Living And Breathing Manipuri Dance

In conversation with Warda Rihab

The dance form Manipuri, is now quite popular among urban Bangladeshis. The dance form is ritually practiced by the Manipuri community in India (Manipur state) and Bangladesh (Sylhet region). Rabindranath Tagore popularised this dance form among urban Bengalis. The form developed its own regulations and nuances. It originated as a religious dance form and the experience of it remains spiritual. Like other dance forms, Manipuri, too, narrates stories -- traditionally focusing on Radha and Krishna. The “Ras Lila' is often the central theme. The dance is accompanied by cymbals (kartal or manjira), double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mridang) and sankirtan.

Among contemporary Bangladeshi dancers who have studied this dance style, Warda Rihab has carved a niche for herself. Her initial training started at Chhayanaut. Rihab trained under seasoned Manipuri dancers Sharmila Banerjee, Tamanna Rahman and Belayet Hossain. After completing her BBA and MBA from Dhaka University, she attained a scholarship from ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) in 2006 and went to Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata to do her honours in Manipuri dance. She is currently doing her MA in Manipuri dance and also training under Smt. Kalavati Devi and Smt. Bimbavati Devi at Manipuri Nartanalay, Kolkata. Manipuri Nartanalay was founded by the legendary Guru Bipin Singh. Besides her extensive training in dancing, she has also taken lessons in pung and Than Ta (Manipuri martial art) from Ojha Ranjeet and Ojha Thoiba Singh.


Warda Rihab

Rihab's talents have been recognised by the numerous awards she has been showered with. These include Dr. Hrinmoy Banerjee Memorial Award, Guru Moisnam Amubi Singh Award, Shikriti Shommanona Award (conferred by Bangladesh Mohila Parishad), Sangeet Bibhakar Award and many more.

After her production, “Hey Ananta Punya” (an adaptation of Tagore's “Notir Puja”), Rihab is now working on the dance-drama, “Bodhidrom” under Shadhona's banner. She plans to introduce Charya Nritya through the dance-drama. Charya Nritya is an ancient Buddhist dance form that has been virtually unknown outside the circles of those who perform it. This ceremonial dance dates back over 1000 years. Priests in Kathmandu perform the dance as part of their esoteric meditation practices, ceremonies, and rituals.

It has now become a trend for dancers to set up their own schools, and Rihab is no exception. “I have started a dance school along with two other gifted dancers, Amit Chowdhury and Arpita Shome. We decided to call the school 'Dhriti'. With our expertise in different dance forms, we are eager to train young, aspiring dancers. However, our intention is not to just teach, but rather to work with young dancers, and to encourage them to take dance seriously,” Rihab says.

“Many feel that dedication to dance will lead to no significant achievement. I consider this state of mind as a social issue in Bangladesh. I've been overseas, and I have seen how it works. Interested individuals abroad get a chance to carry out researches and open doors to further enhancements, while we lack behind due to restraints. Based on this, people make assumptions that there is no future for dance, and we end up shutting the door to our emerging talents. We want to change this mindset,” she adds.

Rihab also opened a shop called 'Shalonkara', which offers jewellery, costumes, namely everything related to dance. About the shop, the dancer says, “Initially I started it to make dance materials, costumes, books etc accessible to all. But now I am looking forward to expand it and provide the interested individuals with research materials.”

Other than working on “Bodhidrom”, Warda Rihab has plans to perform “Hey Ananta Punya” once again for expatriates living in Bangladesh, as a greater audience has appreciated it, both at home and in Kolkata, the Uday Shankar Festival being one of them.