Be Religious For Peaceful Living

15 Days Wari Liba cum Demostration Workshop on Wari Liba (Story Teller), the indeginous Manipuri Culture. This form of art is very rare and demand by the aged group of people specially and young ones for their research purposes. It has a very unique form of oral tradition and body langauge too. Above all, young generation had been learning this culture from the well known gurus since this form is an unavoidale ritual culture in religious ceremony. Unfortunately this type of seminars, workshops etc. had not been organised any cultural organisations in the state except this one. So, it is very compulsory.

The oraganisation had contacted 10 reknown artistes as gurus and 100 artists of Wari Liba in the state as resource persons and noddle experts from the departments of Arts and Culture, Government of Manipur,  State Kala Academy, JN Dance Academy, Manipur. Under their proper guidance the organisation had arranged it.

With the financial assistance from the Ministry of Culture under CFGS, Govt. of India, the organisation have organised 15 Day Wari Liba cum Workshop entitled as “Be Religious for Peaceful Living” from 5th February to 19th February 2013 at the auditorium of Library and Information Centre Kakching. The programme was opened by the Honorable MLA, Kakching A/c, Y. Surchandra Singh as Chief Guest, N. Amuyaima Singh, the social worker and President and Shri T. Rameshwor Singh, the Retd. Headmaster, Wangjing Primary School as Guest of Honour. 7 reknown gurus of Wari Liba of Manipur have participated the workshop as resource persons and anothe 100 wari liba artistes from different places of Manipur have also participated. The programme was started from 10.30 am onwards and continue upto 4 pm in the evening. Awards, Honorium, allowances and certificate of participations to the participants, gifts to the VIPs were awarded by the association as per the project. In the Closing Function, Shri M. Kunjo Singh, Honorable MLA, Wabagai A/c have chaired as Chief Guest, Shri Mani Singh, President, All Manipur Wari Liba Association as President and Smt. Surnalata, Adhyaksha, Thoubal District, as Guest of Honour. This is the most successful programme of the year organised by the organisation.

Background

Religious is the shortened word for Truth, Good, Beauty, Purity, Pity, Austere worship of God etc. As long as we dedicate ourselves to religion and religious activities in our daily lives, we could bring in a harmonious and developed society will become stink with unbelievable happenings and wort incidents. Unreligious people will get nothing but only trauma of living.

In this line, the Manipuris Narrative Art known as “Wari Liba” could incite upon the people the moral value, knowledge, the message of peace, the spring of devotion and temptations, prejudices as written in the Epics of the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Shrimad Bhagavat and Lukshmi Charitra. These stories from the Epic could be narrated in serial to the audience for their welfare and peaceful living.

In the centuries bugone, the Bhakti anga was divided into 64 ways but in the Kaliyuga these ways of devotion is derived in only 9 ways called 1) Sharvanga (listening), 2) Kirtanang (saying the qualities of Lord), 3) Vishnu Smaranang (to remember Lord Vishnu), 4) Padasevanang (worshiping to auspicious foot), 5) Archanang (worship to God), 6) Vandanang (prayer), 7) Dasyang (sentiment of being in service to God), 8) Sakhyang (friendship with God) and 9)  Almanivedanang (self dedication). Among thes Shravanang and Kirtanang are believed to be the utmost. In this concept people are worshipping the Lord through listening the stories from the epics in the unavoidable ocassions of life. This rendition has become a tradition observed in different localities for at least a few days but could not fulfill the devotees desire to listen a complete Mahabharata or the Ramayana. So, it has become a necessity to hold at least 3 months non-stop narration of the stories from the epic each in every district of Manipur in a MEGA FESTIVAL PROJECT. This will be the best way to earn a healthy and wealthy way of living for the senior citizens and morality for the younger generation.

This indigenous art form of “Narration” (Story Telling) in Manipur was introduced during the reign of King Kyamba (1467-1506). But there is no complete record for the same. During the rule of Rajarshi Bhagyachandra (Karta Maharaj) 1764-1780 A.D. this art was received through the renderings of Shri Jiuram Sharma which came from Assam.

This narrative art could not be performed by merely reading a book or having complete knowledge,  but it needs a skillfull artistic and culture the narrator could not draw the attention of the audience. So, there is a very peculiar art form different from other arts.