Manipur burning… PM must speak out, give solution: Theatre doyen Ratan Thiyam

On June 10, the Ministry of Home Affairs had announced a peace committee with Governor Anusuiya Uikey as chairperson and “Chief Minister N Biren Singh, a few ministers in the state, MPs, MLAs and leaders of different political parties” as its members. Thiyam was among the 51 members named in the list.

“You have a peace committee here, (but) you are going to be referring to the Centre. Until the Centre takes greater interest, how can a peace committee here solve the problem? Besides, I didn’t even know my name was on the panel. I came to know from the local newspaper… I also have my own problems so I thought it’s better to send a letter refusing the membership,” Thiyyam said from Imphal, where he lives.

So far, groups representing both the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi communities have said that they will not be part of the peace committee.

On the clashes that have torn Manipur apart, the 75-year-old artist said, “There are people whose homes have been burnt down. They don’t have anything except refugee and relief camps. The package that has been given by the Central government is not enough to bring peace. We need a package of humane solutions… Only giving food packets and saying that they are going to build houses is not enough. Who gives a guarantee that after building the houses, these won’t be burned down again, and that there won’t be clashes again?” he said.

He said the Centre and state governments need to address the issue “from a very deep angle”. “If they want peace, for which India is famous in the world, why are they keeping quiet and not bringing a solution to the problem,” he said. He added that as an artist and a non-political figure, he can only make a request to the Central government to do something immediately.

Born to Thiyam Tarun Kumar and Bilasini Devi, Manipuri classical dancers, Thiyam is one of the leading figures in the ‘Theatre for Roots’ movement along with B V Karanth and K N Panicker, among others. Thiyam’s theatre, from Karnabharam (1976) and Urubhangam (1981) to Nine Hills One Valley, have reflected the anxieties of Manipur.

Thiyam has played at iconic venues and theatre festivals. His play Urubhangam was performed at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival in 1987 and won the prestigious Fringe First Award, a first for India.

He speaks six languages and understands eight but makes plays only in Manipuri and without subtitles. On whether the present violence will be reflected in his future works, he said, “Plays have always been a protest against a wrong system.”