‘Music is my weapon’: Manipuri Pena artiste Mangka Mayanglambam sings of pain and hope amid conflict

For Manipuri folk artiste Mangka Mayanglambam, music has become a way to express the pain of conflict, preserve cultural heritage and offer hope to people affected by the ongoing crisis in Manipur.

Performing at the Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) on Friday, the 30-year-old artiste presented traditional Manipuri folklore alongside original compositions reflecting the human cost of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ethnic conflict that erupted in her home state in May 2023.

Among the highlights of her performance was “Apocalypse: The Call of Mother Nature”, one of her first compositions. Inspired by the loss of human life during the pandemic, the song remained unfinished for four years until the violence in Manipur prompted her to complete it.

“It felt like human civilisation had come to an end during Covid-19 and mother nature was taking revenge on us for our behaviour,” Mangka told PTI, recalling how she initially managed to write only two paragraphs.

The second half of the composition reflects on how hatred and the absence of harmony threaten humanity. Through metaphors of birds, trees, rivers and lakes, the song portrays a natural world witnessing the possible end of human civilisation.

Mangka said the conflict had changed the lives of ordinary people as well as artistes. Even songs about love, peace and harmony now bring back painful memories of the violence.

“Music is my weapon, my power. It is the only thing that I can share with the world and say that Manipur used to be a peaceful, calm, and beautiful place,” she said.

Manipur has witnessed prolonged ethnic violence between the valley-based Meitei and hill-based Kuki communities since May 2023. According to the report, the conflict has claimed at least 306 lives, while several people remain missing. The killing of three Meitei men in an ambush on October 19 has added to the tensions.

Mangka is among the remaining practitioners of the pena, a traditional single-stringed instrument associated with Manipur’s cultural heritage. Once played at royal courts and traditionally performed by men, the instrument remains central to her work in preserving Meitei folklore.

Her nearly two-hour performance at Jodhpur RIFF included traditional narratives spanning the creation of the universe, the love story of Goddess Tampha, the tale of Khamba and Thoibi—often described as the “Manipuri Romeo and Juliet”—the 1891 Khongjom War against the British, and the celebratory song Lai Haraoba.

Despite the rich range of stories and melodies, Mangka said the ongoing crisis continues to shape her artistic expression. She added that the absence of festivals, celebrations and cultural events in Manipur had severely affected the livelihoods of artistes, many of whom had been forced to take up other work.

She said artistes had also faced criticism for not participating directly in protests, but maintained that cultural expression was another way to serve society and raise their voices.

Beyond performing, Mangka teaches more than 300 students, mostly young girls, to play the pena every weekend. She also visits relief camps across Manipur, interacting with displaced people and singing with them.

She said music had become a source of comfort for many during the crisis and had motivated her to continue her work despite the difficulties faced by the artistic community.

The Jodhpur RIFF, organised by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, brings together traditional folk performers and roots musicians from India and across the world. This year’s festival features more than 250 folk musicians from Rajasthan and other Indian states, alongside international performers representing several musical traditions.