Shifting the gaze to grace

It has been more than two years since the eruption of ethnic violence in Manipur between the majority Meitei of the Imphal Valley and the tribal Kuki-Zo from the surrounding hills. The crisis, though, has made sure that the words ‘Meitei’ and ‘Kuki-Zo’ have entered the public discourse.

So, when New Delhi-based photographer Sanjay Das hosted his latest exhibition, ‘Krishna and the Kadamba Tree’, at Gurgaon’s Museo Camera recently, it piqued the interest of the curious, because it brought into the spotlight the Meitei origins of the Raas Leela performed in the tradition of the classical Manipuri dance.

“We have all enjoyed classical Manipuri dance, especially the generation that grew up watching Doordarshan. The telecast of this dance performance was fascinating for the unique costumes and the graceful movements of the body and hands. I am fortunate to have got an opportunity to document the Manipuri Raas Leela that I watched at the medieval temple courtyard of Radha Kund near Vrindavan,” said the photographer, who has been working on creating photo documentaries on the life and work of many different communities and cultures across the country.

Raas Leela is the name given to the divine dance of love enacted by Lord Krishna, his consort Radha and the milkmaids (gopis) of Vrindavan, of which different performing art traditions of different parts of India have their unique interpretation and presentation. It is one of the most important cultural symbols of the Vaishnavite tradition within Hinduism.

Ina Puri, who had curated ‘Krishna and the Kadamba Tree’, said, “We now learn from history that the gracefully choreographed dance form of Raas Leela, typically associated with Manipuri performance art, was first introduced in 1779 by the Manipuri Meitei monarch Ningthou Ching-Thang Khomba, also known as Rajarshi Bhagya Chandra.” It is believed that a family member of the monarch, who spread Vaishnavism in what is today known as Manipur, played the role of Radha in the first-ever performance of the Raas Leela.

Puri also informed that the Manipuri Raas Leela was of five kinds: Basant Raas, performed during the full moon of March-April, heralding spring; Maha Raas, performed only on the full moon of November-December; Nitya Raas, Kunja Raas, and Diba Raas.

The photographs were deliberately developed black-and-white to enhance the impact of the uniquely graceful movements of the Manipuri classical dance, and to keep the focus on the distinctive costumes and make-up of the dancers.

“This Raas Leela is not just another performance for the dancers but an act of worship, and every process involved in it is treated with the sanctity that a work of reverence deserves,” informed Das. “For instance, the tying of the turban of the drummers is a ritual — only the senior-most male dancer does the honour — and so is the case with the application of make-up on the gopis. When the main characters, Lord Krishna and Radha are ready to join the troupe ahead of the performance, it is as if the gods have themselves descended on the earth to participate in the dance,” he informed, pointing to the photographs showing the main characters being welcomed by the rest of the performers with an aarti, which symbolises reverence as well as devotion; both of these are central aspects of the Bhakti tradition of Vaishnavism, which is centred on the worship of Lord Vishnu and his various avatars, especially Krishna.  

While behind-the-scenes images of the Raas Leela give an intimate view of the metamorphosis of the earthly dancers into divine beings, Das succeeds in capturing the emotion that creates an ethereal experience for the audience.

It felt like a complete exhibition as the photographs not just presented the lyrical beauty of the classical dance and its unique and fabulous costumes, but also the gradual transformation of the dancers into characters.

Das hoped that he would get an opportunity to showcase this body of work in Manipur as well, and perhaps, aid in shifting the gaze from its violence-torn landscape to the more tangible heritage that is as unique as it is seminal in the cultural history of India.