Folk artists from Manipur mesmerize Delhi music lovers

Monthly folk series by Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts (IGNCA) presented an array of performances by folk artists of Manipur and Jharkhand on its second day. The 8th season of the series titled "Sanjari: EK Bharat-Shresth Bharat", started on July 18 and will go until July 20.

The famous folk artist of Manipur Bedabati Lorembam and famous folk singer from Jharkhand Padamshree Shri Mukund Nayak presented their folk songs which left the audience mesmerized.

Speaking on the occasion, Padamshree Mukund Nayak said, "I'm very thankful to IGNCA for providing me this stage in Delhi. One thing that I would like to convey to our young generation is that no matter how much you progress, don't forget your culture and language."

Mukund Nayak is the recipient of 2017 Padamshree award for her excellent work in the field of art and culture. Also, Bedabati Lorembam received Manipur State Kala Kala Academy award in 2011 from the Government of Manipur.

During her performance, Bedabati sang "Khunugishei" – a traditional folk song of Maitai community of Manipur. The songs of 'Khunungaishei' have been transmitted from one generation to another without any script.

Following this, Bedbati sang three other songs of 'Khunungaishei', among which "Loktak Sheithaba Ishei" won a lot of appreciation from the audience.

Padmashri Mukund Nayak started his performance with 'Raag Mardani Jhoomar'. This was followed by six other soulful songs which were soothing to the ears. The specialty of these traditional songs is that their ragas are fixed on the basis of their rhythm and style.