Yumlembam Gambhini Devi — Manipuri Dance and Music — |
By: Thingnam Anjulika Samom * |
With her innocent candor, simplicity and open smile, one might mistake her for any other ageing Meitei woman enjoying the soft winter sun. Breaking into a song to explain the difference between different classical Manipuri song styles, and fussing over what to serve with tea to her indolent guest, Yumlembam Gambhini Devi
(Padmashree Awardee) charmed her way into people's hearts.
She also learnt the nuances of Ras dances from teachers like
Educated till Class VIII, Gambhini had to leave her studies as her involvement in the creative arts began to take its toll heavily on her classes. She completed her lower primary schooling at Moirangkhom School before continuing in Pettigrew School till Class IV and shifting to Bengali school for the rest of her education. She is however proficient in Bengali, Assamese, English and Sanskrit languages besides her native Meiteilon. "I learnt Sanskrit from Oja Kalachand Shastri and Meiteilon from Oja Minaketan," she said. Gambhini holds a PG Diploma of Ras from Jawaharlal Nehru Dance Academy (JNMDA). She is also an "A" grade artist at AIR, Imphal in Nat Sankirtana Music (Vocal). "I started singing for the radio much before the radio station came to Manipur. Then it used to be aired from Guwahati. So sometimes I would go there and at other times they would come and record the song here itself," she recalls. (Padmashree awardee) Gambhini has given numerous performances both in the state and outside including London, Paris, Canada, Germany, New York, Iowa, Omaha, Washington, Tennessee and Chicago. "There are 365 days in a year, and if you count the many song performances I give for religious rituals like nahutpa and luhongba, besides the performances for competitions and other commemorative functions, you could say my performances are more than one everyday," she said. At sixty-one, Gambhini is still going strong and continues her performances. She has also played the role of Radha in the Ras Leela performed at the Shri Shri Govindajee temple from the age of nine years to 24 years under the patronage of the King. The multi-talented Gambhini is also a lyricist. Her popular songs
She has also released two audio cassettes on Nimai Sanyas besides a book on Basak songs. Some of the numerous awards she has received include the
Some of the positions she has served in include
She is also the president of the YGR, Nat Sankirtana Sheidam Shang which she founded about two decades back, and has trained many pupils including from Bangladesh, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. In 2005 Gambhini retired as Senior Guru, Sutradhari, of the department of Ras at the JNMDA which she joined as assistant teacher in 1976. Thingnam Anjulika Samom wrote this article for The Sangai Express . You can contact the writer at thingnam(at)yahoo(dot)com . This article was webcasted on January 11th, 2007 |
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