Lai Haraoba Practices 5

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Lai Haraoba
- Discursive Practices & Cultural Contestations -
Part 5 ( Nature Of The Ritual )

By: Rekha Konsam *

The term ‘Lai Haraoba’ can be differently translated in the active and passive voices.

In the active voice lai is the subject celebrating the festival, while in the passive voice, it is the object towards whom the celebration is directed. The latter translation points towards a ritualistic intent.

Seemingly inconsequential, these translations underlie two different viewpoints on the question of the nature of the Lai Haraoba rituals. [¹⁵]

E.N. Singh’s translation in the active sense as ‘merry-making of the gods’ premises itself in the idea of a re-enactment of the rejoicing of the gods. [¹⁶]

This re-enactment described as ‘dance drama’ is conceived in terms of the Natya-shastra tradition in the Shaivite-Tantric context. The ritual functionaries assume the roles of directors and star performers. The sophisticated dance movements are seen as echoing the concept of kundalini.

Laihui Ensemble performing Lai Haraoba

Dance movements of the Lai Haraoba are focused on curves, spirals and circles. This is perceived as corresponding to the figure ‘O’ considered to be the most powerful figure in Tantricism. The basic triangular hand position of the maibi denoting birth canal in the beginning of the birth cycle (laibou) is identified as shivamudra.

Following this view, the Lai Haraoba has preserved remnants of the Tantric tradition in form if not their nomenclature. It does not however concern itself with the nature and content of the rituals. It leaves the question ‘why is it observed?’ unanswered.

J. Shakespeare first translated the term ‘Lai Haraoba’ as ‘the pleasing of the god’.[¹⁷]

Improvising on it, Parratt & Parratt translates it as ‘the pleasing of the gods’ taking into account the fact that the rituals venerate a male and a female deity as a couple. Ritualistic intent is seen as directed towards appeasement of the deities.

Appeasement is sought in various ways through words, dance, play, offerings of fruits, flowers and food grains, etc. As a religious event it can only be grasped within the Meitei experience of lai as the ultimate reality, the rituals as intended to bring about an interaction between the other world and this world within the wholeness of a sacramental universe.

Related Articles/Pictures:

Lai Haraoba- The Merry Festival of the Deities - P. Kunjo
An Experience Beyond Time - Christel Stevens
Gallery on Lai Haraoba - Various Sources
Laihui - Center for Research on Traditional and Indigenous Arts - Gallery
Lai Haraoba at World Music Institute, New York - Announcement

to be continued ...

* Rekha Konsam wrote this article for Eastern Quarterly . This article was webcasted with written permission from Eastern Quaterly on August 07th, 2007.

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