Recently admirers of Manipuri dance had gathered at Kolkata’s Birla Academy of Art and Culture to celebrate the 82nd birthday celebrations of Manipuri exponent Debjani Chaliha. On the occasion, Assam Socio-Literary Club hosted the release of her biography “Antaranga Debjani” by Bangladeshi writer and Professor Abul Ahsan Chaudhury. Soon Chaliha, recipient of the Tagore Samman Award for her contribution to Manipuri, was flooded with questions by the media. Here are the excerpts:
On her Santiniketan connection
Soon after the passing away of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore in 1941, I had accompanied my parents on a holiday to Santiniketan. Even as a seven-year-old, I had fallen in love with the place. Its lush greenery and the beautiful ambience and its music and dance endeared me to it. I wanted to study in Tagore’s school. With much consternation my parents agreed. I, thus, got the opportunity to get my foundational years in Santiniketan, where dance and music classes were compulsory along with academics. My interest in dance and aesthetics took root in Santiniketan. My connection with Santiniketan has been re-established. I am an external examiner and paper-setter of Manipuri dance for the university’s B.A. and M.A. practical and theory examinations.
On her take on Rabindrik dance
In Santiniketan I enjoyed the dance classes more than anything else. For the different festivals taking part in performances were a must and much to my liking. I loved dance and was happy dancing. I was least bothered about the form. In my adult years and later, I tried my hand in working on the lyrics of Tagore. And I realised choreographing a dance piece on any of Tagore’s lyrics is a near impossible task. All his lyrics start with a simple thought and end with the sublime. The meanings are deeply philosophical and mystical, with layers of meanings, which is extremely difficult to translate into dance.
On how Uday Shankar influenced her
I am highly grateful to dada Uday Shankar. After coming back from Madras on the completion of his film ‘Kalpana’ – he had also closed shutters to his dance institution at Almora and took up residence at Golf Club Road, bang opposite our house. Though I never had the opportunity to know him personally, I used to go for his dance recitals along with my parents. Here was a chance, I thought, to know the man and learn some dance numbers from him. I introduced myself to him and Amala di (Amala Shankar).
Later in 1954, while doing my Masters, I had been selected to do a solo Manipuri dance for the Youth Conference held at Delhi. I had learnt Manipuri from Braja Singha and Rajen Basu in Calcutta. To my utter disappointment on watching a solo Manipuri performance by a dancer, who had come from Guwahati, I realised that my style did not adhere to the Manipuri form. Then and there, I had resolved to learn the correct style of the Manipuri form. And a chance came to me unexpectedly.
After I had completed my Masters, I had joined the newly started Academy of Dance, Drama and Music, (which was later named Rabindra Bharati University) where Dada was the head of the dance department. After observing me for two months, he summoned me and advised me to go to Imphal and learn Manipuri dance from Maisnam Amubi Singh, if my parents would give me permission to do so. Fortunately for me, I could convince my father, who took me to Imphal and to the said guru’s home, where he accepted me to be a residential student and there I learnt the pure Manipuri form. I had the opportunity of displaying my art later in Calcutta. Dada was filled with happiness.
On Guru Amubi Singh
Guru Amubi Singh was uncompromising. He saw my dance and decided that first I had to unlearn what I had learnt. The slate had to be wiped clean before anything new can be imprinted on it. So, while everybody else was dancing, he made me walk the dance floor to help me get the correct gait and posture. Only when he was satisfied did he start moulding me. I had the incorrigible habit of keeping my chin lowered. Often, he would say, ‘Radhe maan bhango’ (Radhe discard your reticence). Then he would say, ‘I will smack you’. I learnt a great deal from his senior disciples, Thambal Devi and Tandan Devi.
The hard task-master that he was, today, what I am, is because of him. To pay my homage to him I wrote a book on him to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy in the year 2014.
My ambition and dream of becoming a full-fledged Manipuri dancer was at last fulfilled. As a residential student, I received total education – learning to be humble and other such good qualities. And I also learnt the Manipuri language.
On her current preoccupation
I run my school, ‘Meitei Jagoi’ doing what is close to my heart, teaching young aspirants Manipuri dance.
