Heisnam Kanhailal

Heisnam Kanhailal
Born	17 January 1941 Manipur, India
Occupation	Art Theatre

Heisnam Kanhailal (b 17 January 1941) is a noted art theatre personality from Indian state of Manipur . He was awarded Padma Shri award by Government of India in 2004 for his work. 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.

Born in Keisamthong Thangjam Lairak, Imphal.

He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Direction in 1985, given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. In Dec, 2011, He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademy Ratna Award (the Highest ranked and most valued akademy award)-2011.

References

• Indian autographs
• Hindu images

KALAKSHETRA MANIPUR

Established on 19 July 1969 with Heisnam Kanhailal as founder-director, Kalakshetra Manipur got registered under Societies’ Registration Act of 1860 with its No. 1149 of 1972. As KKM believes 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 the progeny of an ethno-social tradition of Manipur. The artists of the group endeavoured to learn afresh the native lore travelling throughout the nook and corner of Manipur and strengthened the creative will. It created the performances for the ‘work-in-progress’ shows rather than ‘Public Theatre’ – a finished production for public exhibition. Besides, the group launched cultural expedition in organizing theatre events with the non-actors in three different socio-cultural contexts. They were : (i) performance of NUPI LAN (Women’s War of Manipur, 1939) in which market women around one hundred from women’s market of Imphal town took the active participation in December, 1989 as players, (ii) At Umathel, a sleepy village in the remote corner of southern Manipur Sanjennaha (cowherd) was performed by the villagers themselves in December, 1979, and (iii) introduced theatre in the tribal area of Paite community of Churchandpur district with the production of Thanghou Leh Liandou performed by tribal youths in March, 1980. Along with the training and research programmes the group created remarkable performances that stood out as milestone of an originally alternate theatre. In the last forty years, the group produced twenty plays of which the most outstanding directed by Kanhailal are Tamnalai (The haunting spirit) in 1972, Kabuui-Keioiba (half man half tiger) in 1973, Pebeti in 1975, Laigi Machasinga (With the children of God) in 1978, Memoirs of Africa in 1986, Migi Sharang (The human cage) in 1991, Karna in 1997, Draupadi in 2000, Dakghar of Tagore in 2006 and Uchek Langmeidong (Langmeidong, the bird) in 2008. Of the plays directed by Heisnam Tomba, three productions deserve to be mentioned as Kangkhathang (Unused sword) in 2005, Sati of H. S. Shivaprakash in 2005 and Samnadraba Mami (Disjointed Image) in 2009. The group toured throughout the country and abroad namely Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Egypt for staging its shows. Besides, the group has been researching in evolution of actor training process for live theatre under Kanhailal and Sabitri. Since 2005 the group began its work in a transteritorial experience, moving out of its ethnic culture, in the rural and natural environment in of Assam and Tripura. The group has been working professionally since last ten years with the support of salary grant from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, and collaborative programmes of NSD, New Delhi.

External links

• Heisnam Kanhailal, Profile