This blog was inadvertently deleted some months ago. I've tried to re-create the blog using "Internet Archive" but unfortunately the narrative and the photos are no longer integrated. Please scroll to the bottom to read the narrative.

Emil (Dec 07)

Paying respects at local Hindu Temple

At the Women's Bazaar

The streets of Imphal. View from my hotel room.

Sunset in Imphal from my room.

At the entrance to the Chorus Repertory Theatre campus

The streets of Imphal

Rachel Cooper of The Asia Society showing us her martial arts skills!


The photos below are all on the beautiful campus of Chorus Repertory Theatre.















Emil with the children of the Thang Ta Martial Arts Academy.

December 15 - Day 5
Our final sunrise in Imphal. It has been a remarkable time, both personally and professionally and I feel so fortunate to have made this trip. I am thrilled that Ratan Thiyam's Chorus Repertory Theatre Company is coming to the U.S. and I am sure that our students, faculty, and greater community will be inspired as much as I was by the Company's performance of Nine Hills One Valley. Currently, the Company is scheduled to be in Chapel Hill in October of 2006.The people of CRT have been tremendous hosts. Their gracious and generous hospitality has been humbling. Of course, they couldn't let us leave without presenting us parting gifts of Manipuri shawls. The landscape of Manipur is beautiful and I understand why they call it the "Jewel of India" -- yet it is also clear to me that it is the Manipuri people that makes this place magical. We said our goodbyes knowing we will see them on our side of the world next year.I will head to Delhi for a few days to meet with a few artists and artist managers. I also look forward to my first visit to the Taj Mahal.

December 14 - Day 4
We attended a performance of a different work, Nine Hills One Valley. The title refers to the Imphal which is located in a valley surrounded by nine hills. The performance celebrated local Manipuri culture, and blended very successfully, the traditional and contemporary voices of the culture. In fact, it uses a traditional Manipuri backdrop to communicate the challenges faced by the Manipuri people.Ratan's Director's Note:A poem by birth, a collage of many thoughts and a presentation of contemporary ideas -- Nine Hills One Valley is a play without a conventional plot. It depicts what I see and what I feel about various systems which ultimately leads a place and its people to many difficult problems. Also a document of a restless society and political turmoil where the sufferers are only poor people.The deep aesthetic of this work is astounding. Every detail, movement is perfect. So much is done with so little. Piece also seems more coherent and cohesive than My Earth My Love. All of the presenters believe that this work would be better suited for our audiences.I cannot wait until we bring this production to Chapel Hill. So simply presented, yet so powerful...

Carolina Blue?
; I know this is hard to believe, but just after I took this photo, a flash of Carolina blue caught the corner of my eye. I turn just in time to see a guy walking down the street wearing a UNC sweatshirt!!!!Here, a remote part of the world. I swear! Holy cow!

War Memorial Cemetery
Today we paid a visit to the British war memorial cemetery where hundreds of WWII soldiers who died fighting the Japanese in Manipur are buried. We are amazed to imagine what it must have been like for the young British soliders, mostly between 18-30 years of age, to find themselves this far from home. Other nations are represented here who fought alongside the British. These included soliders from Africa, Canada, and New Zealand. I include a photo of a particularly moving headstone.

December 13 - Day 2
Hi. This morning, we made our first visit to the Chorus Repertory Theatre (CRT) Campus, 15 minutes away. The road conditions are very poor and pedestrians can be seen covering their mouths and noses to protect from the dirt kicked up in the air by passing vehicles.The campus is a beautiful, spectacular sight, reminiscent of east Asian structures. We meet Ratan Thiyam, and the vice chairman of the board. Dipankur Mukherjee, the Artistic Director of Pangaea World Theater in Minneapolis, and I sneak away and get a tour of the theater by one of the actors.We learn that CRT is a very regimented company, where each actor is expected to do everything, from cleaning the floors, to gardening, to making costumes, to lighting, to sound, to acting, to playing the musical accompaniment.I learn that the name, Chorus Repertory Theatre comes from Ratan's belief in the traditional Greek chorus, where all the artists did everything, sing, dance, act, etc...After a morning of welcomes, renewed and new friendships, we leave CRT and move on to a visit of the Shri Govindaji Temple.This is the golden temple of Imphal, which is an important Vaishnavait centre. This temple is dedicated is Lord Krishna also popularly called 'Govinda'.Shri Govindaji temple is the house of four deities, who are actually common forms of the "one and only-Lord Vishnu, Preserver of the Hindu trinity." Inside this temple a shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu is placed, with those of Balaram and Krishna on one side, and of Lord Jagannath on the other side. Prayers and dances on the Krishna theme are held here regularly.A group of musicians is leading a service honoring the anniversary of a family member's death.Later that afternoon, we attend the opening night (or in this case, afternoon) performance of the CRT season. Performances take place in the afternoon as people typically remain indoors after 6pm for security reasons. A full house of 200 people including local political and cultural dignitaries settle into their seats. The performance turns out to be riveting, disturbing, moving, compelling, beautiful, and yet very subtle. Through simple sets, and live music, Ratan produces great clarity on stage with powerful social commentary.Ratan's Director's Note:How far is the human race going to tolerate the atrocities of war where most of the time women and children are the major victims? And when will peace really come to this world?The play does not tell a story. It makes an attempt to share human sufferings and emphasize on the need of human understandingt where a serious collective effort is very much required to bring peace in this world.Not a conveniently woven play, it crosses the barrier of time and space to highlight a statement.This note succinctly defines Ratan and his personality. He is a genial man, yet gravely serious about his work and the belief that his art form should serve as an instrument of social change. He seems to be an intense and pensive individual who cares deeply about the actors in his company.This performance mentions specific events in time, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Pearl Harbor, Hitler, Pol Pot, Mother Theresa, and are used as metaphors for human suffering all over the world.The greatest irony of the whole evening came with the arrival of the Governor of the State of Manipur. He arrived to the theater (which remember is very small - 200) with at least 10 INA (Indian National Army) soldiers carrying sub-machine guns). They stood all around us, in the aisles and in back and hovered over the entire production. Here, we, the audience, are experiencing a performance that can be described simply as a serious comment on social and political injustice in the world, and in particular, on the Manipuri people.Then, even though the whole purpose of our visit was to meet with these artists, we are summoned away immediately after the performance, to be “lucky” enough to meet with the governor - instead of congratulating, and meeting with, the performers.I get my turn on his receiving line and he proudly tells me – "ah, you are from North Carolina. Ah yes, North Carolina, South Carolina... see I know."We retire to an outdoor hut and talk at length with Ratan about his work over Indian beer and whiskey. The actors have cooked, and proceed to serve us dinner, yes the actors who've just finished performing.

December 12 - Day 1

Arrival in Imphal. After a day and a half of flying, our group met in Kolkata for the final leg to Imphal. We all flew in together to get the required Restricted Area Permit. There is ongoing sporadic violence between the Indian Army and insurgents as factions still seek independence for Manipur from India.Imphal is a beautiful yet primitive city. It's what I imagine Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata must have been like 50 years ago.There isn't a single traffic light in this rather large city. Driving through the congested streets is a nightmare.You're constantly dodging bulls pulling wagons, stray cows, women with baskets atop their heads, bicycles, mopeds, rickshaws (motorized and non-motorized), motorbikes, cars, trucks, buses, and pickup trucks with 20 people crammed in back.Our hotel is equally primitive. The tariffs are $5-$15 per night. It's clear I got the $5 room. My room is large enough to fit a full-sized bed, which consists of 1 inch of foam on a wooden board. Our bathroom is equally primitive. The bathing space is in the toilet and sink space, and consists of buckets and faucets.We're off to the Chorus Repertory Theatre campus. The reason why we're here...

5 days late - but I now have internet access

Hi Everyone:

I have just returned to Delhi from Imphal (through Kolkata) and its 2:00am here. As I thought would be the case, there was no internet access in Imphal. Imagine: no cell phone or e-mail for 5 days! :-) I can get used to this! Except, I just opened Outlook and I have 167 e-mails. Ouch.

Anyway, I've been keeping a running blog which I will now post. I've taken a lot of photos as well.

Best to all.

Emil