Manipur artists aim to popularize Mime

Budding artists in Manipur are being trained to revive and popularise mime theatre and to preserve the dying art.

Kanglei Mime Theatre Repertory organized a seven-day National Mime Workshop in Imphal, which attracted a large number of young artists.

Organiser of the mime workshop, Yumnam Sadananda Singh, said that the aim was to promote mime art, as it was not so popular in the province.

"We want to promote, protect, preserve the art of the mime in India particularly in Manipur because in Manipur the art of mime is somewhat rare and it is not popular in Manipur. So, we would like to popularise this art form in Manipur," said Singh.

Around 58 children, including youths, hailing from Assam, Mizoram, West Bengal and Manipur took part in the training.

Amid enthusiasm, a child artist, Jabeja Lalchawiaoia, appreciated the efforts of the group, which will further enhance their skills.

"We are learning different kind of things - climbing ladders, facial expression, Manipur dressing and body movement," said Lalchawiaoia.

During the workshop, young artists also performed plays depicting the ills of destruction of nature and environment.

The repertory, in the past, has performed in various parts of the country and world, including Korea, Armenia, Macedonia and Greece.