Dissecting the liminality of the craft of Wari- Leeba in Manipur

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to divulge into the narrative art of Wari-Leeba in Manipuri cultural matrix. The narrator utilizes various affective power of various mediums of memory. In Manipur, this art-form of wari-leeba is dynamic, one is attuned to the story of Indian Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, and the other is greatly attributed to the story of indigenous Manipuri religion and culture. Manipuri wari leeba can be considered as a composite art-form. In its elements, it has music, mimicry, characterization, imitation of the sounds of birds and animals, thunder, wind and play with different vocal sound-effects. These are the main concerns in my paper.