The sound of Imphal Talkies

Akhu Chingambam a poet musician singer and physicist from Manipur started his musical journey on the streets with a guitar mouth organ and signature tickling humour in haiku Singing songs of protest and the realities of Manipur on Delhi campuses he formed the band Imphal Talkies in 2008 while pursuing a PhD in physics from Jamia Millia University By 2012 the band had made waves on television during the second season of The Dewarists With Karnajit Laishram playing the bass Sachin Ananda on the guitar Chaoba Thiyam with the Pena the indigenous fiddle and Sunil Loitongbam on the drums the band was set for a long journeyAkhu Chingambam plays inside Imphal TalkiesCinema and musicThe name Imphal Talkies came to him from memories of a better Imphal and its nostalgia he recallsIntroducing us to the world of Imphalrsquos lanes and the talkie Akhu says that the story of the place started in 1960 as Rupmahal Theatre when the hall was used only for local plays Later it began to screen movies and was named Imphal Talkies While they were teenagers the hall screened English films often with adult rating Later it was shut and turned back into Rupmahal Theatre that staged plays only in the local language After all these years and many performances Akhursquos Imphal Talkies has finally got permission from the local bodies to perform at the theatre on January 30 sing English songs with a guitar and bring in a whiff of fresh air For Akhu more than anything else it is coming homeThe talkies now shows only local playsldquoIt has been a dream for me to perform at the Talkies The idea has been with me for years but this time we could make it work out Irsquom also planning more events to make Imphal a musicfriendly town away from the social turmoil our generation has been witnessingrdquo he gushesThe dilapidated sign boardldquoOur generation grew up watching films at Imphal Talkies mostly when we bunked school It is always nice to remember those innocent days During that time Imphal was better off sociopolitically though I was just a boy who didnrsquot understand what was going on You may call it nostalgia but there were rare cases of violence thenrdquo he reminiscesImphal Talkies performing at an openair gig in Shillong Pics courtesySiddharth HaobijamHowever things changed later ldquoI watched my last film at the talkies in 1999 In the coming years the hall stopped screening movies and the place was turned into Rupmahal Theatre again only staging playsrdquo he adds It was the love for Imphal that was Akhursquos first inspiration for music which later merged into the larger ocean of music and poetryldquoMy inspiration is Imphal and the agonies of povertyrdquo Akhu says His songs are about rights activist Binayak Sen Irom Sharmila historic betrayals and inequality in the country and draconian lawsInspire singHis passion led him to the works of Bengalrsquos radical poet Nazrul Islam ldquoWhile discovering Manipuri poets from the rsquo60s like Thangjam Ibopishak Shri Biren Yumlembam Ibomcha I also discovered Nazrul It was an important stage in my life as I was searching for my own medium to create and express my emotionsrdquo And soon he came out with his songs Tiddim Road India and Eche which found acclaim across the countryAkhu has performed at a few gigs in Mumbai too Though he is not very excited about the experience ldquoI have performed only twice in Mumbai so not much to share All I can say is that I was not paid for the shows the gig organisers thought they were giving me a platform to reach out and I was just starting out in those days I didnrsquot mind I was broke and sang India I see blood in your handsrdquoWith this performance Akhu hopes to turn it into a tradition and slowly draw youth and pop culture to Imphal and the Imphal Talkies ldquoIn a place like Manipur where the youth canrsquot find a platform to express their angst and thoughts any shut down place is good enough for gigsrdquo he concludes