Thematically swayed away from other previous Volumes, this album shows Tapta’s deep concern over socio-political situation of Manipur. Punsise Wai is a song that narrates an encounter against Indian rule. Tapta laments about how Indian mainland politics cultivate communal hatred between hill and valley peoples. We Want Peace is a concrete protest song. Against all odds in social and political parameters, Tapta develops a frame of agitation against capitalists who rob the fundamental rights of artisans. Tapta himself is very conscious about the term lawai used by city dwellers for people who are marginal peasants living in rural areas of the state. Literally lawai means hiring of arable lands from landowners. Theme of We Want Peace based on hardworking lawai farmers who hardly get a square meal from their annual produce as those landowners snatch all yields from them during harvesting seasons.
Tapta’s real poetic attribute had never been showed clearly in other Volume series. But Nungsiba in this album is a melancholic poem narrating the solitude of a broken hearted lover. Similarly, Khoimu received a lot of positive appraisals from critics for its excellent poetic value. His melodic element is quite different from others as Hiyangthang Bor constructs an extraordinary nostalgic lament of a restless lover.
Introducing himself as a bona fide folklorist, Tapta derives his strength from the rich folk tradition of Manipur. Laikhusangbi is a popular Manipuri folktale centralised on a fearsome ogress with extra long pair of limbs. As the ogress has supernatural power to stretch her arms while catching children in the night, Tapta compares Laikhusangbi as a notorious rapist and molester of women in modern times. His derivation of themes from folk into conventional context is extraordinary.
Tapta explores all folk genres in the region. Koka Sai He is based on Kabui1 folk song. As he is persuaded by all musical genres across the world, We Believe is inspired by James Dio’s Catch the Rainbow. In this song, his anecdotal usage of World War II is quite impressive. Rather than the perfect compositions, both JN Hospital and Akampet are famous for comical descriptions of unexploded lust of a young man.
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