it is not done, where will the people go?' he had said. With the passing of Thiyam in Imphal on Wednesday, India has lost one of the most outspoken proponents of freedom and personal identity. For the world of art, especially theatre, it is a deep loss as Thiyam was one of the masters who reinvented the stage with every play and made even seniors practitioners think. Anuradha Kapur, a theatre maker and the former director of the National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi, India's prominent academy for theatre studies, says that Thiyan made them relearn. 'In the 1950s and '60s, theatre practitioners believed that words were the primary means to tell a story on stage. Thiyam staged Chakravyuh in 1984, and made us aware of a composite theatre image, which uses visuals, image-making, vocalisation, sound, costume, lights, percussion, costume and movements, to create absolute magic. To me, this is the heart of theatre,' she says. In Uttar Priyadarshi, the entrance of an elephant is presented in a language of light, in which certain body parts, such as an arm or the top, were lit up and the rest hidden in darkness. 'Instead of denoting damage or injury, the use of light from various angles made the body look poetic. Many of Thiyam's images remain in one's mind as a kind of jewel glittering in the memory,' says Kapur. Thiyam was one of the leading figures of Theatre of Roots, a post-Independence movement of decolonisation in which artists returned to their culture and traditions to create works. Kapur remembers watching plays in which the actors glided over the stage with movements drawn from Manipuri traditions, such as Thang-Ta. 'He played with very fluid movements and redefined movement in drama. The plays had choreography and music but were not musicals. Thiyam broke the bounds and was able to make us look at the proscenium as a framed space of magical images,' she says. It is significant that Thiyam, who spoke six languages and understood eight, made plays only in Manipuri and presented these without subtitles all over the world. He was one of the earliest directors to regularly show his plays on international platforms. Thiyam was the first winner from India of the prestigious Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival in 1987. Was Thiyam's intuitive understanding of the elements of performance due to his birth? His parents, Manipuri classical dancers Thiyam Tarun Kumar and Bilasini Devi, were on tour in Nabadwip, West Bengal, when Thiyam was born. He grew up travelling with them, playing in green rooms and the wings as some of the most powerful artistes of Manipur went over their lines and craft. 'I was soaking it all in, though I didn't realise it then. This was also the time that I learned to observe people, from the pedestrians to the policemen,' he once said. Thiyam honed his craft at NSD, where he also became a Director. Thiyam's politics, to a large extent, came from books, especially those of Che Guevara. As a child, he dreamed of travelling to Cuba to become a revolutionary. Thiyam carried the zeal into his life in theatre. He created plays when 'ideas start knocking on my head and giving a kick to my buttock'. As an artist, he was affected by events in society and this is what his plays revealed. His great tragedies, Karnabharam (1976) and Urubhangam (1981), showed the antagonists of the Mahabharata, Karna and Duryodhana, as heroes. The people of Manipur were locked in a struggle against security forces – and Thiyam's plays forced audiences to reconsider their stereotypes of heroes and villians. Thiyam's son, Thawai Thiyam, says that the director was planning to stage a Greek play, before his health deteriorated. While we do not know the details of this project, Thiyam left an urgent message for the audience way back in 2020, when global warming was not a buzzword. He had staged Lairembigee Eshei (The Song of the Nymphs) for the closing ceremony of the 21st Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the international theatre festival organised by NSD. In the play, a hedonistic king, who fells trees and destroys nature, is cursed by mother nature with an incurable disease. 'It may be helpful for us to go back to nature and try to understand what it wants to give to you. Nature provides us with a lasting form of pure energy but we are ignoring it,' Thiyam had said at the time.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Displaced Manipur families get ready to return home under security cover
GUWAHATI Several Meitei families displaced by ethnic violence are gearing up to return to their homes on the periphery of Manipur's Imphal Valley under security cover. Officials in the State's Imphal West district said a few people had begun cleaning the houses they abandoned after the conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities broke out on May 3, 2023, leaving more than 250 dead over two years. In some cases, the people began repairing their houses damaged or destroyed during the peak of the conflict. Their families are expected to move in after the houses are made liveable. The district authorities and security forces enabled the displaced people from a village of 21 households in New Keithelmanbi to clean and repair their houses. The village is on the boundary with the Kangpokpi district, dominated by the Kuki-Zo community. Rations will continue 'The displaced people are being resettled in their original homes in coordination with the Deputy Commissioners of the adjoining districts. After returning home, they will continue to receive ration and benefits under the State livelihood mission,' Imphal West's Deputy Commissioner Mayanglambam Rajkumar told journalists after inspecting a few deserted fringe villages on Tuesday. 'Security will be provided to the people wherever there is a possibility of their returning home,' he said. On July 4, the State's former Chief Secretary, Prashant Kumar Singh, said the first of a three-phase resettlement plan for the internally displaced people, chalked out in association with the Centre, was under way. He claimed that about 5,000 of some 62,000 people displaced in the violence had returned to their villages. He also said the government planned to rehabilitate most of the displaced people by December and subsequently close the relief camps, many in educational institutions. The Manipur government is expected to provide a financial assistance of ₹3.03 lakh each to the 7,000-8,000 families, whose houses were destroyed during the violence, so that they can rebuild them wherever they want. The government, however, is aware that about 10,000 Meitei people would not be able to go back to their homes in the Kuki-majority Moreh (Tengnoupal district), Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur districts. They will be given the option of staying in some 1,000 prefabricated houses being built by Manipur Police Housing Corporation Limited. A similar arrangement will be made for the Kuki-Zo people who may be unable to return to Imphal Valley.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Manipur's new chief secretary assumes charge
Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel on Monday assumed charge at the secretariat here, officials said. Goel took charge from outgoing CS Prashant Kumar Singh at a brief function held at the Old Secretariat building, they said. 'The Manipur government marked a transition in administrative leadership with the official handover of charge from outgoing Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh to newly appointed CS Puneet Kumar Goel,' an official statement said. Senior officials and department heads expressed their gratitude to Singh for his dedicated service and visionary leadership during his tenure. 'Warm wishes were also extended to Goel as he assumed charge,' the statement said. Goel, the 1991 batch AGMUT cadre officer, arrived in Imphal on Sunday and was received by officials led by Commissioner (home) Ashok Kumar. He was appointed as the Manipur chief secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on July 16. The appointment comes at a time when the northeastern state has been witnessing ethnic violence for more than two years. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023. The Centre had on February 13 imposed the President's rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Three militants among six held in Manipur
Security forces have arrested three militants belonging to two banned organisations from Manipur's Imphal East and Kakching districts, police said in a statement on Monday (July 21, 2025). Three others were also apprehended from the Imphal West district for allegedly being involved in the trading of ammunition, it said. A self-styled sergeant major of the banned Prepak was arrested from his residence at Kontha Ahallup in Imphal East district on Saturday (July 19, 2025), the police said, adding that he had received basic military training at Tanal in Myanmar and had recruited a cadre in October last year for the outfit. Two active members of the proscribed UPPK were apprehended from a market in Kakching on Sunday (July 20, 2025) for allegedly being involved in extortion activities in the district and adjoining areas, the police statement said. Security forces also arrested three persons from Thangmeib and Khuyathong Polem Leikai areas in Imphal West district on Sunday (July 20, 2025) for their alleged involvement in illegal sales of ammunition, it said. More than 100 ammunition items were recovered from their possession, the police said. Security forces have been conducting search operations in Manipur since ethnic violence broke out two years ago. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023. The Centre had on February 13 imposed the President's rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned. The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Kuki-Zo seeks Centre's help to improve disputed German-Tiger Road
Guwahati: Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the apex body of Kuki-Zo tribals in Manipur, appealed to the Centre on Sunday to improve the German-Tiger Road — earlier an inter-village path connecting Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts. The community-led initiative for the road, funded through public donations, has sparked disputes, drawing opposition from the Naga community and escalating ethnic tensions. The Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) announced an indefinite bandh on Friday midnight banning the movement of Kukis in the foothills of Naga-inhabited areas, objecting to the road's development through ancestral territories of Nagas without prior consultation. This situation has created tension between Kuki-Zo people and Nagas, while conflicts persist between Kuki-Zos and Meiteis since the ethnic unrest began in Manipur in May 2023. While on Sunday, KZC cautioned that attempts to obstruct Kuki-Zo community connectivity reflect an intention to isolate them. However, Meiteis remain the primary focus of Kuki-Zo people's grievances, rather than the Nagas though the latter have been largely neutral in the tribal Kuki-Zo and non-tribal Meitei conflict in Manipur over the last two years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Update: The Strategy Uses By Successful Intraday Trader TradeWise Learn More Undo "Kuki-Zo Council strongly condemns the baseless and malicious accusations being circulated by certain Meitei groups branding the German-Tiger Road and Singheu Road as 'drug routes'. These claims are entirely unfounded and without any legitimate evidence," Ginza Vualzong, secretary, information & publicity at KZC, said on Sunday. Despite Naga objections and restrictions, KZC has sought central govt's support to develop both the routes. While Nagas worry about potential land losses, KZC argues that the roads are essential for the community during the ongoing conflict and blockades. The council stressed that the German-Tiger Road provides a safe travel alternative by bypassing Meitei-dominated regions. Sources said some camps of Kuki outfits that are under suspension of operation are in proximity to Naga villages, raising concerns that an upgraded German-Tiger Road would facilitate the groups' movements further. "Nagas fear potential encroachment into their territories by Kuki-Zo people," the source said. Through public contributions, work has commenced to develop basic roads (mostly kutccha), with vehicles already using both routes. According to KZC, improvement of the German-Tiger Road was necessary, as after ethnic violence, it was unsafe for Kuki-Zo people to travel through Meitei-dominated areas. The Singheu Road now connects Churachandpur, Chandel, and Tengnoupal in absence of viable infrastructure. "We call upon the central govts to reject these divisive and baseless allegations and, instead, take steps to improve German-Tiger Road and Singheu Road as essential inter-district lifelines," Ginza said. "We urge the Centre to reject divisive rhetoric and recognize these roads as lifelines—not criminal pathways," Ginza added. "Accusing the German-Tiger Road and Singheu Road of being a conduit for illicit activities without presenting credible evidence is nothing short of a deliberate attempt to criminalise the Kuki-Zo community and to isolate us further. This tactic may also reflect a broader political effort to shift discourse away from the unfolding Biren Audio Tape case," Ginza alleged.
