TAPTA AND CONTEMPORARY MANIPUR
How long can an angry and hungry man be kept hungry? How long can the truth remain hidden? There has to be a way to unknot the mystery and reveal the truth behind the anger and hunger. Unmasking the truth can be executed in ways we enjoy the revelation of stark realities and laugh at our own follies. There is the need to have a strident voice, amplified or natural, which screams to the deaf who can hear and the blind who can see. This voice can at least make the deaf hear and light the streets blinded by the silence of hypocrisy.
For over four decades now Manipur has been numbed by political and social turmoil. With the advent of insurgency and the counter measures to suppress it, have led to a state of chaos. Manipur has seen brilliant youth heading for the jungles swayed the resurgence of ‘independentist’ ideology, others just swam along with the tides of corruption and drug-abuse. These youngsters eventually ended up being Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positives as a result of sharing of injection syringes or those who picked up guns only to be found killed either by their own ranks or by the security forces. Everyone knew what was happening but none bothered to question, busy with their own lives, following Darwin’s theory of the “survival of the fittest”.
The Big Bang and Tapta:
In April 1996, there was a ‘big bang’ in an already numbed Imphal valley. Almost every loud speaker in the region screamed Bazaar da bomb, bomb pokhaaire, miyaam se waa waa kaaidana chenare (Bomb! Bomb blast in the bazaar, screaming crowd run amok). No, this was not news media or some social service network informing the public of a blast in an already violent ridden society. Bomb blasts, ambushes and exchange or fire had become a norm and as it is still a part of every day life in Manipur. However, it was never spoken about and loud speakers shrieking it so powerfully were out of the ordinary.
Bazaar da bomb, bomb pokhaaire, were words from a music album of Tapta (Jayanta) played through the music system everywhere; in shops, kiosks, the leikai clubs (local youth organisations), homes, social gatherings, etc. It seemed like as if the dreaded character of the folktale Tapta has now come to devastate us. Tapta laak-e! (literally meaning ‘Tapta comes!’) is a popular phrase from the folktale by the same name. In the tale, a mother tried to stop her child from crying one dark rainy night. Despite every effort, she could not stop the child from crying. Helpless, the mother impulsively uttered Tapta laak-e! The child immediately stopped. So, in the mind of every Manipuri, Tapta has been symbolised as an imaginary being invoking apprehension and fear that could make one stunned and unable to react. However, Tapta the musician appeared amid us neither to subdue the children cry at midnight nor to scare people. But he came and raised a storm of direct issues and straight questions using a medium very few people thought was possible.
The ingenuity of Tapta lies in his unconventionality, whether it be in his fusion of different genres, themes, lyrics, etc. His rise pushed aside the multitude of other musicians struggling for a foothold in the Manipuri music scene. Tapta’s music is a blend of folk, rock, Hindustani, reggae and rap music. The lyrics are well written with a sharp and clear expression reflecting on moral as well as socio-political issues alike. If, indeed, a revolution has ever happened in the past few years of Manipuri music it will be the rise and singular success of Tapta. Apart from the hitherto unspoken themes, unusual lyrics and remarkably eccentric style of Tapta, the secret to his immense popularity lies in the fact that he voices the popular sentiments of the common masses, particularly the youth.
Extraordinary Lyrics and Undiscovered Terrain:
Tapta’s music and unordinary lyrics can be classified as new genre on its own. Tapta is of the first kind who breaks tradition and conventions in music. His music would epitomise modernity with traditional core. He uses folk tales and folk songs blended with Rock n Roll together with Hindustani to express his barrier breaking spirit. The foundation for such neo-rock Manipuri bands, dealing with themes like degeneration of indigenous culture and way of life, oppression of the downtrodden, political depravity, etc., was laid down by none other than Tapta. To people’s surprise and amusement, this Tapta could convert the text on a wedding card into well composed lyrics.
Tapta’s lyrics are pointed and piercingly critical. His use of language is unusual and can immediately attract the attention of the masses. He has his own way of striking back to things, which he does not approve of, things the masses do not approve of. Tapta reflects his origin in many ways, his lost identity as a Manipuri, his aversion to the exploitative mainstream Indian culture - a common sentiment expressed by the Manipuri youth today – his condemnation of the oppression of the masses, atrocities committed by the armed forces as well as the armed rebels etc.
Gender Question:
Tapta is an artiste who raises an alarm while watching the river flow towards a sea of blood. Many of his songs invoke issues of sexual excesses. Many proponents of women’s rights would term him ‘sexist’, as overtly his condemnation of sexual depravity seems to be directed towards the weaker women folk. But the word “Sexist” is not apt for describing Tapta and his many suggestive lyrics. One cannot ignore his songs like Chewing gum and Gari (vehicle) which without doubt have sexist tinge. However, if one delves a little deeper into the lyrics, it is apparent that he criticises sexual perversion without gender discrimination; he attacks both the women folk as well as the men. Every issue that he takes up in his songs have proper context. Moreover, he deals with other far-reaching issues whether it is the menace of AIDS, insurgency problem, corruption, etc. Outspoken Tapta recounts the life of prostitutes in the song 704 Room of Volume - 3. Mainstream Manipuri musicians and lyricists have not had the courage to venture into such terrain in the past. There were no songs on prostitution in the history of music in Manipur till Tapta brought it out in public.
Many might be unaware of it but Tapta has also touched the issue of exemplary women revolutionaries. In the song Nongthang he narrates the story of a lover’s anxiety about his beloved. The beloved is a member of one of the many proscribed armed revolutionary organizations in Manipur. The young man is concerned about her safety in the jungles and the only question that keeps popping up his mind is ‘Is she still alive?’ The hardship of being a woman and fighting against the enemy is also expressed in the song. A proclaimed ‘sexist’ in the true sense of the word would have ignored such issues. Yet, one cannot ignore the overarching influence of patriarchal imageries of the second sex in most of his lyrics dealing with relationships, love and sex.
Singing Turmoil:
In Group Volume – 3, Yo Tai he sings about the life of the educated youth who foolishly colour their hair every second day and are perpetually on the look out for a mate or ‘chicks’ to hang out with. Tapta knows exactly what he is doing; all he wants to tell the whole world is that ‘the aping of the West’s manifested idea of modernity by our youth does not suit with the material condition, we, as Manipuris live’. In Manipur, everyone struggles for their daily bread and butter where bandhs and curfews prevail. This again is narrated in his song Bandh of Volume-3.
It is surprising to know that “everything” - even the most trivial one - that the people talk about has found its way into the lyrics of Tapta. It can be about the silliest issues of chewing Raja Khaini or Talab (scented tobacco). In the song Talab, he narrates about people’s ignorance of the economics behind the circulation of such seemingly harmless products. Talab, which is popular among the young and the old, husbands and wives, males and females, etc. imported from mainland India also leads to harmful health consequences. Tapta raises a very vocal opinion against consumption of Talab. Whether it is of gun or fun in Manipur, Tapta has tuned his vocal and guitar to tell a tale about it.
Over a period of time, Meiteis have been stereotyped as the ‘laid back lot’. A Meitei wants to earn big money without any effort. This stereotyped image has also found a place in our folklore. We have many tales about the lazy but benevolent protagonist acquiring ‘yai’ (sorcerer’s stone), marrying the princess of the land and eventually becoming the king. The song Kongol (bubble) is about a lazy jobless graduate Meitei man and Tapta’s critique of the new ‘Lotus Eaters’ of a jeweled land called Kangleipak.
Musical notes on Politics:
His Abok series reflects various facts. The infamous Malom incident where innocent civilians were gunned down by security forces and numerous cases of state excesses while dealing with insurgency are mentioned in the album. The Malom incident provoked Irom Sharmila to go on a fast till the draconian law the Armed Forces Special Power Act, 1958 is repealed from Manipur. Tapta also became so absorbed with the massive protest by the Manipuris that he launched an independent album named 1958. The same album is significant not merely for its musical value but also the content. This shows how forms of cultural resistance can be effectively used to counter oppressive laws. One just marvel at the way in which Tapta personified the vices and ills of the draconian act.
Tapta’s views on contemporary social, economic and political situation are expressed in progressive stages. This is best exemplified by his song called Problem. He first cites the problems faced by the region which have crippled development and normal life. In the first and second stanzas, the singer laments over problems like insurgency, AIDS, unemployment, and corruption, destroying the spirit of the picturesque Manipur. In addition, he puts up question marks on these ill-elements. Kanana karigee thok-hanbano? Kari maramgi thok-hanbano? (Who is responsible? What are the reasons?) Tapta sees present Manipur as a region with an array of problems ranging from insurgency to corruption. However, his vision is far more than that. This song depicts leaders within and without the state who do not care about corruption or armed rebellion in Manipur. Tapta’s insights on a society riddled with complexities can be a useful tool for analysing Manipur in the 21st century or even after that. We can rest with the hope that our history will live on, as Tapta exists.
