JAN 18, 2025 (IMP): The ‘Khundongbam Brojendro Theater Festival’ has officially raised its curtain at JN Dance Academy, Imphal, on Sunday with the theme ‘Theatre for an Inclusive Society’. The theatre festival, held every three years since 2008 in Manipur, is organised by the Khundongbam Brojendro Cultural Trust in memory of (Late) Khundongbam Brojendro, who penned over 64 stage plays, 14 radio plays, 9 Shumang Leela scripts, and 4 comedy audio scripts.
The festival opened with the play “Chamarak Hanna Pokningee” (Desire to be Reborn 100 Times), penned by Kh. Brojendro and staged by Paradise Theatre, Wangkhie. The inaugural function was attended by Commissioner, Art and Culture, Government of Manipur, IAS H. Gyanprakash, and Retd. IAS Dr. R. K. Nimai as Chief Guest and President respectively, and a souvenir was also released during the inauguration.
During the four-day festival, altogether eight plays will be staged starting from 4:30 pm, and the festival will close its curtain with the play ‘Keisumsangda Radha’ (Clandestine Flames and Radha in Prison) on January 21, 2026.
Khundongbam Brojendro passed away on January 13, 2007, due to ailments. In 2017, two of his plays, namely ‘Aronba Meiree’ and ‘Keisumsangda Radha’, were translated into English as Clandestine Flames and Radha in Prison. Another two plays, ‘Refugee’ and ‘Eikhoisu Jibani Thamoi Pali’, are set to be published in book form in English and Assamese.
Khundongbam Brojendro was born on January 18, 1946, the second son of Khundongbam Itocha and Angom Ningol Ibechaobi. Among the art lovers of Wangkhei Ningthem Pukhri Mapal, he started participating in cultural as well as developmental activities of the locality. From 1975 onwards, he regularly penned comic skits, short plays, and full-length plays. He never stopped writing plays despite his weak physique until the last day of his life.
According to the trustee members, the main aim of organising this festival is to promote, encourage, and show respect towards the writers of Manipur. Keeping this in mind, the festival felicitates one writer each day during the event.
They also observed that this art form, which was once a powerful cultural medium in Manipur, has suffered a setback during the last decade. Not only in theatre but also in other traditional performing art forms of Manipur, audience participation and support are on the decline.
To draw more audiences for revamping the theatrical movement and reconstructing cultural memory, the organisers are presenting ambience performances of traditional performing art forms of Manipur just before the main drama show each day, except on the inauguration and closing days.
They added that it is only with the help of the people that such a festival can be organised and expressed hope to receive continued support and warm wishes for future endeavours.
