Ukhrul - Music and Dance

Music and Dance

Tangkhuls are music lovers and their songs are soft and melodious. Apart from encoding into the music the varied seasonal and cultural ideas and philosophies, music is a medium wherein historical events are also related in the lyrics. In as much as religious fervor is incorporated and composed in the songs, the romantic nature of the people also finds its expressions in the music. There are various varieties of songs, some are mood special, some are festival/seasonal specials. These folksongs and folklores can be taught and sang by anybody, anytime, but there are also some specific musical expressive melodies of every region or area. These folksongs and folklores can be played or accompanied by musical instruments. Some of the musical instruments are: 1. Tingteila (Violin), 2. Tala (Trumpet), 3. Phung (Drum), 4. Mazo (Woman’s mouth-piece), 5. Sipha (Flute), 6. Kaha Ngashingkhon (Bamboo pipe) etc. Corresponding to the rhythmic composition of the songs, the dances of the Tangkhuls are also rhythmic and these are eventful and vigorous. Thrilling as they are, there are also some special occasional dances, like the Kathi Mahon - dance for the dead, Laa Khanganui - virgin dance during Luira Festival, Rain Pheichak - war Dance etc. Many young Tangkhuls have initiated the continuation of the old folk form in to mordern Popular culture. An attempt by Reuben Mashangva to infuse folk lyrics and melody into modern songs are a good examples of the young trying to come to term with the past and their western /Christian oriented tradition of music. The present Tangkhul music can be divided roughly into the following categories: A) Folk song : A purely uncontaminated songs that has been handed down by the ancestors through oral tradition. Such songs are sung during the traditional festival like, Luira, Mangkhap, Thisham and therleo phanit. B) Gospel Song (Vareshi Laa) are songs translated from the Christian hymnals, which includes all the Christian popular songs. these songs are promoted by the various Church associations and are sung in the church. C) Lungchan Laa (Romance Song) the most popular type of songs sung by the youths. It is western in tone and melody but retain the symbolic and lucid beauty of the traditional songs. In fact the lungchan laa can be consider as the pop songs of the community. D) Folk Blue : Started by the well known folk singer Reuben Mashangva in the late 1980s, this style has almost become a movement of blending the past with the present. many scholars and writers have taken keen interest in knowing and exposing the style.