The Group
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU MANIPUR DANCE ACADEMY,
Imphal, Manipur
This
Academy was started in April 1954 at the initiative of India's
first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharial Nehru, who called Manipur
the "Jewel of India".
This National
Institution, the first of its kind in India for imparting
authentic training in Manipuri Dance, Music and Tribal Dances of
the region, is now a constituent unit of the Sangeet Natak
Akademi, New Delhi.
Apart from
conducting three courses of training upto Post Graduate Diploma
Course level, the Academy also maintains a Production Unit. The
artistes of this Unit, along with the promising students of the
Academy, have produced several dance-dramas and given numerous
presentations of Manipuri Dance, Music and Tribal Dances in India
and abroad.
The Region
Manipur, which literally means
the land of jewels, is situated in the northeastern frontier
corner of the Indian subcontinent. The picturesque valley, about
2,500 ft. above sealevel, is encircled by nine rows of mountains.
Some of nature's splendor of creation is vividly visible in this
exotic corner of the globe.
There are distinctly six seasons in Manipur unfolding nature's
wonderful multi-faceted skills. The fragrant seasoned flowers and
various other forms of life are unique in this distant corner of
the Earth. The famous 108- petaled lotus flower (white and pink
varieties) and the Siroi lily which blooms on the mountain tops
of Manipur are singular products of creation, existing nowhere
else in the world. Loktak lake, the greatest lake in North
Eastern India, is in the valley of Manipur and in its middle lies
the only floating park in the world, Keibui-lamjao. Here
the rare brow- antlered deer makes its habitat.
The State's 8,000 sq. mile area is about
one-third valley and two-thirds mountainous region. The
population is 1.7 million with about 10% of the population living
in the hills. .
The culture of the people of Manipur is as colorful as the beauty
of the land itself and manifests the native self reliance of the
Manipuri character.