2. Heisnam Kanhailal
Born on 17 January 1941 in Imphal
one of the original voices in contemporary
Indian theatre.
He is the founder-Director of Kalakshetra
Manipur, established in 1969, a theatre
laboratory that explores a new vocabulary in
the existing language of theatre.
Working at the grassroots since the 1960s, he
has crafted an individual idiom of theatre.
3. In masterpieces like Pebet (1975), Laigee
Machasinga (1978), Memoirs of Africa
(1985), Karna (1997), and Draupadi (2000),
Shri Kanhailal perfected a lyrical style
distinguished by minimal physical
expression, supple movement, and a
certain playfulness that set off the often
grim content. These plays have attracted
wide attention and critical appreciation in
theatre circles in India and abroad.
4. Kanhailal has since been working with a cross-
section of people, actors and non-actors, to
create a new theatre focused on Manipur’s plight
in the modern world. This experimentation has
led to the performance of Nupi Lan, based on
Manipur’s Women’s War of 1939, in which
market women from Imphal took part.
He has presented his plays at many places and
conducted workshops in theatre in Kolkata, Delhi,
Mumbai, Chennai, Mysore, Guwahati, Agartala,
and Patna. He has travelled abroad to Japan,
Egypt, and Singapore.
5. For his contribution in the field of theatre, Shri
Kanhailal has been honoured with the Manipur
State Kala Akademi Award (1982), the Sangeet
Natak Akademi Award (1982), and the Padma
Shri (2003). He was also awarded an Emeritus
Fellowship (1998) by the Ministry of Culture,
Government of India.
Shri Heisnam Kanhailal is elected Fellow of
Sangeet Natak Akademi for his contribution to
Indian theatre.
6. KALAKSHETRA MANIPUR
• Established on 19 July 1969 with Heisnam Kanhailal as
founder-director.
• To study, revive and project the culture of Manipur
through the art of theatre and to set highest standards
of performance to match not only the best in India but
the world theatre scene.
• As Kalakshetra believed in the notion of a workshop
that is a laboratory or research theatre rather than a
production company it began its experiment in a
continuous process of 'renewal of ancestral tradition'
for a contemporary cultural expression as they are all
the progeny of an etho - social tradition of Manipur.
7. The Theatre of Kanhailal
• Kanhailal’s theatre evolved from the daily
struggles of his life which include the
economic, political and the ethnic problems of
the state. Kanhailal has choosen ‘the poor
theatre ‘idiom for his theatre because poverty
was terrible in his land. They also suffered
from unemployment and a break down in
productivity.
8. • Kanhailal belonged to the state of Manipur and this
particular state was neglected from the beginning.
Central government played no attention. Their
economy was controlled by outside traders. No
industries exist there even today. Agricultural
production is bare minimum. Altogether led to
corruption.
• In Kanhailal’s theatre there is an oppression that is
resisted through a form of ethnic pride.
• Manipuri culture was actually an indigenous
culture. But that aspect was ignored because of the
colonization of Hindu culture over traditional
Meithei culture.
9. • These types of encroachment led to revolutionary
activities, violence became a part of the life of
Manipuri people.
• Kanhailal’s works are in the forefront of the
Manipuri theatre ,with his group Kalakshetra
Manipur ,he covered new grounds in the use of
vigorously ,physical, non-verbal, gestural theatre
using themes and motifs rooted on Manipuri
folklore and culture.
10. PEBET
• Pebet is a part of Manipuri folklore.
• Pebet is a small bird, protagonist of the story.
• Pebet is represented as the mother of several
children.
• They were threatened by a cat. She flattered
the cat with sweet words until the children
are ready to protect themselves.
• Then she resist the cat .It captured her
younger child.
11.
12. Through a clever strategy the mother manages
to trick the cat into freeing her child.
The Pebets are united and cat leaves defeated.
This is the original folklore .
Kanhailal makes some additions to the story
when he made it into a play. That is after the
youngest child has been captured, he develops
a fantasy sequence in which all the pebet
children are captured indoctrinated, tortured
and then set against one another. It is the part
in which politics of the play is revealed.
13. He questions the cultural formation through
force. Mother pebet’s great fear is that her
children will be converted into a ‘cat culture’.
When one of the pebet children bites the cat’s
area it is a sign of resistance which leads to
torture and eventually to freedom.
