If one was to witness the large frames captured by eminent lensman Sanjay Das of the Manipuri dancers performing Raas Leela at an exhibition titled “Krishna and the Kadamba Tree” held at Museo Camera in Gurugram, recently one would surely feel the divinity transpiring from the expressions of the figures captured. When we delved deeper into this dance form, practised for centuries by the Meiteis of Manipur, it immediately became evident how the performers and performances are charged by utter devotion to Shri Krishna and His divinity. This very meditative aura seemed to have made their way to the images that caught the attention of the audience at the exposition. Of course, it was Das’s precision with his device that brilliantly made this cultural identity of Manipur evident. For the uninitiated, Raas Leela performed by Meitei dancers in Manipur is based on the Raas Panchadhyay from Srimad Bhagavata written by Maha Kavi Veda Vyas. It consists of five sacred chapters (29th to 33th) found in the 10th Skanda of the epic. These chapters describe the Raas Leela, the divine dance of Shri Krishna with the gopis of Vrindavan. Das was fortunate to have witnessed this significant performance, a few years ago, when he visited the holy town of Radhakund in Uttar Pradesh. “It was surreal to have witnessed the act by the Manipuri dancers and percussionists performed with such reverence and concentration. It brought to the fore the beautiful history of an art form of the Meiteis that proves Manipur’s original allegiance to our Vedas and Sanatan Dharma,” said Das at the show
We now learn from unadulterated history that the gracefully choreographed dance form of Raas Leela–typically associated with Manipuri performance art– was first introduced decades ago, sometime in 1779 by Ningthou Ching-Thang Khomba, also known as Rajarshi Bhagya Chandra, a 18th century Meitei monarch. Raas Leela, from its very inception, has been dedicated to Shri Krishna and his beloved, Radha, who are seen in divine dalliance with the gopis who have forsaken their regular lives to be in the proximity of Krishna. Radha Krishna’s divine love is spiritual, which is expressed to the audience through exquisite mudras of the Raas Leela performance. Sant Sukhdev, son of Veda Vyas, narrated this divine ‘leela’ to Parikshit Maharaj in the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. At the show, Das explained how these performances are a heartfelt dialogue with the divine. They begin with an invocation that opens the heart to spiritual light and gently leads into the eternal love of Bhagwan Krishna. “More than an art form, Nata Sankirtana and Raas are a celebration of pure surrender and devotion, uniting the community in a journey of spiritual awakening and meditative grace,” explained Das. No wonder, he opined, that after a performance is over, there is no applause from the audience. “You don’t clap after a puja do you? This Raas is just that for the performers and the community. you have to witness it upfront to feel the true pulse of what the performers live at that moment,” Das quips.
The traditional Manipuri Raas Leela celebrates different seasons like the Basanta Raas – which is performed on Purnima or a full moon night in spring
The traditional Manipuri Raas Leela celebrates different seasons like the Basanta Raas – which is performed on Purnima or a full moon night in spring. Then, the Maha Raas – performed on a full moon night in winter, is usually in November-December. Apart from these genres, there are other forms of Raas Leela, like the Nitya Raas, or Kunja Raas or even Diba Raas to be performed according to custom, only during the day. The worrying thing, however, is whether youngsters of Manipuri origin are actually open to carry forward this rich legacy of their land and forefathers. “This is an unsettling reality that I came across. Not many youngsters are forthcoming in learning the dance. You see, this kind of craft needs discipline and concentration. Look at the faces I have captured in the frames. When it is time to perform, the young dancers step into a surreal realm. They become one with divinity. That kind of devotion is rare to come by now. Sadly, without patronage and practice of this art form in the near future, a beautiful Indian tradition faces the fear of extinction. And with that, many things in the industry will be affected.” We gauge what Das preempts considering the entire get up of the dancers showcase intricate costume and jewellery craft. Not just that, the cotton dhoti which the dhol players wear, or for that matter the artisans, who create the dhols and the other instruments, what would happen to them when this art form ceases to exist for the lack of practise and patronage!?
What first drew Sanjay Das’s attention was not just the grace and beauty of the dance form but how unique the performance was compared to other Bharatiya classical dances. As he started taking pictures of the artists while they were getting ready for the act and then during their dance, he was fascinated to see that their costumes were indigenous and inspired by Manipuri traditions. “Look at how transformed the dancers look. This is the coming together of different kinds of art and crafts forms that is indigenous to Manipur, a significant State of Bharat. You might have seen Raas Leela in northern part of India during the festival of Holi, but this was another manifestation. It is this diversity that makes our country so rich, so interesting and so unified.” As the exhibition revealed, the Raas Leela tradition encompasses Bharatiya festivals and seasons beautifully, with the dancers bringing alive different narratives imaginatively. For his part, Sanjay is not just documenting their performances but also immersed in the moment, learning about the world he knew so little about. The result is magical. An intimate glimpse of the gracious dancers as they perform before an audience.
In his images, he captures the lovelorn Radha and the divine Krishna, as they enact diverse moods and experiences, surrounded by the gopis he identifies as Lalita, Vishakha, Chitra, Champaklata, Tungavidya, Indurekha, Rangadevi and Sudevi. While presenting this exhibition at Museo Camera, the photography artist had selected his most outstanding photographs associated with the dance from his archives that date back to the first time he discovered the art form of Raas Leela. The series is dedicated to Basant Raas, since it is the season of spring, the performances that took place in the medieval mandir courtyard of Radhakund, near Vrindavan.
The show was curated by Ina Puri, who said, “Sanjay Das has been documenting the life and work of many different communities and cultures across Bharat that presents a body of work that involves research and indefatigable energy. His engagement with the dancers and musicians have yielded an amazing insight into the distinctive history of the Raas Leela tradition. Every frame tells a story of our rich history.” Going by the response to the show and how entranced the onlookers were, the bedecked dancers dressed up as Shri Krishna, Radha and the gopis did have everyone in thrall while bringing to the Capital a lost cultural gem from the Meiteis, the original inhabitants of Manipur.
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